Have you all seen the billboards that say "Keep Christ in Christmas" ? (paid for by the Knights of Columbus) I would love to see where the bible (book, chapter, and verse) puts Christ in Christmas. December 25 is no more or less about Christ than any other day of the year. Where are we taught to have an annual birthday celebration for Jesus? If God had wanted an annual birthday celebration for His Son, wouldn't He have given us some instruction?

I'd like to see some billboards along the lines of "Keep Christ in your life daily" or reminding us to partake of the 'Lord's Supper'. (Now there's a perfect example of what we're to do, when we are to do it, and how often)

Let's be honest: the Bible does not specifically authorize a Christmas holiday. Yet each year, we hear the same old complaints: "Where does the Bible authorize celebrating Christmas?" "This is a pagan holiday"; "Christ never was in Christmas," etc., etc. Even the early Roman church "fathers" cautioned against celebrating such days; that is, until the middle of the fourth century.

But who are we trying to fool? There's no way anyone or any group is going to convince the ho-ho whole world to rid itself of a 1,700-year-old world-wide tradition. People have celebrated the birth of Christ even before the middle of the fourth century, when the Roman church made December 25 "official." True, no one knows exactly when Christ was born; some say it was in the springtime, during the lambing season, when shepherds were more likely to be "keeping watch over their flocks by night." Nevertheless, it's really hard to break with a long, long tradition.

And speaking of the irony of "keeping Christ in Christmas," I remember my freshman Bible class at David Lipscomb (then) College during the winter quarter of 1968. The course was "The Life of Christ." Also bitterly complaining about the billboards that advocated keeping Christ in Christmas, the professor emphatically stated that, "Christ NEVER was in Christmas!" One student asked him if he observed ANY of the holiday traditions. "Yes," he smirked, "we decorate a tree and have presents, too. Besides, I like a turkey dinner as much as anyone else does!" Decorate a tree and have a feast but ignore Christ? Who was being pagan here?

My younger sister's elementary school days were spent at a private, Church of Christ-sponsored institution. It always struck me as strange that, although the school had an annual "Christmas" pageant, it always focused on Santa and his trappings - items which truly reek of paganism - than on the so-called "reason for the season."

Lastly, let's talk about times when Christmas Eve or Christmas Day falls on a Sunday or Wednesday. Although no church would ever cancel services on Sunday morning because of such "holidays," how often have I noted churches canceling services on Wednesday night and Sunday night with the excuse, "so that our members can be with their families." Churches of Christ are guilty of this as well as the denominations.

So let's not be hypocrites. If you don't believe that Christ is in Christmas, then make sure you do not keep the "other side" of Christmas either. Let's not be selective in what parts of a holiday we'll keep and what we'll discard. They're all linked together. Either keep it fully or not at all.

For further reading, consider:

Crump, William D. "The Christmas Encyclopedia." Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2001.

Crump, William D. "Was the First Gift Really Gold? How Much Do You Really Know About Christmas?" Enumclaw, Washington: Pleasant Word, 2003.

Any Christian, should have nothing to do with the celebration of Christmas. It has nothing to do with Christ. The traditions of christmas are based on pagan holidays and the work of the roman catholic church, not the church that Christ is the head of. We are warned against idolatry many times by God. If we were to celebrate Christ once a year, like the world does, then we would have been commanded to do so. The Church of Christ must adhere to the word of God.

I do not know what Church of Christ you attend (or if you do), but you mentioned you daughter attending a school sponsored by the Church of Christ. The Bible does not authorize for the church to fund or sponsor a school.

Also, we can't change the fact that people are going to celebrate Christmas as Christ's birth, even though it is not authorized by God, but we can choose not to endorse it, or be any part of it. I am from the church of Christ, and I do not celebrate it religiously or secularly, nor do I advocate doing so in any way.

Olivia

Dear Olivia,

I am not married and have no children. It was my SISTER that attended a Church of Christ-sponsored elementary school, as I said before. More specifically, she attended B. C. Goodpasture Christian School in Nashville, TN. True, the Bible never says, "The church shall sponsor schools for thy children." Likewise, the Bible doesn't authorize the BUILDING of church-sponsored hospitals, retirement centers, nursing homes, homes for unwed mothers, orphanages, or even homes for the homeless. But the Bible does authorize us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit (treat) the sick, visit prisoners, make provisions for the widows and orphans...you see the point. What better means to fulfill these Christian traits than through the church. Jesus commanded us to show benevolence; He also gave us the ingenuity and the brains with which to carry it out.

