Clicking back through my Journal posts on Christmas I came across one for which I can claim no credit as the author, but the message is as meaningful to me today as it was back then… even more so.

Some of the words caught my eye… “that which is good and precious in your life need never be lost, and what is evil and undesirable in your life can be changed.”

This was being said about Christmas, and the message of Christmas. It had to do with the real reason for our celebrating, the hushed reason that offends secular ears and embarrasses those who believe their Christian friends fuss too much over the birth of some baby way back then. It had to do with change…

Now here’s a question for you. What would you, when being very honest with yourself, like to change in your life? For instance, do you have any bad habits?

Wherever people say about their bad habits, “That’s just the way I am, you’ll have to get used to it,” the message of Christmas has been rejected. I’ve also heard them say “God made me that way” as though God is then to blame, if any blame is warranted, and not oneself.

Read on (if you dare)…

Before anyone says, “Oh, I’ve tried religion and it didn’t help,” let me ask this: How many of you have ever fasted for three days? Two days? One day? Have you taken the word of God, asked for a vacation day, gone away by yourself Friday through Sunday and saturated your mind with holiness and poured out your soul in longing to the Lord for change? Have you gathered around yourself two or three spiritual brothers or sisters, shared with them the habit you want to break, sought their daily earnest prayer and stood yourself accountable to them? If not, then don’t say religion doesn’t work.

Moses fasted forty days, Elijah fasted forty days, Jesus fasted forty days and spent whole nights in prayer. When was the last time you wanted any change in your life bad enough to spend one whole day in prayer and fasting seeking it from the Lord, not to mention three days like Paul (Acts 9:9) or three weeks like Daniel (Daniel 10:2,3), or forty days like Moses?

The writer of those words is John Piper, and he goes on to say…

The problem with most of us is not that the Christmas message is powerless, but that we don’t really want to be changed. “You will seek me and find me (says the Lord, in Jeremiah 29:13) when you seek me with all your heart.” When you want with all your heart to rid yourself of what is evil and undesirable, God will give you the Christmas gift of change.

The message of Christmas is that what is evil and undesirable in your life can be changed. A critical spirit can be changed. Alcoholism can be changed. Irritability can be changed. Harshness and ingratitude can be changed. Laziness and overeating and masturbation and nagging can be changed. The habits of not tithing and excessive T.V. watching and gambling can be changed. The fear of talking to others and of having guests over to your house can be changed. The lack of appreciation for great music and great books can be changed. Indifference to beauty can be changed. And your disposition to remind somebody else to take this sermon to heart can be changed. Christ Jesus came into the world to save us from fatalism. He came to stop people from saying, “That’s just the way I am.”

Ouch! John Piper certainly goes for the jugular when he describes some of those bad habits most of us would rather not admit to, or ‘fess up. Sure, I can pick out those that aren’t mine, just as you can too, but I have no reason to feel righteous as the sheer mention of some has me bouncing off the springboard, remembering others that will stick to me. I don’t really like that, so what shall I do? Then he goes on…

By the power of Christ you can change.
“The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into to the world to save you from bondage to sin.” We are not by nature beautiful people. But we have an incomparably beautiful Savior who came into the world to change us into his likeness (Romans 8:29).

OK Pastor John, just when I thought I was on vacation, I see I have far more of the journey to go. It never lets up, or if it does, not for too long. Off I go…

Look for The Message of Christmas under the heading “Pages” on the left-hand navigational side-bar to read more.

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My favourite NZ native tree… the Pohutukawa, metsiderosis excelsa, is known as the New Zealand Christmas Tree. This is exactly the time of year that it comes into blossom, and together with its supposedly Christmas colours of red and green, it is not surprising that it is given that name. I have them growing around my home. This one here is still quite a baby, standing barely thrice my height but expected to reach a good 20 metres or more… provided the local city council doesn’t send their tree-hating so-called “gardeners” out to lop it about!

You could be forgiven for thinking that Judah slept right through this Christmas, there being no other posts to my Journal this month except for the one on the first, but that is not so. I was awake alright!

The days here have been long ones, and busy ones too. The dawn chorus is already going strong by first light, around 5.00 am, with several resident Tuis leading the choir. This lovely native bird, Prosthemadera Novæ Zealandiæ, has reinhabited suburbia now that the culling of opossums, the introduced Aussie pest, has given them back their territories. Much of their song is outside the range of human hearing, but we are given recitals of much chortling, chuckling, warblings, sneezes, and melodious motets that go on endlessly until late at night when the Moreporks, our native owl, takes over to repeat its name through until sunrise.

Living with native bush on my property, there is little chance of remaining asleep throughout summer! But Christmas did come at a rush and was over almost before I could say Hallelujah.

With a few Vicarly words of encouragement, I managed to get myself to the Midnight Communion Service on Christmas Eve, my first for a best forgotten number of years. I’m so glad that I did. It was a wonderful occasion, one that I wont miss again, I promised myself. My first for ages…

In these politically correct days where the words “reason for the season” are barely whispered so as not to give offence (no mind the offence given our Creator!) it takes some courage, or a Christian conviction, to look behind the secular holiday traditions (why red and green for Christmas, do you suppose?) and realize that Jesus was not God’s Plan B for mischievous humans. Our mischief was predicted long before we even came into being, long before the beginning of time. Jesus was born to be killed, made incarnate to redeem, and that was Plan A right from the start.

