Shalom one and all. I decided to get a head start on my Christmas ramblings this year to give you a little while to contemplate. It also gives those who want to oppose me a little more time to think of a Biblical rebuttal. I have also decided to keep it shorter this year for your sake. After all, you do have a lot of holiday shopping to do. You can review my other Christmas blogs on the website if you need to. Please if you want to make a statement do it on the website blog post so that my personal email will not get slammed. It will also open it up to some dialogue with others and help our website rating. So with that being said have a blessed Hanukkah. PS: don’t waist your money on buying me any presents.
Top ten reasons why I don’t celebrate Christmas.
1. Yeshua (Jesus) was not born on December 25th. The date of December 25th probably originated with the ancient "birthday" of the son-god, Mithra, a pagan deity whose religious influence became widespread in the Roman Empire during the first few centuries A.D. It is a pagan winter solstice holiday. The Romans called it Saturnalia. The ancient Persians and Babylonians celebrated a similar festival, which they called the Sacaea. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25. In 350, Pope Julius I declared that “Christ’s” birth would be celebrated on December 25. There is little doubt that he was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans (who remained a majority at that time) to convert to Christianity. The new religion went down a bit easier, knowing that their feasts would not be taken away from them.
2. We were never commanded to celebrate His birth. We were, however, commanded to celebrate His death burial and resurrection.
1Co 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
1Co 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
1Co 11:25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
1Co 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
3. God already gave us a perfectly good list of Holy days to celebrate in lev 23. Yet, we ignore them and make up substitutes. Each of these Biblical Holy days represents, prophesies and proclaims the coming of the Messiah in profound detail.
4. Christmas is a Catholic holiday. I am not a Catholic. I am a Jew and I celebrate Biblical Holydays not post Biblical holidays invented by men.
5. The absolute majority of Christmas traditions and practices are of pagan origin, like the tree, Yule log, Mistletoe, giving of gifts, garlands. The celebration for 12 days, etc. Holly berries were thought to be a food of the gods. All one needs to do is look these meanings up in the library or the on internet.
6. We were commanded in Scripture to not worship like the pagans do. This meant we were not to worship at their places of devotion nor were we to model our celebrations after their practices.
Num 33:51 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, Num 33:52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images and demolish all their high places;
7. Every year the world of “Christendom” mistakenly fights a futile battle in their attempt to win the right to place a Cresh in the public arena and say Merry Christmas in the work place etc, while the world slides to their eternal death and the Gospel is still not preached. But the Cresh is triumphantly placed in the public square while Christians get to say: "Praise the Lord we have won the right to put up another graven image."
8. The disciples never celebrated Christmas; the first believers didn’t either. Yeshua (Jesus) did, however, celebrate Hanukkah, John 10: 22-23. Christmas wasn’t officially celebrated until around 529 A.D., after “Christianity” had become the official state religion of the Roman Empire; Emperor Justinian made Christmas a civic holiday.
9. It was illegal to celebrate Christmas during the times of the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims did not celebrate Christmas nor Easter. "It seems too much for any mortal man to appoint, or make an anniversary memorial" taught pastor John Robinson, the Pastor of the Pilgrims. Were they wrong?
10. It is sinful to exploit the name of Yeshua (Jesus) to make a buck. Sadly, this is all too common nowadays. I don’t have the money to spend on junk people don’t need or want, especially when there are people who have real needs like food shelter and warm clothing.
I welcome your thoughts and comments. Please however, if you want to say something make your argument historically and Biblically based in context. Don’t waste your time or mine with subjective opinion. Be blessed.
Chag Sameach Hanukkah b’Yeshua, Rabbi Henry.
PS: If you want the translation you will have to sign up to receive the blogs automatically on the Sha’ar website.
Top ten reasons why I don’t celebrate Christmas.
1. Yeshua (Jesus) was not born on December 25th. The date of December 25th probably originated with the ancient "birthday" of the son-god, Mithra, a pagan deity whose religious influence became widespread in the Roman Empire during the first few centuries A.D. It is a pagan winter solstice holiday. The Romans called it Saturnalia. The ancient Persians and Babylonians celebrated a similar festival, which they called the Sacaea. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25. In 350, Pope Julius I declared that “Christ’s” birth would be celebrated on December 25. There is little doubt that he was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans (who remained a majority at that time) to convert to Christianity. The new religion went down a bit easier, knowing that their feasts would not be taken away from them.
2. We were never commanded to celebrate His birth. We were, however, commanded to celebrate His death burial and resurrection.
1Co 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
1Co 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
1Co 11:25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
1Co 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
3. God already gave us a perfectly good list of Holy days to celebrate in lev 23. Yet, we ignore them and make up substitutes. Each of these Biblical Holy days represents, prophesies and proclaims the coming of the Messiah in profound detail.
4. Christmas is a Catholic holiday. I am not a Catholic. I am a Jew and I celebrate Biblical Holydays not post Biblical holidays invented by men.
5. The absolute majority of Christmas traditions and practices are of pagan origin, like the tree, Yule log, Mistletoe, giving of gifts, garlands. The celebration for 12 days, etc. Holly berries were thought to be a food of the gods. All one needs to do is look these meanings up in the library or the on internet.
6. We were commanded in Scripture to not worship like the pagans do. This meant we were not to worship at their places of devotion nor were we to model our celebrations after their practices.
Num 33:51 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, Num 33:52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images and demolish all their high places;
7. Every year the world of “Christendom” mistakenly fights a futile battle in their attempt to win the right to place a Cresh in the public arena and say Merry Christmas in the work place etc, while the world slides to their eternal death and the Gospel is still not preached. But the Cresh is triumphantly placed in the public square while Christians get to say: "Praise the Lord we have won the right to put up another graven image."
8. The disciples never celebrated Christmas; the first believers didn’t either. Yeshua (Jesus) did, however, celebrate Hanukkah, John 10: 22-23. Christmas wasn’t officially celebrated until around 529 A.D., after “Christianity” had become the official state religion of the Roman Empire; Emperor Justinian made Christmas a civic holiday.
9. It was illegal to celebrate Christmas during the times of the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims did not celebrate Christmas nor Easter. "It seems too much for any mortal man to appoint, or make an anniversary memorial" taught pastor John Robinson, the Pastor of the Pilgrims. Were they wrong?
10. It is sinful to exploit the name of Yeshua (Jesus) to make a buck. Sadly, this is all too common nowadays. I don’t have the money to spend on junk people don’t need or want, especially when there are people who have real needs like food shelter and warm clothing.
I welcome your thoughts and comments. Please however, if you want to say something make your argument historically and Biblically based in context. Don’t waste your time or mine with subjective opinion. Be blessed.
Chag Sameach Hanukkah b’Yeshua, Rabbi Henry.
PS: If you want the translation you will have to sign up to receive the blogs automatically on the Sha’ar website.
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