So if the Bible doesn't authorize church-sponsored schools and other "Christian" institutions, then why do David Lipscomb University, Abilene Christian University, B.C. Goodpasture Christian School, Springhill Orphan Home (TN), and others like them exist at all? These fine institutions are either completely or partially sponsored by the Churches of Christ.

Lastly, although I don't agree with you about Christmas, I do respect your steadfast determination NOT to celebrate it in ANY form or fashion for the reasons you've given. Therefore, I gather that you do NOT:

-Decorate a Christmas tree or your home
-Give gifts
-Send cards
-Allow your kids (if you are so blessed) to write letters to Santa or visit him at the mall
-Sing carols (not even "Silent Night")
-Put coins in the Salvation Army kettle or give to any charities at THIS time of year
-Attend performances of "The Nutcracker" ballet and Handel's "Messiah"
-Read Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" or attend performances of same
-Watch "It's a Wonderful Life," "Miracle on 34th Street," or other classic Christmas movies
-Attend your town's Christmas parade
-Organize or sponsor any kind of "holiday" party
-Wish anyone "Merry Christmas" (or the politically correct "Happy Holidays")
-Consume one scrap of food or drop of drink that could ever possibly be linked with Christmas, like turkey, dressing, cranberry saunce, mince pie, eggnog, wassail, fruitcake......

And most importantly, you insist that your church hold its regular services on Wednesday nights and Sunday nights, even when Christmas Eve or Christmas Day falls on those days of the week.

Because if you breach just ONE of these, you've breached them ALL.

You are 100% correct in assuming that I do none of the things you listed regarding the celebration of Christmas. Although, I think you went a bit overboard with the food part. I do have cranberry sauce occasionally (though not often, I don't like the taste of it), I don't see how you can include that as part of Christmas, unless it is cookie cut in the shape of a Christmas tree or something? I don't give out Christmas cards, I do NOT donate to the Salvation Army (because that is a religious organization not of the Lord's Church), I do not decorate a tree, I do not sing Christmas carols, or anything else you mentioned. I also do not have to insist that the church of Christ I attend have a full service on Wednesday and Sunday nights when they fall on Christmas because I am blessed to be with a congregation who puts God first, instead of man-made traditions. I have no children right now, but if I have any, God willing, they will not celebrate Christmas either.

Question for you: Where does God authorize celebrating Christmas in the Bible? Anywhere? Book, chapter, and verse please.

Don't you think that if God wanted us to celebrate His Son's birth, he would have instructed us exactly how to do it, just like He did with the Jewish festivals?

About the church building:

The Bible says that the apostles came together to meet. Now, I am aware that they did this in people's homes, which can be considered buildings. Is a house not a building? We "build" a house, don't we? There is an apostolic example for you.

Here are some examples:
Acts 12:12
Romans 16:5
I Cor. 16:19
Col. 4:15
Philemon 2

The Lord says in Hebrews 10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the Day approaching."

We must assemble somewhere together.

Please forgive me for making the mistake that you sent your children to a church-sponsored school. I stand corrected, and understand that you do not have any children, but were referring to your sister.

Yes, the Bible does tell us to clothe the naked, help other people etc. It DOES NOT say that these funds should be taken for the church. The only time it condones using money collected at church is to support widows, and the widows must meet strict critera provided in the Bible.

I quote you,

"So if the Bible doesn't authorize church-sponsored schools and other "Christian" institutions, then why do David Lipscomb University, Abilene Christian University, B.C. Goodpasture Christian School, Springhill Orphan Home (TN), and others like them exist at all? These fine institutions are either completely or partially sponsored by the Churches of Christ."

These schools should not be sponsored by the church of Christ. You asked why they exist. I'm sure you know what apostacy means. Not all churches of Christ go by the Bible. Some refer to themselves as "liberal." Those are the ones on the brink of becoming an apostacy (if they haven't already become one). They encourage donating to charities from church funds (not authorized in the Bible), advocate youth groups, and other things that the Bible does not authorize. I once had the delight of listening to Brother Ron Halbrook give an interesting sermon called, Trends Pointing Toward a New Apostacy." It is now in tract form, and I highly recommend it to you. If you are unable to find a copy, I would be happy to send you mine. Jesus did not die to establish a Christian school, He died to establish His church.

Thank you for responding to me, I enjoy the conversation between us. I look forward to hearing from you again.