Sounds engineered, doesn’t it? I don’t personally think so… more like a wise, omniscient Being saw way into the future and arranged His ducks in a row, so to speak. Not just omniscient either, but One who cared enough about His creatures to work out a way whereby love redeems creation. All this can take a bit to get one’s head around, but that is really what Christmas is all about. Lose the occasion under the red and green, silver and gold, sparkles and tinsel, avarice, gluttony, hate, anger and family violence, but it is still there regardless… the Saviour who was born in humble circumstances, was mocked and tortured for our transgressions, but loved us enough to forgive us, sanctify and glorify us with Himself… if only we care enough to follow Him to the foot of the cross, to kneel at the throne of God.

An email has just popped into my Inbox, sent from a retail business chain, and here is what it says:

Christmas is always a frantic time of year – work commitments, parties, presents, cooking, shopping, sending cards and arranging holidays. Christmas can become a chore.

But Christmas can also give you and your loved ones a precious gift every year – the gift of celebration.

At Christmas time we can stop and celebrate Christmases past, present and to come with family and friends and take some time to re-connect. At Christmas we can reflect on all those things and people around us that we can be thankful for, and ready ourselves for the year ahead.

So amidst the activity and chaos of the season, may we encourage you to celebrate the joy and treasure of living life and creating memories with those we love.

We wish you and your loved ones a joyous blessed and memorable Christmas.

But wait… what is this about? Are we talking Christmas, or is this about being thankful, or just having a family occasion? Yes, it certainly mentions Christmas, but in true postmodern style that leaves out content to focus on process, how utterly obtuse can you get to merely celebrate living life and the creation of memories? One doesn’t actually need Christmas for doing just that.

Well, what did I expect? Christianity is wrongly considered these days not to be for those who can think rationally, who value scientific discovery, and who know better than to imagine even for one silly moment that a virgin can possibly give birth to a baby, or that the baby can be God Incarnate. Whatever next! Therefore it must be right to denigrate Christianity and milk whatever can possibly be milked out of this culturally inherited occasion, sensitively avoiding any risk of giving offence to adherents of other religious and secular traditions. Any offence given to Christians by the appropriation of their celebration of the birth of Christ, and its hijacking in the name of commercialism and woolly sentiment, is nothing more than deserved. Christians are merely fools to believe the stuff they do.

On top of all that, it is easy to hate Christmas when all the perceived extra duties and expectations threaten to become overwhelming, when more shopping and partying is required, or when the aggravations of unresolved conflicts threaten to erupt over this time of supposed Peace and Goodwill. What joy is there in celebrating… er, mere celebration itself?

For Christians the celebration goes well beyond “celebrating the joy and treasure of living life and creating memories with those we love” to focus on the amazing grace of God and the love He has shown in redeeming us, restoring us to a relationship with Him that is more precious than life itself. It is foolishness to natural man, meaningful only to those in this restored relationship with Him. It is no surprise that the world has appropriated Christmas for its own less worthy purposes, and no surprise that many will consider Christians irrational and foolish for believing what Christians know to be the Truth. The world may celebrate “celebration” but without the truth content of Christmas, that celebration remains bereft of the real Joy and Peace given only by the grace of our Sovereign God.

Why should it matter whether Mary and Joseph were married or not? What difference does it make? Jesus was born anyway…

Two reasons come to mind. There may well be others.

Firstly, I think it is important that we tell the story according to how it is told in Scripture, and that any paraphrasing of it must be faithful to that particular reality. It must not add any bias or distortion from our own culture. The truth matters! It is like the game of Chinese Whispers. As the story goes around, subtle changes become less and less subtle until the message heard at the other end is something quite different from the message as it started out. Making an effort to get it right helps minimize that effect. Rather than say “His parents were unmarried” it is more truthful to say “Mary was betrothed to Joseph” or “though Joseph had taken Mary as his wife, their marriage was not yet consummated”. It may sound a little pedantic, but it is accurate. And that brings me to the second reason…

If the parents of Jesus are described as unmarried (no further clarification given) it is an easy step to take to suppose that having a child out of wedlock is an OK situation… after all, it might be said, Mary and Joseph did it! Nope, their situation does not condone such a thing. The circumstances were utterly unique, having never happened before, and not ever again since. No amount of identification with Mary will condone a breaking of God’s moral law. Mary did not break God’s moral law, but anyone who conceives a child outside of marriage has indeed done so. The newspaper account had it that their traditional society viewed that fact as shameful. Yes, that is so. However, the truth in this instance is far from embarrasing or shameful. It would indeed be shameful for any other woman to be pregnant prior to marriage, especially back in those times when “society” did not sanction such a thing, but it is very important to be quite clear that the truth of Mary’s circumstances is a reason for rejoicing. Great rejoicing! And far from being caught up in shame, Mary herself rejoiced, proclaiming those lovely words known as the Magnificat…

My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

(Luke 1:46-55, KJV)

A local newspaper recently published a brief account of the Christmas story, and the writer explained that the parents of Jesus were unmarried, and their traditional society viewed that fact as shameful.

The situation concerning engagement and marriage was a little different in Jewish culture back then than it is in our society today.

