My 12 Days of Christmas!
by: Wayne
Schatzle
On the first day of Christmas my
true love revealed to me, Jesus was not born on December 25th., but rather that
is the day pagans celebrated in worship of the sun long before His
birth.
On the second day I learned my
beautiful Christmas tree has a long history of being an object of heathen
idolatry, of ancient tree worship! God mixes no words and clearly warns His
followers not to copy this ritual of cutting a tree out of a forest, putting it
on a stand and decorating it (Jer. 10). The "green tree" is associated with
false worship (1 King 14:23).
On the third day I wondered why I
should give gifts to everyone but Jesus, who is supposed to be the "reason for
the season". This is probably why the merchandisers get into the "spirit of
giving" long before everyone else and I see the hypocrisy of packing that
spirit away with the ornaments each year.
On the fourth day I found that history
plainly shows not only the pagan origins of this curious holiday but how all
through the ages reformers have shown disdain for it's observance, even our
beloved Pilgrims forbade it under penalty of fines.
On the fifth day it occurred to me our
nostalgic traditions we add - Frosty, Rudolph, Bing and Jimmy are harmless
sentiments we build on a foundation of sand.
On the sixth day I learned that God
hates it when people try to worship Him using heathen customs (Ex.32). Honor
the Druids with mistletoe, holly, and yule logs- and honor God the way He wants
to be honored, with obedience (1Sam 15:22).
On the seventh day I noticed Santa
Claus is more popular with the kiddies than Jesus! Santa is the fictional
creature we created to receive credit for giving of gifts when in fact Jesus is
the One we owe for everything (James 1:17).
On the eighth day I read that Jesus is
no longer that helpless babe in the manger but a glorified spirit being
(Rev.1). He is not amused at our quaint customs and traditions we so dearly
hold. His message is clear- repent, or fight Him at His return.
On the ninth day I discovered the
Madonna and child is an old concept of worship not only depicted as Mary and
Jesus but also Semiramis and Tammuz, Shingmoo and child, Isis and Osiris, Isi
and Iswara, Virgo-Patitura, Fortuna and Jupiter-puer and so on. In ancient
cultures they were both to be worshiped. Is there a subtle hint Mary and Jesus
are to be worshiped as one?
On the tenth day of Christmas I heard
the reports of the fallout of Christmas. Overspending have hurt families, and
strained marriages. The maxed-out credit will keep people paying for months.
The season of "joy" is also the most depressed time with the most suicides and
alcohol abuse. People's unrealistic high expectations cannot be met.
On the eleventh day I realized the
futility of putting Christ back into Christmas, as He never was in it in the
first place.
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true
love, Jesus Christ, allowed me to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, not with
the empty shadows of bygone cultures that were against our Creator, but with
the true and acceptable ways revealed in his holy word- the Bible. December
6,1995
Written by Wayne Schatzle,
director, Freedom Biblical Information
Center
P.O. Box 1806, West Chester OH
4507
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