In Christian Love,
Olivia

Hi, Olivia,

You are indeed blessed to worship at a church that holds services on Sundays and Wednesday nights even when Christmas falls on those days. I've been in churches that cancelled those services in favor of "family time" for the members.

I discussed the topic about no biblical authorization for Christmas in an earlier post in this forum. To repeat, the Bible does NOT authorize us to celebrate Christmas. So now we have to figure out how to make the entire world stop celebrating a 1,700 year-old holiday. That may take a while. In the meantime, you could peruse my book, "The Christmas Encyclopedia" (McFarland, 2001) and read about all the "apostasy" that has filled the print, music, television, and motion picture industries about this holiday.

Cranberry sauce: Every culture that observes Christmas has certain cuisine that is traditionally associated with Christmas. In the USA, cranberry sauce is just one of many. It doesn't have to be shaped like a tree or manger, just EATEN with Christmas dinner. Thus cranberry sauce is "guilty by association."

Church-sponsored schools: There's a lot that the Bible neither authorizes nor forbids us to do. The Bible often remains silent on many topics. So man comes along, makes up rules to fill the "gaps" where the Bible is silent, and calls them "biblical" out of his own interpretation. There's where the problem lies. To my knowledge, the Bible mentions nothing about church-sponsored schools one way or the other. Does that forbid the church to erect them? No. Should we condemn them if they are erected? No. We should rather follow the principle of doing that which would best nurture our children in the Gospel. Other than the ideal of home-schooling our children in a Christian environment, which institutions would be better equipped to provide Christian education: public schools, where any mention of God, Jesus, the ten commandments, or possession of a Bible is punishable by suspension or expulsion, or church-sponsored schools? Which institutions would provide the best examples for clean, moral living? In which institutions would children LEAST likely come into contact with foul language, illicit sex, drugs, pornography, and rebellion against authority? Which institutions would conform more to biblical principles?

As I said in an earlier post, God gave us the brains and the innovation to do good, and with His help, we can do it. Do church-sponsored schools absolutely violate biblical commandments carved in stone? Absolutely not. But you must follow your conscience, Olivia. If you can't see the good in church-sponsored education, that is most unfortunate.

When it comes to the church, anything that is not authorized is strictly forbidden. 2Tim 3:16-17 reads "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instuction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." The word translated as perfect means complete. We are completely furnished unto all good works and have no need to add to God's plan. 2Pet 1:3 "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:" I don't know how it can be any more plain that this scripture, but if need be to convince anyone there are many others. The difference between what the bible teaches and what the denominations teach, is that they believe it is ok to change things as long as it is for the better. It is never for the better to change God's plan. We must go back to the bible and study God's will. Many Churches of Christ are making the same mistakes that the apostate church made by using their will and not God's. We must speak where the bible speaks and remain silent where the bible is silent.

Dennis, you quoted much Scripture, but you didn't seem to take a stand about the thread of church-sponsored schools. At least it appears that you posted your message within that thread. Do you want to take a stand, one way or the other, about church-sponsored schools? Do they violate biblical principles? Are they absolutely sinful? Do they fall within the realm of "benevolence" and "good works"?

Ever heard of Gamaliel?

The Church is not told to have or sponsor schools.

Dennis, you are invited to expound upon the topic of church-sponsored schools and other building projects in the new thread titled "Are Church-Sponsored Schools, Hospitals, and Similar Building Projects Scriptural?"

By all means, I agree with Dr. Crump on this matter. Please give your Scriptural reasons for your view on "church-sponsored" schools. You say the church is not to support them? Please give book, chapter, and verse to support your claim. I'd be interested to see it.

After reading Olivia's posts on in this forum, it appears to me that she must be a member of a congregation typically labeled as "ANTI." To define an "Anti" congregation, there are a small number of these churches which have chosen to break off from mainstream churches of Christ. They are characterized by a very strict, rigid (I would even daresay "narrow-minded") interpretation of the Bible (KJV I would add). They accept no other Bible translation except the KJV. They seldom have fellowship activities (dinner on the ground, etc.), they do not have youth groups, regular song leaders, and sometimes they don't even employ regular pulpit preachers. They are probably best known for their refusal to support widows or orphans homes, and they do not condone "church-sponsored" schools either.

As for Sunday night and Wednesday night services, these are not actually authorized by Scripture either. Sunday night services did not really come into being until after World War II when people began working on Sundays--Sunday PM services were added so that those who could not attend the AM service could go. Wednesday night services started in the late 60's when churches began to stress the desire to teach the Bible more. It was seen as a nice break in the weekly routine of work, school, etc.