What we do know is that Mary was betrothed, or espoused, to Joseph. They had not “come together” (or “known” each other, the Biblical way of referring to sexual intercourse) but Mary was already pregnant. When Joseph learnt about this, he was quite perturbed and got to thinking how he would handle this situation. In Jewish law of the time, a woman found in such circumstances was to be brought before the civil magistrate in order to be punished according to the law which requires her to be taken out to the gate of the city and stoned to death (Deuteronomy 22:23). Or if the marriage had already taken place, and the pregnancy more advanced than the date of marriage would allow for legitimacy, then she was to be divorced and publicly shamed. But Joseph was compassionate as well as righteous, and he was loath to take either course of action, whichever was apllicable. According to his deliberations, as we are informed, it was looking like the latter (to divorce her quietly - Matthew 1:19).

The Gospel according to Matthew tells it like this:

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” - which means, “God with us.”

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
(Matthew 1:18-25, NIV)

From John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible comes the following commentary on this situation:

Verse 24: …and rising up from his bed or place where he was, [Joseph] immediately and without any delay, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him; firmly believing that it was a messenger of God that was sent to him, and that this matter was of the Lord. Wherefore he took unto him his wife, that is, he publicly married her, whom he had before espoused, took her to his house, or continued her there, lived with her as his wife, and owned her to be such, and henceforwards had no more thoughts of putting her away.

Verse 25: “And knew her not”…. or “but he knew her not,” that is, had carnal knowledge of her, or copulation with her, though his wife. The words are an euphemism, or a modest way of expressing the conjugal act, and is a very ancient one, and what has been used in nations and languages.

The other record of these events is to be found in Luke’s Gospel where it is briefly said of Mary that she was “pledged to be married to him [Joseph] and was expecting a child” (Luke 2:5). However, John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible has this to say:

Verse 5: To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife…. Whom also he had married, though he had not known her in a carnal way; she came along with him to be taxed and enrolled also, because she was of the same family of David, and belonged to the same city:

Betrothal was, in Jewish law, valid marriage. If Joseph was to “give Mary up” or “put her away” he would have had to take legal steps to effect the separation. (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary)

Smith’s Bible Dictionary discusses espousal and betrothal as follows:

The selection of the bride was followed by the espousal, which was a formal proceeding undertaken by a friend or legal representative on the part of the bridegroom and by the parents on the part of the bride; it was confirmed by oaths, and accompanied with presents to the bride. The act of betrothal was celebrated by a feast, and among the more modern Jews it is the custom in some parts for the bride. groom to place a ring on the bride’s finger. The ring was regarded among the Hebrews as a token of fidelity and of adoption into a family. Between the betrothal and the marriage so interval elapsed, varying from a few days in the patriarchal age, to a full year for virgins and a month for widows in later times. During this period the bride-elect lived with her friends, and all communication between herself and her future husband was carried on through the medium of a friend deputed for the purpose, termed the “friend of the bridegroom.” She was now virtually regarded as the wife of her future husband; hence faithlessness on her part was punishable with death, the husband having, however, the option of “putting her away.” The essence of the marriage ceremony consisted in the removal of the bride from her father’s house to that of the bridegroom or his father.
(Smith’s Bible Dictionary)

So although their marriage was not consummated prior to the birth of Jesus, the parents of Jesus were legally committed to each other by a prenuptial agreement which could be broken only by a formal process of divorce.

Thank you Paul (and any helpers you may have had) for another nicely decorated tree. To check back on your other Christmas trees, click here

All aboard! Next stop… Christmas! I have heard complaints in Christian circles that the secular world is taking over our festival and trashing it with consumerism, jingoism, greed, selfish excesses and all those other despicable things that are so unfortunately unChristian. I have heard we should claim it back and push “the reason for the season” on to the consciousness of folk instead. I wonder how many know that Christmas as a festival did not begin back there with the babe in the manger, but was celebrated on December 25th only since AD 354, replacing an earlier date of January 6th. Christians had by then appropriated pagan festivals and traditions of the season, many that were practiced in parts of the Middle East and Europe, as a means of stamping them out. There were mid-winter festivals in ancient Babylon and Egypt, Germanic fertility festivals, the celebration of the birth of the ancient sun-god Attis in Phrygia, of the birth of the Persian sun-god, Mithras, and Saturnalia, the festival dedicated to Saturn, the god of peace and plenty. In Scandinavia there was Yule. Celtic culture of the British Isles added a tradition involving mistletoe and holly. Italy added the tradition of re-enacting the birth of Christ with the construction of scenes of the nativity. The saint’s day dedicated to Saint Nicholas occurred on December 6th, he being the forerunner of Santa Claus. The earliest English reference to December 25th as Christmas Day did not come until 1043. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort they cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him came the return of the popular holiday. In America the pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell and Christmas was not considered a holiday. The celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston from 1659 to 1681 with anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit being fined five shillings.

So what was that about reclaiming Christmas for the celebration of the birth of the Christ child? I’m afraid we share it with other traditions anyway. So a mixed bag has become Christmas, but it is still a very worthy “reason for the season” to consider the birth of Jesus - even although that was most unlikely to have been on December 25th - and celebrate anyway.

The Month Before Christmas
(Anonymous)

‘Twas the month before Christmas
when all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying nor taking a stand.
Why the PC Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas -
no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people’s feelings,
the teachers would say
December 25th is just a ” Holiday “.
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod
something was changing,
something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
in hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets are hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe’s the word Christmas -
was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny’s and Sears
You won’t hear the word Christmas;
it won’t touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-is-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
to eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word,
as they took away our faith
forbidden to speak of salvation and grace
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate “Winter Break” under your “DreamTree”
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully,
choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS,
not Happy Holiday!

