For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Using some sanctified imagination, an unknown author wrote a letter from the Lord to the Church containing some very good counsel. This is what the Lord said.
Dear Church,
It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season.
Maybe you have forgotten that I was not actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival; although, I do appreciate being remembered anytime.
How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I do not care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just, GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
Now, having said that let Me go on.
If it bothers you that the town in which you live does not allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn.
If all My followers did that there would not be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.
Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees.
You can and may remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grapevine if you wish. I actually spoke of that one in a teaching that explains Who I am in relation to you, and what each of our tasks are. If you have forgotten that one, look at John 15:1-8.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so, shall ye be my disciples.”
If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth, here is my wish list. Choose something from it.
My Wish. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home, or write to an inmate in a prison. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.
My Wish. Visit someone in a nursing home. You do not have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.
My Wish. Instead of writing the President complaining about him, why don’t you write and tell him that you will be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.
My Wish. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you cannot afford, and they do not need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms, and remind them that I love them.
My Wish. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past, and forgive him or her.
My Wish. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you do not know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile, it could make the difference. Also, you might consider supporting the local Hot-Line: they talk with people like that every day.
My Wish. Instead of being upset about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they are not allowed to wish you a “Merry Christmas” that does not keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store did not make so much money on that day they would close, and let their employees spend the day at home with their families.
My Wish. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary, especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name. You may already know someone like that.
My Wish. Here is a good one. There are individuals, and whole families in your town who not only will have no “Christmas” tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive.
If you do not know them (and I suspect you do not) buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Marines, or some other charity that believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.
My Wish. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in, and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Do not do things in secret that you would not do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.
P.S. Do not forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me, and do what I have told you to do. I will take care of all the rest.
Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I will help you, but the ball is now in your court.
Now go and have a most blessed Christmas with all those you love, and, remember, I LOVE YOU. If there is any doubt, just remember Calvary.
There is a lot of good counsel in that letter from the Lord. And, the author is right about the origin of Christmas. December 25 was a pagan holiday celebrating the winter solstice (Latin, sol, sun, sistere, stand still) whereby the days began to get longer after December 21, which is the shortest day of the year.
Because the sun was worshipped, Christians in the early church decided to worship the Son of God on December 25th thereby reclaiming the day for the Lord, and redeeming the true meaning of worship. The living God is to be the object of our worship, not the gods which are figments of unholy imagination.
Other dates had been suggested for celebrating the birth of Jesus.
Clement of Alexandria (c.150-c.215) favored May 20, but noted that others had argued for April 18, April 19, and May 28.
Hippolytus (c.170-c.236) championed January 2. November 17, November 20, and March 25, all had backers as well.
A Latin treatise written around 243 pegged March 21, because that was believed to be the date on which God created the sun.
Polycarp (c.69-c.155) had followed the same line of reasoning to conclude that Christ’s birth and baptism most likely occurred on Wednesday, because the sun was created on the fourth day.
The eventual choice of December 25, made perhaps as early as AD 273, reflects a convergence of Origen’s concern about pagan gods, and the church’s identification of God’s son with the celestial sun” (Christian History, “Why December 25?”, Elesha Coffman).
The date the birth of Christ is celebrated is not as important as the fact that we remember, “unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”