The ADVENTure of Christmas (11 & 12 of 12)

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Ok, I'm tired of typing (and of this series). Feel free to read the rest in the ADVENTure of Christmas by Lisa Whelchel.

Funny thing is that if I hadn't bound myself to this "12 part" ditty, I probably would have been able to complete it. That, however, is pretty typical of me--tell me I have to do something and all of the sudden I don't want to.

Oh well, I do wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and pray that our Lord Jesus make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May He be glorified in your generosity of giving and your thankfulness of receiving. May He break out hearts for those who lack the necessities of life and break our hearts even more for those who have not received the most precious gift of all--a friendship with Him.

It is His kindness that leads us to repentance.

Grace and Peace to you my friends and readers this Christ-mass season.

The ADVENTure of Christmas (10 of 12)

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First let me start by saying forgive me if these last 3 posts are relatively short. I realize now that I am NOT cut out for a twelve part series (what was I thinking???). Nevertheless, year after year families gather round the dinner table to share a meal and a fraction of life with each other. But why?

Christmas is the time of year we celebrate the birth of our friend and Savior Jesus--and He was a man notorious for inviting Himself over for dinner. One of His last acts as a human was to break bread with those closest to Him. Today we remember this act and its symbolism by breaking bread and taking part of the cup in communion with each other. Well, true to form, the first celebration of Jesus' birth was in fact a feast! It was called the feast of the Nativity and it originated in Rome around the 4th century.

The Bible is saturated with stories of banquets and feasts (many of which God Himself orchestrated) that the people of God took part in as a means of worship and celebration. Revelation, the last book in the Bible, tells of the feast to come--the Great Wedding Feast of the Lamb. It is the feast that those who have responded to Christ's pursuit here on earth will take part in with Him as Jesus (the husband) is finally united with His Church (the bride).

As you sit down around your table this Christmas season, I pray that you remember that it is Jesus who has invited Himself to your table, and as it says in Revelation 3:20, all you have to do is open the door. Peace be with you.

The ADVENTure of Christmas (10 of 12)

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First let me start by saying forgive me if these last 3 posts are relatively short. I realize now that I am NOT cut out for a twelve part series (what was I thinking???). Nevertheless, year after year families gather round the dinner table to share a meal and a fraction of life with each other. But why?

Christmas is the time of year we celebrate the birth of our friend and Savior Jesus--and He was a man notorious for inviting Himself over for dinner. One of His last acts as a human was to break bread with those closest to Him. Today we remember this act and its symbolism by breaking bread and taking part of the cup in communion with each other. Well, true to form, the first celebration of Jesus' birth was in fact a feast! It was called the feast of the Nativity and it originated in Rome around the 4th century.

The Bible is saturated with stories of banquets and feasts (many of which God Himself orchestrated) that the people of God took part in as a means of worship and celebration. Revelation, the last book in the Bible, tells of the feast to come--the Great Wedding Feast of the Lamb. It is the feast that those who have responded to Christ's pursuit here on earth will take part in with Him as Jesus (the husband) is finally united with His Church (the bride).

As you sit down around your table this Christmas season, I pray that you remember that it is Jesus who has invited Himself to your table, and as it says in Revelation 3:20, all you have to do is open the door. Peace be with you.

The ADVENTure of Christmas (9 of 12)

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Have you ever wondered why window seals are adorned with candles during the Christmas season? During the 17th century, British conquerors of Ireland implemented harsh laws to eradicate Irish traditions. The Irish were forbidden to vote, educate their children, or own land. Under the new legal regulations, Irish priests were banished from the land under pain of death.

Legend has it that despite their British conquerors, Irish families of faith placed a single candle in three windows, or three candles in one window, to symbolize Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. These candles served as a sign to traveling priests that their doors were unlocked and he was welcome to come and share a meal and the celebration of Christ-mass.

When you see candles in the windows of your neighbors, know that it is the face of Jesus that shines as the Light of the World and that no man or heavenly power can hide it. He is good and His love endures forever.