Throughout the time that Judah’s Journal has been up and running, there have been visitors coming from over 70 different countries. By far the majority come from English speaking nations, but over 40 different languages are also represented here. I greatly admire those of you who fluently read or speak more than one language as I have only smatterings of a couple of others.

But I have found the words to wish some of you Christmas Greetings in your own language.

~ Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr

~ Shubh Christmas

~ Joyeux Noël et heureuse année

~ Prettig Kerstfeest

~ Gledlig jul og godt Nytt Aar

~ Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto

~ Kala Khristougena kai Eftikhes to Neon Ethos

~ S prazdnikom Rozdestva Hristova i s Novim Godom

~ Feliz Natal e Prospero Ano Novo

~ Gun Tso Sun

~ Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan

~ Sheng Dan Kuai Le

~ Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun

~ Yeni Yilnizi Kutar, saadetler dilerim

~ Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo

~ Buone Feste Natalizie

~ Buon Natale e felice Capodanno

~ Linksmu Kaledu

~ linksmu sventu Kaledu ir Laimingu Nauju Metu

~ God Jul Och Gott Nytt Ã…r

~ Chuk Sung Tan

~ Sung Tan Chuk Ha.

~ Sarbatori Fericite. La Multi Ani

~ Srozhdestvom Kristovym

~ Maligayang

~ Hyvää joulua ja Onnellista uutta vuotta

 

If the relentless commercial build-up to Christmas with all the tinsel trappings has you pondering where in the whole business is the original meaning, and if it has not been thoroughly abandoned to the worship of something else instead, you could be forgiven for considering taking Time Out from the occasion and leaving the rest of the world to manage it without you.

Some countries (such as England) have decided against printing anything “religious” on their Christmas postage stamps for fear of causing offense to folks who don’t go much for the real meaning of the Holy day. I am pleased to report that the New Zealand Post Office has no such intentions, noticing that last year’s Christmas stamps featuring Jesus and the Magi were extremely popular. Of course, the NZPO knew they were on to a good thing as regards profits, but any resistance to the postmodern drive to strip Christmas of anything Christian is still a good thing. Perhaps we are just a little backward here Down Under, and for that I am sometimes grateful. But the rest of the mad rush of Christmas presses on.

One writer has some very sensible points to consider for those Christians who wonder if Christ is so much left out of the occasion that the whole business is nothing but stressful idolatry. He had listened to a pastor quote Scripture and sum it up as exactly that - idolatry. But is it? Does it need to be that?

“Should Christians celebrate Christmas?” or, “How should a Christian celebrate Christmas?” These are questions of concern for many sincere believers. In fact, many believers dislike the season and have refused to celebrate it at all. A number of reasons are given, and while I might agree with some of their concerns and some of the reasons offered against the observance of Christmas, I would not necessarily agree with their conclusions…

How should believers respond to such questions and to the criticism leveled against the celebration of Christmas and the Christmas season? Is it scripturally wrong to celebrate Christmas? Is it pagan?

Everywhere we go during the season, the signs of Christmas are there with all their glitter, tinsel, lights, greenery, cards, festivities, carols, bells, Santas, manger scenes, angels, trees and presents–and the push by Madison Avenue and the gimmicks of the retailers. The Christmas season either makes or breaks many businesses.

Should we play the part of Scrooge and say, “bah humbug!”? Should we call attention to the fact that certain of our Christmas traditions such as the yule log, the decorated tree, and mistletoe each have their roots in pagan festivals? Should we assert that celebrateChristmas is to promote paganism and materialism and thus is just not the biblical thing to do?

I personally do not agree with that conclusion. In this short study, we will take a look at some of the arguments and issues and consider some of the biblical options open to us as believers.

This was written by J. Hampton Keathley III , Th.M. who was a 1966 graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and a former pastor of 28 years.
To continue reading the excellent points made by this writer, click here.
In August of 2001 J. Hampton Keathley III, was diagnosed with lung cancer and died on August 29th, 2002.

In the run up to Christmas with so much to do Take a moment to ponder, just one or two, And think of the baby who was born about now Two thousands years back in time near this hour, And think of the gifts that you've chosen with care To give to those others whom you hold dear. But what of that baby whose birthday it is; What gift will you give Him, which will be His? I have an idea for something unique Something quite special, can you guess as I speak? Our Father gave Jesus, He gave Him for you, And what Jesus wants most is simply you too. (author: Judah, 2005)

The Christmas Tree The tree to the left stands in the family room of a house in Greenwood, Indiana, USA. The two fine young gentlemen who decorated this tree so well believe that it is incomplete. They say it needs lots of parcels under it, presumably with their names on them. I certainly hope they have been good enough all year - ho ho ho ho! Last year’s effort was incomplete as well… until early Christmas morning, I believe. To see last year’s Christmas Tree post, click here.

Now the following is really sad!

Christmas tree banned from courthouse lobby

A Toronto judge has banished a Christmas tree from the lobby of a provincial courthouse, saying the “Christian symbol” might alienate people of other faiths. Judge Marion Cohen ordered that a small artificial tree on display in the Ontario Court of Justice at 311 Jarvis St. be placed in a back hallway, out of sight of the entrance. She wrote in a note to staff that she didn’t think it was appropriate that when people entered the courthouse, the “first thing they see is a Christian symbol.” The tree’s presence suggests to non-Christians that they are “not part of this institution,” she said, according to the Toronto Sun.

