The Christ of Christmas

We can not expect the world to worship Jesus Christ, but the world should expect us to worship Him. It is time to stop the whining and complaining and start worshiping Him in word and deed. If Christ be preached and Salvation brought before the masses, so be it.

Let us celebrate Christmas as it meant to be.

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. — Colossians 2:16–17

As we journey to the heart of Christmas, many christian's whine and complain about celebrating Christ’s birth mostly, that when Christmas was originally instituted, December 25 was a pagan festival commemorating the birthday of a false god.

Yes this is a true fact ." Dr. Paul Maier, eminent professor of ancient history at Western Michigan University, “The Romans of the time not only celebrated their Saturnalia festival at the close of December, but they also thought that December 25 marked the date of the winter solstice (instead of December 21), when they observed the pagan feast of Sol Invictus, the Unconquerable Sun, which was just in the act of turning about to aim northward once again.”

And yes while this is indeed historical, what is often overlooked is the reason the early Christian church chose December 25.

The purpose was not to Christianize a time of pagan celebration, but to establish a rival celebration to point one to Christ.

Christmas (from Old English Crīstes +mœ ̄sse “Christ’s festival”) was designated as a spiritual holiday (holy day) on which to proclaim the majesty, the Lordship, God's only begotten Son Jesus Christ in the flesh over the superstitions of false gods made of silver, gold and stone such as saturn, the god of agriculture, and sol invictus, the unconquerable sun god.

The world has all but forgotten the Greco-Roman gods of antiquity, annually we celebrate that two thousand years ago the Christ child the only hope of humanity left heaven's splendor to live among us as we live.

As Christians we should celebrate the First Advent of Christ, while simultaneously rejoicing and anticipating the Second Advent in which the He will establish His Kingdom the old ways will pass away and all things will be made new.

'Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,’ declares the LORD. ‘Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.' — Zechariah 2:10–11

Act 17:16-31 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was troubled within him when he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Then also, some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him. Some said, "What is this pseudo-intellectual trying to say? " Others replied, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities" -- because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the Resurrection. 19 They took him and brought him to the Areopagus, and said, "May we learn about this new teaching you're speaking of? 20 For what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these ideas mean." 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new. 22 Then Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. 23 For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it -- He is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in shrines made by hands. 25 Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. 26 From one man He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. 27 He did this so they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. 28 For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' Being God's offspring then, we shouldn't think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination. "Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because He has set a day when He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead."

57 million voices cry out for justice

Our God is a God of justice and is angered every time justice is not done. We must stand up and work for justice. We need to be doing all we can to make sure justice is done, God has given us many ways to do so in our communities by voting for honest judges and politicians and supporting ministries that work to extend justice to the unborn, 57 million voices cry out for justice, not many stand up for them.

God will not turn a blind eye to those who have blood on their hands.

Isaiah 59.1-19 Behold, the Lord ’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;   but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.   For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness.   No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.  They hatch adders’ eggs; they weave the spider’s web; he who eats their eggs dies, and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched.   Their webs will not serve as clothing; men will not cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of iniquity, and deeds of violence are in their hands.   Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways.  The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace.  Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.   We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among those in full vigor we are like dead men.  We all growl like bears; we moan and moan like doves; we hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us.  For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities:  transgressing, and denying the Lord , and turning back from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words.   Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter.  Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.   He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him.   He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.   According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment.   So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the Lord drives.

Micah 6.8. He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?