A Season to Believe... part 2 

Greetings from HomeWorship 101™

My subscribers are a very interesting group, and I enjoy all your opinions and questions.  There are the hardliners who have been studying this ancient roots theology for many years and always remind me when I tend to be too much of an apologist for current Christianity.  Many would say if you take away all the paganism from Christianity there would be nothing left.  To the newcomers who are just learning and wondering what all the Pagan Christianity fuss is about.  The Christmas season always brings all the opinions to a head.  I see three sides to the Christmas season so let’s take a moment to appraise them.

Peace and good will toward man.

 

“Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

- Luke 2:14

This is the good side of Christmas, and it is a shame that this one ideal cannot be promoted all year long.  Here is a video of some spontaneous Christmas cheer – what’s not to like?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnt7euRF5Pg

Commercialism & Greed

 Eat, Drink, be Merry, and Shop Till You Drop!

This year we all have been seeing the headlines of the retail mayhem, the pepper spraying, the brawls, the stampedes, even gunfire and arrests – ‘tis is the season, fighting over holiday shopping deals is becoming a contact sport.  Civility is dead, personally I think the uncaring rudeness and greed for a deal is getting worse, and often times people fight for an item not to give it as a present but to resell it again for a profit. 

The Pagan Roots of the Winter Solstice celebration, aka Christmas

“Thus says the Lord:

Do not learn the way of the Gentiles;

Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,

For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.

For the customs of the peoples are futile;

For one cuts a tree from the forest,

The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.

They decorate it with silver and gold;

They fasten it with nails and hammers

So that it will not topple.”

- Jeremiah 10:2-4

I was astonished when I first learned of this passage in Jeremiah and I still am every time I read it.  What I thought was a quaint German custom was actually a pagan custom that the Prophet Jeremiah was preaching against 500 years before Christ.  It is true; the winter solstice is associated with many pagan deities and has nothing to do with the Christianity of the early ancient church. Watch the video: “Yes, a god was born on Dec. 25, but not Jesus” http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=379593

The Biblical conundrum is that if we true believers are sanctified and set apart for YHWH’s Holy use, we should not be participating in pagan ceremonies.  

A thinking person has to ponder, how did everything get so out of whack.  Log on to learn more:

http://www.homeworship101.com/NL_2010_15b.htm

"Let love be without hypocrisy.

Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love;

give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, 

fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,

contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality."

- Romans 12:9-13

Please remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and for all those who stand with Israel (Ps.122).

Take care.  Peace and blessings, Errol.

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Errol Mueller, chronicler extraordinaire

  e-mail: errol@homeworship101.com

website: www.homeworship101.com

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WSC Newsletter 2011-14b, posted 12/23/11.

 

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