Pluralistic society
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty called it an “unfortunate” incident. “I think it reflects a mistaken understanding of what we’re trying to do here,” said McGuinty. He said the province is working hard to build a pluralistic multicultural society and that means celebrating all traditions, not asking some to abandon them. “It doesn’t offend anyone when we celebrate Diwali at Queen’s Park or celebrate Hanukkah at Queen’s Park,” he said. “It’s part of who we are.”

Cohen has refused to publicly speak on the matter.

A spokesman for the Ministry of the Attorney General stated that as the local administrative judge, Cohen has the right to rule on such issues in the courthouse.

Tree not a religious symbol
Meanwhile, Dr. Robert Buckman, president emeritus of the Humanist Association of Canada, argues that the Christmas tree is not even a religious symbol. “This is a simple, secular symbol of a festival period,” he said. “It’s like the pumpkin in Halloween. The pumpkin is actually reminiscent, apparently, of trying to scare ghosts and lighting jack-o’-lanterns and spirits coming into the house and all. “But no one says you can’t put a pumpkin on your porch unless you believe in goblins.”

Just as a matter of interest, when does something become a religious symbol?

St Boniface, a 7th century a monk from Crediton, Devonshire, went to Germany to teach the Word of God. Legend has it that he used the triangular shape of the Fir Tree to describe the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The converted people began to revere the Fir tree as God’s Tree. By the 12th century it was being hung upside-down from ceilings at Christmastime in Central Europe as a symbol of Christianity. I wonder if perhaps Judge Cohen will reconsider if it is mentioned to her that the tree in her courthouse has not been hung upside-down from the ceiling.

Did you know that in the USA there are 100,000 people employed in the Christmas tree industry, and that 98% of all Christmas trees are grown on farms? The University of Illinois has come up with a few facts about Christmas Trees for those of you who are interested. These facts pertain to Americans but might be interesting to others as well. Click here.

In New Zealand we have our own native Christmas Tree, the Pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa), known as such because every December this evergreen tree obligingly clothes itself with masses of bright red flowers. The green and red combination is, of course, the colours of Christmas.

Twenty or so years ago I included a chatty hand-written letter with a Christmas card that I sent an elderly in-law and received back a response: “Thank you for your form letter with all the news.” I was shocked - and stung. It was not a “form letter” and I had gone to far more trouble than I probably really had the time to spare. Her brief couple of sentences, the only personal comment made, were scribbled hastily on the bottom of a badly typed and photocopied page roughly folded and put in with her card. Thus began my love-hate relationship with the ubiquitous Christmas letter that pads out most of the Christmas cards we receive this time of year.

I should probably have never fallen for the new-fangled convention anyway. After all, I was brought up to know that a card may be sent instead of a letter, or a letter instead of a card. Sending both together defeats the purpose of either - just as does the repeated sentiment handwritten into the card along with the printed message already there. But these days it would seem churlish to be so correct and culturally determined conventions are constantly changing. One should probably try to keep up with the times when it is not an essential matter of those absolute truths.

There are some letters I really enjoy getting, but others that are far less than inspiring. A gem turned up one year in the account of a friend putting his car through an automated car wash, then at the last moment leaping out to close the boot lid properly. The experience was a nightmare as he emerged utterly drenched, whipped and stung by those swirling brushes and bruised in unmentionable places. There was certainly a lesson to be learned in that well told anecdote. However, it was counterbalanced by another letter detailing the woes of a relative’s succession of haemorrhoid surgeries. Great Christmas fare, and I wondered if the relative wanted that broadcasted quite so widely! But in the bragging exaggerated brilliance of over-achieving kids and grandkids, the exotic overseas adventures told as blasé everyday occurrences, the mundane told as newsworthy, the saccharin seasonal sentiments expressed over and over, I do long to hear something honest, something meant just for me.

Each year the question comes up - will I or won’t I? I am niggled, just as I am when writing here, by the self-centredness of presuming that others may want to read what I write. What are these words to you? Am I not conceited to think that much of what I have to say, that which isn’t already written elsewhere - and that which is already superfluous - really has enough importance to publish? So the same goes for the annual news dump in the form of any Christmas letter that I might consider writing. But perhaps that is too much of a self put-down. Some folks are genuinely interested, and to them I feel that I owe more than just a form letter of sorts. So there is my answer… if you are really genuinely interested, then you do deserve more than just the mass produced, impersonal and non-interactive news dump of the day. But if I don’t feature in your life at any time other than Christmas, then how can I be sure you are genuinely interested in me anyway? A form letter won’t indicate that.

Keeping up with the times, perhaps very soon all these cards and letters will be obsolete in the interests of saving trees and fossil fuels as we all links blogs and hurtle our electronic messages around the globe. Just as quills gave way to fountain pens then biros then keyboards (with slates and lead pencils in there somewhere as well) it will be only the very old-fashioned left to lick stamps and envelope flaps. Maybe they will write letters, real personal letters, or send just the well-chosen card.

I have come across a Jewish website founded to provide a Jewish response to the anti-Christian bias in the news media, entertainment, government and our western culture. These folks include distinguished rabbis, scholars, academics, authors and communicators, and they are all concerned about the way that the tyranny of political correctness is decimating Christianity.

Why would Jews, and very intelligent ones at that, be so concerned that Christianity is being attacked at its core from within and without? Why would they care about the disappearance of Christmas?