As for "church-sponsored" schools, I would be interested to hear what Scriptural evidence anyone may have as to why these are wrong, or even inherently "sinful." Book, chapter, and verse please.

Well said

You are completely right. The Bible NEVER authorized for us to celebrate Christ's birth. We are supposed to remember his death, every Sunday during the Lord's Supper. If He had wanted us to celebrate such a holiday, wouldn't He have given us instructions on how to do it, like He did with the Jews in the Old Testament? I do not celebrate Christmas, neither religiously, nor "traditionally." I do not understand how Christians from the church of Christ can celebrate it either way in good conscience. Some justify it by saying that as long as they are not doing it religiously, then it is okay. The Bible says we are suposed to be different from the world. How can we expect the world to differentiate between those of us who celebrate it religiously, and those of us to celebrate it for fun (traditionally). To the world, we look just like everyone else.

I agree that Christmas is pagan and since finding out how pagan the trimmings of the holiday are (about as bad as Halloween) I have been struggling because my family does not agree with me. The "church" has totally forsaken the "Feast of the Lord", saying they are "Jewish", but the Lord said they are "for His people". Aren't christians His people? Jesus celebrated Hanukkah and after researching the topic Jesus is what Hanukkah is all about because He is our Shamash (servant) which is the name of the center candle used to light the remaining candles. Hanukkah means dedication because it was a time when the temple was rededicated. Aren't we now the temple and couldn't we use this as a time to rededicate our lives to the one true God? By the way the dedication of the temple for which the holiday of Hanukkah was founded was on December 25th. If you would like more info I can send a paper I wrote about the history of Hanukkah and how Jesus fits it to it just as He is the central theme of all the other "Feasts of the Lord". I believe it is the heart of the Father for the church to be celebrating His Feasts and getting the pagan celebrations out.

Susan,

Is Hanukkah in the Bible?? I'm not familiar with it if it is. Where did Jesus celebrate it? Book, chapter, and verse please.

You said,

"Hanukkah was founded was on December 25th."

Where does it say that in the Bible? Book, chapter, verse.

Although I don't post my personal email on the Internet, I would like to see your paper on the subject if you don't mind posting it.
Olivia

Olivia,

John chapter 10 tells where Jesus went to the Hanakkuh festival, Feast of Lights. Most of the history comes from Jewish history. It is recorded in the book of the Maccabbees in the apocrapha (Spelling?).

Here is the information I was talking about. This is the very tip of the iceberg so to speak on the information available. I did my best to take the most important parts of the information I found and compile it into a one page paper for ease of reading on the part of the reader.

Thanks for your interest,
Susan

Hanukkah, Jesus, and the Advent


Daniel 8:21-25 prophecies the events that lead to Hanukkah. It was during the time while the Israelites had returned from exile in Babylon, but were not hearing from God. Paganism was rampant throughout the land. Antiochus Epiphanies had come to power on the heels of “Alexander the Great.” Alexander had set up a one-world government called Hellenism. Antiochus continued with this policy in an attempt to assimilate all the people into one way of thinking. Most of the average people including many Jews did not have a problem with this. However, the traditional Jews were appalled. An ultimatum was given to give up your religious practices or die.

It was at this time Antiochus and his troops went into the Temple of God and desecrated everything in it including the golden menorah lampstand. He had a statue of the Greek god Zeus (Jupiter) erected in the temple and sacrificed a pig on the altar. This occurred on the Pagan holiday of Saturnalia December 25th. He stood in the Holy of Holies and claimed to be Antiochus “Epiphanies” (God Manifest). His standing in the Holy place claiming to be god is a foreshadow of the “abomination of desolation” which Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24 and is also a picture of the anti-christ in the book of Revelation.

A godly priest descended from Aaron named Mattathias and his sons chosen to lead the pagan ceremony in their territory. They reacted with indignation and proclaimed, “Enough is enough.” They started a revolt and one son named Judah became the leader. He was nicknamed “Maccabee” which means hammer. He and his followers were outnumbered and had to be creative in their tactics. They relied upon their knowledge of the hill country and used guerilla type warfare driving the Syrians out and recapturing the Temple.

