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Monthly Blog Post

Merry Christmas: Not Celebrating Christ's Birthday

14/12/2017

3 Comments

 
While I am cognizant of the historical circumstances associated with the origin of Christmas, and all the anti-celebration debates, I want to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2018.  Here is my position, I totally agree that what we now have as Christmas emerged from a dark past and rooted in an ancient Roman practice.  However, over the years, there has been a transformation (not a masking) from then to now, which gives credence to some Christian virtues. 
I agree that we do not know exactly when Jesus was born, and despite numerous postulations there is nothing to validate December 25th is the actual date of the Messiah’s birth.  The various proposed dates have all been contradicted.  With this in mind, I have decided that it is futile to spend time debating the origin and merits of Christmas.  Instead, I am focusing on Jesus Christ as God giving himself to humanity in a fashion that we can identify with; as a man.  In other words, I am not going to be stuck debating when the gift was delivered, instead, I will focus on optimizing the full benefits of the gift; Jesus Christ.  Consequently, this blog is not to relitigate or rehash any debate about when Jesus was born.
I am so glad that God robed Himself in flesh and came into this world as Jesus Christ, “to save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).  It doesn’t matter to me when He came (when Christ was born), the important thing is, He did.  The quintessential or imperative here is that God came in that flesh (1 Timothy 3:16), so that there could be a spotless lamb, whose blood would be shed for the remission (removal, washing away) of our sin, The bible; my road map to eternal life, tells me that without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin (Hebrew 9:22).  First and foremost He; Jesus Christ is incontrovertibly God in the flesh: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Timothy 3:16). He came as a man and yet being God, to be an example for us while we are here on earth.  Jesus’ life demonstrates that although we are living in a sinful world we can guard again living a sinful life, Hebrews 4:15 tells us “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”  This speaks to an aspect of the theological and humanistic purpose of Jesus’ life on earth, 
Jesus is our gift to have eternal life with Him “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).  Every single human being will have eternal life in the immortal body which we all will be given when He returns.  However, unless we accept Christ (the gift of life), as our saviour, we will not be able to spend eternity with Jesus.  It is for this reason and more that I have decided to dedicate my life and try to be like Him.  The operative phrase is try to be like Jesus because I am still clothed in the flesh and living in a sinful world.  The word of God reminds me that there is a constant struggle between the spirit and the flesh “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would” (Galatians 5:17).  Like Isaiah, I want to say “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5).
Let us also observe that despite its origin, Christmas has evolved into an occasion that typifies Christ-like qualities.  Jesus demonstrated a depth of compassion for the poor and needy, for example, “Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do” (Galatians 2:10).  Here is the key, the qualities of benevolence displayed at Christmas, should not be seasonal, rather, they should be perennial.  Benevolence should be a life style because it is a Christ-like quality. Jesus served lovingly and selflessly, so should we, in so doing there will be Christmas year round. 
Let us not waste precious time to engage in protracted debate about when Jesus Christ was born and lose sight of the significance of his birth.  Also, let us not get bogged down in arguments about His genealogy, these things only engender strife “But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain” (Titus 3:9).  Here is what we should do, celebrate Jesus by serving Him, in this way, we are fulfilling God’s requirement for humanity.  Our purpose is clearly presented in Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
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3 Comments
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    Ezra Bogle

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