Here is part of a statement made recently by Don Feder, president of the organization Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation.
In this statement he is addressing the issue of Christmas, and asserting that It's OK To Say ‘Merry Christmas’.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Don Feder and I'm the president of Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation. Our organization was founded to provide a Jewish response to anti-Christian bias in the news media, entertainment, government and the culture.

Our board of advisors includes distinguished rabbis, scholars, academics, authors and communicators.

Let me anticipate your first question today: What on earth are we doing here? Why would a group of Jews - who don't celebrate Christmas - care about the disappearance of Christmas?

Because Christmas is disappearing from our culture, at an ever-accelerating pace - disappearing from stores, disappearing from schools and disappearing from the public square.

Because this is an overwhelmingly Christian nation and it's a matter of simple courtesy to acknowledge a holiday celebrated by 96% of the American people. Would a Christian living in Israel be offended if someone wished them a Happy Hanukah? Based on population, America is more Christian than Israel is Jewish.

Because religion - all religion which teaches God and morality — enriches our society, instead of diminishing it.

Because Christmas is part of the fabric of American life, from the earliest settlements on these shores, to the delightful 1897 New York Sun editorial (addressed to a little girl named Virginia), to the troops who celebrated Christmas in Europe and the Pacific during World War II, to classics like “Miracle on 34th. Street,” to the Americans serving in Iraq today.

I believe Christmas is under attack primarily for three reasons.

First the tyranny of the hypersensitive — who've decided that they have an inalienable right not to encounter beliefs or symbols different from their own.

But this is supposed to be a democracy. When exactly was a militant and perpetually aggrieved minority given the power to censor the majority religion?

Second, some over-zealous officials have taken it upon themselves to re-interpret the First Amendment to exclude any public recognition of Christmas. But the Supreme Court has never held that Christmas carols or Christmas decorations in schools, or community Christmas trees or Christmas parties are unconstitutional.

Of course, if the politically correct posse can't get you on constitutional grounds, they always have “sensitivity” or “inclusiveness” to fall back on.

Finally, I believe, there's a subliminal urge on the part of the cultural elite to undermine America's Judeo-Christian ethic. By purging public celebrations (or even acknowledgements) of Christmas, they hope move us further down the road to a spiritually sanitized - and spiritually bankrupt — America, one divorced from biblical values.

Christmas is a subtle reminder that Americans are people of faith.

Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation is here today to say “enough, already!”

If you're offended by a municipal Christmas tree or Santa in a holiday parade or a manger in a park - Get over it. There's a lot that offends me. That doesn't give me the right to ban it.

If you're a public-school administrator who thinks Christmas carols or decorations are in violation of the First Amendment, read the Constitution - even in light of the Supreme Court's current distortions thereof.

If you're a retailer who does 20% of his business during the Christmas season, and you won't even acknowledge the holiday that's enriching you - well, you deserve to lose that business.

The war on Christmas should matter to all people of faith - and all people of good will.

Don Feder also says this about his organization and the concerns of his fellow members:

Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation was organized because we recognize that Christians are the last remaining obstacle to the moral deconstruction of America, because attacks on Christians are motivated by hatred for the values they espouse.

But the morality of Christianity is also the morality of Judaism - hence the expression Judeo-Christian ethic. By maintaining their loyalty to the eternal values revealed at Sinai, Christians have become pariahs in the eyes of the establishment, but heroes in our eyes.
(read more)

These are the kind of people who will help strengthen our western civilization to better resist the encroachment of foreign ideologies determined to overwhelm us. One does not have to be a Christian to contribute to the effort of reclaiming the foundations upon which our society was built.

And a good start would be to drop the weak euphemistic “Happy Holidays” greeting and revert to what this occasion is really all about - not a day off, not a big turkey dinner, not even Santa - and say it right out front: MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

Postscript:
UK Church Leaders Speak Out Against Anti-Christmas Trend
by Kevin McCandless, Correspondent, Crosswalk.com

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”
~ G.K. Chesterton (1910).

The following is an abridged version of a published sermon by John Piper.
A link to the full sermon is given below.

The message of Christmas for you from Christ this morning is that what is good and precious in your life need never be lost, and what is evil and undesirable in your life can be changed. The coming of the eternal Son of God into the world as the God-Man, Jesus Christ, is a fact of history.

The coming of the Son of God into the world is so much more than a historical fact. It was a message of hope sent by God to teenagers and single parents and crabby husbands and sullen wives and overweight women and impotent men and retarded neighbors, and homosexuals and preachers and lovers and you.

“The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save it for you, not to destroy it.”

But not only that, the message of Christmas is that whatever is evil and undesirable in your life can be changed. Wherever people say about their bad habits, “That’s just the way I am, you’ll have to get used to it,” the message of Christmas has been rejected.

Before anyone says, “Oh, I’ve tried religion and it didn’t help,” let me ask this: How many of you have ever fasted for three days? Two days? One day? Have you taken the word of God, asked for a vacation day, gone away by yourself Friday through Sunday and saturated your mind with holiness and poured our your soul in longing to the Lord for change? Have you gathered around yourself two or three spiritual brothers or sisters, shared with them the habit you want to break, sought their daily earnest prayer and stood yourself accountable to them?
If not, then don’t say religion doesn’t work.