The Maccabee’s and their followers cleaned the altars and restored the Holy furnishings. The most important piece was the Golden lampstand because it symbolized the Light of God. After restoring the lampstand, they were only able to find one sealed vial of the special consecrated oil, enough for only one day. The priest knew it would take eight days to produce more of the special consecrated oil. They decided to use the one vial anyway so the Light of God could shine. That is when the Miracle of Hanukkah happened; instead of only one day the oil lasted for eight days. As a result of the miracle of the oil and the miraculous victory of the Maccabee's, they established an eight-day festival called Hanukkah (Hebrew for dedication) to celebrate the restoration and re-dedication of the temple. This occurred on December 25th one year after the desecration.

Every year on December 25th (Kislev 25th in the Hebrew lunar calendar) a nine-branched menorah is lit. The usual menorah has seven branches. The Hanukkah menorah has eight branches to remember the miracle of the oil and a ninth branch in the middle that stands higher than the other branches. The higher candle is used to light the other candles and is called the “shamash” Hebrew for servant.

In John 10:22-39 we read where Jesus went to the Temple to celebrate Hanukkah “Festival of Lights”. It was at this time when some of the rabbi’s approached Jesus and asked Him, “If you are the Messiah, tell us publicly.” During Jesus’ Hanukkah message, He clearly states His claim and proofs of messiahship stating “He and His Father are One.” This outraged the priests because He was in their view claiming to be “God among us”.

I'm going to have to study the post you gave me before I can respond. I just want to let you know something, the word Apocrypha translates literally as, "Of dubious authenticity." (Doubtful truth)

According to Merriam Webster:

Dubious:
1. giving rise to uncertainty: as a : of doubtful promise or outcome <a dubious plan> b : questionable or suspect as to true nature or quality <the practice is of dubious legality> <the dubious honor of being the world's biggest polluter>
2 : unsettled in opinion : DOUBTFUL


Authentic:
1 obsolete : AUTHORITATIVE
2 a : worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact <paints an authentic picture of our society> b : conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features <an authentic reproduction of a colonial farmhouse> c : made or done the same way as an original <authentic Mexican fare>
3 : not false or imitation : REAL, ACTUAL <based on authentic documents> <an authentic cockney accent>
4 a of a church mode : ranging upward from the keynote -- compare PLAGAL 1 b of a cadence : progressing from the dominant chord to the tonic -- compare PLAGAL 2
5 : true to one's own personality, spirit, or character

I never trust the Apocrypha, only the Bible.
Thanks for the essay, I will look it over.
Olivia

I know what you say about the apocrypha all I am saying is that it gives the history of the maccabbes which was a time in the Jewish history when they were not hearing from the prophets. I'm not saying to use it as the inerrant word of God only as history as one would when reading the writings of Josephus.

Sister Susan
Thank you for your post. It is good to see someone else understands the foreshadowing in the Feast.
My God continue blessing you and the Holy Spirit guide you.

To God be the Glory
Joe McKnight

I agree, Christ is not in Christmas, and is a pagan holiday. This is why we leave Christmas out of our assembly when we are gathered together for worship. Is Christmas any more worldly than movies, tv, concerts, music, some of the books and magazines we read, modern day dress, adornment, etc? I love the lights,food,and decorations at Christmas, getting together with family which is paid vacation for most during this time of year and a good time to visit family. We don't have get togethers just because it is Christmas, but it is a convenient time since we are off from work anyway. I stand to be corrected if this is wrong, but in my thinking, I do not feel it is a sin. If this is your belief, you should not partake as doing so this would be a sin for you.

If Christ is not in Christmas, then the name "Christmas" itself is a misnomer and should be changed. It would sound rather ridiculous if everyone bent over backward to AVOID putting Christ in Christmas, yet still called it "Christmas." (One church I knew of merely referred to "Christmas" as "This time of year.") If Santa Claus, elves, and getting as many gifts as possible are now the center of "Christmas" (so it would seem from observing Hollywood's and the media's take on it), it's time to change the name. Suggestions: "Year's-End Festival," "Winter Festival," "Santafest," "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie," "Lotsa Loot Day," etc.

If you don't want to celebrate Christmas, that's up to you. If your church would never dream of having a Christmas service or program, there's definitely not a scriptural problem there. Here is the real question:

If people are going to acknowledge the existence of Christ for one or two days out of the year, are we going to run from it or use it to further the church? (See my 5/24/2004 post on The Passion of the Christ)

The traditional church of Christ technique would be a combination of running from or denouncing it. That doesn't accomplish anything. While Christmas (as we know it) is not commanded or even mentioned in the Bible, the recognition of Christ's birth should not be a negative. It is no more wrong to sing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" in December than it is in June. Do we need to go to the extreme of singing it EVERY week, so that no one will be offended? Why not use this as an opportunity to teach people about Jesus? A discussion of his birth (which is very non-threatening) can lead to a discussion of his life, death and resurrection (which could lead to conversion).