Moses fasted forty days, Elijah fasted forty days, Jesus fasted forty days and spent whole nights in prayer. When was the last time you wanted any change in your life bad enough to spend one whole day in prayer and fasting seeking it from the Lord, not to mention three days like Paul (Acts 9:9) or three weeks like Daniel (Dan. 10:2,3), or forty days like Moses?

The problem with most of us is not that the Christmas message is powerless, but that we don’t really want to be changed. “You will seek me and find me (says the Lord, in Jer. 29:13) when you seek me with all your heart.” When you want with all your heart to rid yourself of what is evil and undesirable, God will give you the Christmas gift of change.

God could give the gift of change apart from the struggle of prayer. But then we would never appreciate it as we ought. If he didn’t usually cause our prayers to mount up with fervency and earnestness before he changed us, then we would be like people who are fed before we are really hungry. The Christmas dinner of God’s transformation would go down on a full stomach. There would not be so many oohs and ahs to his glory.

What’s more, when God gives the gift of change it is always pure. But our motives for change, even the best change, are not usually pure at first. Only when we begin to seek him earnestly and saturate our minds with large doses of his pure Word and test our affections through self-denial, do our motives become pure and ready to receive the pure Christmas gift of change.

The message of Christmas is that what is evil and undesirable in your life can be changed.
“The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into to the world to save you from bondage to sin.”

By the power of Christ you can change.
We are not by nature beautiful people. But we have an incomparably beautiful Savior who came into the world to change us into his likeness (Rom. 8:29). Preserving the good works of grace in our lives and pressing on to change the remaining evil by grace is the lifelong vocation of every Christian. People who do not want to change are either perfect or disobedient. And since perfection awaits the day of Christ’s second coming, self-satisfaction is always disobedience.

The message of Christmas is that what is evil and undesirable in your life can be changed.
A critical spirit can be changed. Alcoholism can be changed. Irritability can be changed. Harshness and ingratitude can be changed. Laziness and overeating and masturbation and nagging can be changed. The habits of not tithing and excessive T.V. watching and gambling can be changed. The fear of talking to others and of having guests over to your house can be changed. The lack of appreciation for great music and great books can be changed. Indifference to beauty can be changed. And your disposition to remind somebody else to take this sermon to heart can be changed.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save us from fatalism. He came to stop people from saying, “That’s just the way I am.”

I wish I could say something to help you feel with me the thrill of accepting the challenge of breaking bad habits.
Isn’t it strange that physical and intellectual challenges capture our minds but spiritual challenges don’t, even though they are by far the most important. The challenge to run ten miles, or have an undefeated season, or make a 4.0 average in college or become vice-president of the firm may call forth amazing effort and discipline.
But offer the same people the challenge of changing their habits of prayerlessness or excessive anger or insensitivity at home or coolness in worship or hesitancy in witnessing or addiction to second helpings, and they will likely content themselves with a brief, “God help me do better,” before they go off to sleep exhausted from all the other challenges of life.
But the meaning of Christmas is that Christ came into the world to open a new gymnasium for godliness. And he said in 1 Tim. 4:8, “Bodily exercise is of some value, but working out in the gymnasium of godliness holds promise for the present life and the life to come.” If it feels good to run ten miles and lose five pounds, it feels a hundred times as good to conquer Satan by the power of Christ and break free from some unloving bent in our personality.
God’s Christmas card to you this year is a gift certificate for a personally directed fitness program in his Son’s gymnasium that can knock off more fat from the sinful sides of your personality than you ever dreamed possible.

1 Timothy 1:15 is a great summary statement of Christmas good news:
“The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
His humble birth, obedient life, substitutionary death, and powerful resurrection covers the sins of his people and saves us from the loss of any good and precious thing and from the bondage of any evil and undesirable thing.

Don’t belittle the mercy of God by saying that you cannot be changed!

When Paul calls the power of Christ which changed him from great sinner to great apostle—when he calls this power “mercy,” he exalts not himself but the Savior. The Christmas gift of change is always a gift, and never a wage. It can never be boasted in. It can be sought after the way a helpless, hungry man seeks food; and it can be accepted by faith. But it can never be earned. And so none of the changes God gives can be the basis of pride. The more like Christ you become, the more you exalt Christ and not yourself.

What God did on the first Christmas and what he does in forgiving and changing people today he did and does in utterly free, sovereign mercy, so that all his people will end the paragraphs of their lives with the words like verse 17: “To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” We are not saved from sin and changed into righteousness for the sake of pride but for the sake of praise. And when God’s work on us is done and we stand perfected before Christ in the last day, we will not exult in our worth but will sing with millions of angels: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and honor and glory and blessing.” Praise to you, O Lord. Amen.
1 Timothy 1:12-17

Christ Jesus Came Into the World to Save Sinners
December 25, 1983
By John Piper. ©Desiring God. Website.
Email: mail@desiringGod.org.
Toll Free: 888.346.4700. (USA)

This image is pretty, and my favourite colour too, but it says something else to me about Christmas rather than just the cheerful greeting at the top.

It reminds me of those cards my parents used to receive from friends over in England. Since we don’t get snow here in New Zealand at this time of year, such scenes have little relevance to my experience of Christmas although they are kind of pretty all the same.
But they are more than just pretty… they are idyllic, and they are surely unreal, artificial.

Around this time of year, in the run up to Christmas, I find that everything accelerates. No doubt you find that as well. Life gets too busy… things to do, extra expectations to meet. We want to get everything done, and done in time.

Nostalgic cards like the one above encourage us to recreate the image portrayed… that is, of everything right, of everything ready, completed and perfect.

The image reminds me how one year we sprayed artificial “snow” out of a can on to our windows around the frames. Why? To make it look like a mid-winter Christmas, a real Christmas like on one of those cards. Using something artificial to make something seem real. Just like all those fake Santas everywhere in their padded red suits wearing white cottonwool beards, pretending to be real… and getting awfully hot dressed up like that in the middle of summer. There is a lot that is artificial and contrived about Christmas, and plenty to distract from the real message so well camouflaged by all the hassle and bustle, and tinsel and glitter.

This rather idyllic and secular scene says nothing too obvious about a God who became a tiny baby in order to redeem us one day. However, you might say that it suggests a form of perfection, and in that way relates to the Christmas story and the plan for salvation. God’s perfect gift to us was His Son, and the sacrifice that would later be made on the cross… God’s gift of grace that we may be saved by faith in the perfect Jesus. This secular image of perfection reflects something meaningful after all. And I would wish that through all the contrived artificiality of our Christmas celebrations, we may stop long enough to see the real meaning reflected in every expression of this forthcoming festive occasion.

‘Twas The Month Before Christmas

‘Twas the month before Christmas, and all through the store,
Each department was dripping with Yuletide decor.
The Muzak was blaring an out-of-tune carol,
And the fake snow was falling on “Ladies’ Apparel.”

I’d flown many miles from the North Pole this day,
To check on reports which had caused me dismay.
I’d come to this store for but one special reason,
To see for myself what went on this Season.

I hid in a corner and in a short while,
I saw the Store President march down the aisle.
He shouted an order to “Turn the store tree on!”
And also the “NOEL” in blinking pink neon.

Up high, grandly hanging from twin gold supports,
Four hundred pink angels flew over “Men’s Shorts.”
And towering over the Rear Mezzanine,
A 90-foot Day Glo “Nativity Scene.”

The clock on the wall said two minutes to Nine,
The floorwalkers proudly all stood in line.
I watched while the President smelled their carnations,
Then called out his final command - “Man Your Stations!”

When out on the street there arose such a roar,
It rang to the rafters and boomed through the store.
It sounded exactly like street-repair drilling,
Or maybe another big Mafia killing.

I looked to the doors, and there banging glass,
Was a clamoring, shrieking, hysterical mass.
And I felt from the tone of each scream and each curse,
That the “Spirit Of Christmas” had changed for the worse.

The clock it struck Nine, and the door opened wide,
And that great human avalanche thundered inside.
More fearsome than Sherman attacking Atlanta
Came parents and kiddies with just one goal - “Santa!!”

In front stormed the mothers, all brandishing handbags,
As heavy and deadly as 20 pound sandbags.
With gusto they swung them, the better to smash ears,
Of innocent floorwalkers, buyers, and cashiers.

Egged on by their parents, the kids had one aim,
To get to the man who was using my name.
They mobbed him and mauled him, the better to plead,
For the presents they sought in their hour of greed.

The President watched with a gleam in his eye,
As he thought of the toys that the parents would buy.
Of all Christmas come-ons, this crowd would attest,
That a visit to “Santa” was clearly the best.

It was all too much for my soul to condone,
And I let out a most unprofessional moan.
The crowd turned around, and I’ll say for their sake,
That they knew in an instant I wasn’t fake.

“I’ve had it,” I told them, “with fast-buck promoting,
With gimmicks and come-ons and businessmen gloating.
This garish display of commercialized greed,
Is so very UN-Christmas, it makes my heart bleed!”

I cannot claim to have written the poem, but I certainly share this real Santa’s reaction.
Hands up all those who hate the commercialization of Christmas. Hmm, me too.
But that doesn’t make me a killjoy. I still like Christmas trees, and I like the idea of giving and sharing. I just want it to be meaningful.

So, Christmas has become a Christian holy day, a birthday celebration for Jesus. That in itself is interesting. The most likely calculations actually have Him born sometime in September.
The other interesting thing… nowhere in the Bible are we told to celebrate the birthday of Christ.

For those who would like to follow up on this, the following paper makes a good read:
Christmas: An Historical Survey Regarding Its Origins and Opposition to It, by Kevin Reed.
(If you find yourself unable to access the paper directly via this link, simply Google the words: Christmas Kevin Reed.)

However, the majority of Christians choose to celebrate the birth of Christ anyway, and there is a good case for doing so without this being regarded as a pagan thing to do.
Is Christmas Christian?
A Response on “Christmas”

The writer, T.L. Hubeart, sums up as follows:

For the average Christian, who has hardly heard of Tammuz or Osiris or the idols of two or three thousand years ago, is certainly not regarding them as any kind of factor in his celebration. For him, the holiday is about Jesus Christ, a way to honor His coming to earth, and the fact that this holiday has been arbitrarily assigned to December 25th simply gives all Christians an agreed-upon day on which to honor Him. The fact that two thousand years ago pagans happened to be praising false gods on the same day is irrelevant to the believer today, just as the fact that a pagan in Paul’s day worshipped an idol while butchering an ox meant nothing when the apostle bought the meat from that ox.

Let us celebrate Christmas in a way that is pleasing to God, and let no idols of any kind keep us from giving him praise and worship.

I particularly like that last sentence.
Yes, let’s do that. I think the poem’s Santa would say Yes to that as well.