If a world that constantly denounces God recognizes his existence for a day, let's use what we are given to reach out to that world.

I realize that Christmas has been overcommercialized and that reindeer were not present at Christ's birth, but that does not mean that we can't find positive ways to use that season. Would everyone also be against a sermon on the death, burial and resurrection of Christ if it happened to be preached on Easter Sunday?

How much sense does it make to have a day where everyone EXCEPT us Christians are thinking about a certain part of the life of the Son of God?

Ok, so there is a lot of back and forth about what is 'specifically' authorized in the Bible. If Christmas is not authorized (which I agree with, by the way), where is Wednesday evening service authorized?? Book, chapter, verse, please.

Bottom line, there is a LOT of stuff that ALL churches of Christ get into that are not 'specifically' authorized by the Bible. Hmmmm - here are a few more:

Sunday evening service; communion from multiple cups; a song leader; the almighty commandment that worship can't be more than an hour long; that a drink is wrong (though drunkenness is); naming the church after the street it's on; use of song books; the new testament christians didn't even have the Bible as a collection in their day, nor for the first couple of hundred years. Gee, and what about the whole idea of chapters and verses anyway? Where is that authorized? What about listening to 'instrumental music' on the radio, you know, like country western or classical?

Ok, Olivia makes a point that early CHURCH funds were not used for certain activities, but then says that the church met in peoples homes, which were buildings, so then it's OK to have church buildings. Tell me, were CHURCH funds used to build those homes? So, how can we 'specifically' authorize the use of CHURCH funds for a building? Again, book, chapter, and verse please.

Oh the hypocricy!! The conservatives are just as bad as the liberals at twisting the Bible, 'book, chapter, and verse', to meet their views. Get over yourselves, on BOTH sides, PLEASE. Was Jesus more concerned about 'book, chapter, and verse' or saving souls. Christmas, the way the church spends GOD'S money, one cup vs. multi cup, the name of the church - NONE of that saves souls! ONLY Jesus saves!! So, unless you're helping save souls, the rest doesn't matter.

Knowing Gods Word is very important. Count how many times Christ said "It is written."

To God be the Glory
Joe McKnight

The rich young ruler knew the Word. Jesus Himself made it quite clear that the rich young ruler did not understand the spirit of the Word.

Occasionally, folks seem to get so caught up on the legality of things that they forget about spirit of the Word. The Bible is much more than a big book of rules.

Please tell me what is the harm in Christmas? If I choose to celebrate Christmas, it does not make me a pagan. It really aggravates me how Churches of Christ will have Christmas dinners and Christmas parties, and exchange presents at church Christmas functions with emphasis on Santa, etc. But perish forbid we should acknowledge Christ in Christmas! It always amuses me to hear the "Bah, Humbugs" of the "Scrooges" from the pulpit. Are these people really that cheap that they won't buy Christmas gifts for anyone??

What's wrong with celebrating Christmas? Nothing. Same goes for Easter, New Years, your birthday, Halloween....

"Whatever you do in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord." ; "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day..." ; "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."

If you want to celebrate Christmas, celebrate. You can even teach your kids about Santa Claus, when they grow up you can change that to who Nicholas was and how we can help the poor and needy. You can have a Christmas Celebration in the Church building and be OK, you can take that time to teach someone coming off the street about the Gospel.

And for the sanctimonious "a cappella" only folks. The first century Christians didn't sing four part harmony either, they sang "mono-phonic" (chant-like). That's because that's what they knew from Synogouge worship. They sang to please God, not men. Be careful that your "a cappella" worship is not just from your mouth and not from your heart. God won't accept that either. Be carful that your "worship" as well as your Bible don't become idols. Idolotry is a sin, worshiping God, singing Christian lyrics with instruments is not a sin. If it were God would have told us so, He would not give us some backwards way of contourting the Scriptures to our point of view along with "tradition" to figure it out.

May God bless you, and keep you, and his face shine upon you and give you rest. May His Spirit live in us all and open our eyes to the needs of His creation. May we look at the world with compassion as the Lord did. May we leave the judgement to "Him who sits on the throne".

Just what is a ABF Leader?

Just wondering
Joe McKnight