The ADVENTure of Christmas (8 of 12)

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Christmas. Quick! What colors just flashed into your mind? There is a good chance it was a barrage of green, red, white, silver, and gold. Why do we associate these colors with the Christmas season? (Well, technically, white is not really a color--it's the absence of all color, but oh well.)

The God we serve is an incredibly creative and vivid God who expresses Himself not only through written words, but also through the very works of His hands. Over and over again in Scripture we see constant allusions to colors, nature, and word pictures as God uses His craftiness to communicate with us.

But why have men (to all the lady readers, I mean that in the broader sense of humanity, not the male gender) chosen these colors to represent this season?Are they arbitrary decisions or do they have meaning and purpose? Or are they a mixture of the former and the latter? As in a previous post in this series, we see that the ever-green tree has been used for centuries and centuries to represent life. Might it be that we could see the eternal life we have through Christ in that rich color of deep green? Red obviously calls to mind the blood by which Jesus made His great love for us plainly known. It is by that blood that we're washed white as snow--so the allusion of purity there is obvious as well. Gold reminds us also of purity in addition to the Kingship of the Suffering Servant Jesus. The silver may call to mind the price paid to Judas' for the betrayal of his friend Jesus--after all, it is His death and resurrection that brought salvation, not merely His human birth.

Whatever images and thoughts are called to mind by the colors of this holiday season, let us take time to enjoy them and recognize the intricacy and creativity of God.

The ADVENTure of Christmas (7 of 12)

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Crap, missed a couple days of posts--note to self: don't ever choose a twelve part series again. In my defense, it is hard to blog during the weekend at the Davis' house. Who's to blame? A crappy dial-up connection that is a direct result of the shortage of companies who stand to challenge Comcast's monopoly (and prices that reflect it) on the high speed internet market in middle Tennessee. I have, however, recently discovered a 1 square foot area (literally) in our home in which I can jack into a neighbor's wireless connection--still at a low speed, but 10 times the speed of my dial-up connection nonetheless. Oh well.

We have a slight obsession here in the U.S. with covering our homes in an array of colored lights this time of year--and I'm probably the worst. But where did this obsession come from? Three years after Edison patented his invention of the lightbulb, Edward Johnson, a friend of his, was hanging strings of them on his Christmas tree. Thirteen years later, President Grover Cleveland lit up a huge Christmas tree at the White House. By the turn of the century, the craze had caught on with our country's retail developments.

It wasn't until after WWII, however, that American families could afford to decorate the roofs of their homes with these Christmas lights. Let the "war with the Jones'" feud begin. As a result, entire Midwestern neighborhoods became beacons of light for passing ships in the Gulf of Mexico.

As I sat late last month on my freshly illuminated front porch puffing on a pipe and enjoying my lighted handiwork, I began to ponder why I would take such an effort to ensure that every eave of my home was visible for 3 blocks. I came to unexpectedly enter into a wonderful time of conversation with my Creator-Savior there in the cold (aren't the best times with God almost always unexpected?). I petitioned my Father and Friend to use the glow of our home to make Himself known to my neighbors and the aimless wanderers who venture into our cul-de-sac.

What reason, if there is one, do you decorate your home this Christmas season?

The ADVENTure of Christmas (6 of 12)

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Merry X-mas!! Hmm, I wonder are you offended or delighted at the use of that phrase? Today I'm going to share with you a verbatim excerpt from the ADVENTure of Christmas on the origin of this greeting. (Note the text between the "----'s" is directly from the book...I wanted to save the space that my block quotes take away.)
----
Merry Christmas. Happy holidays. Season's greetings. So many good wishes, but do we really know what we're saying? (Or not saying?) "Season's greetings!" is about as bland a salutation as we could ever receive. What does it mean? "Hello, in the middle of winter?"

"Happy holidays!" comes a little closer to having some kind of heartfelt meaning. Originally, the wish was for "Happy holy days," those days set aside specifically for worshipping God. Sometime in the 16th century, the term started referring to any day off from work that was devoted to rest and recreation. The word became holiday, and now the phrase seems to mean "Enjoy this time of year--whatever you're celebrating!"

Then there's the shorthand "Merry X-mas," which annoys people who see this as crossing Christ our of Christmas. But did you know that X is the first letter (chi) of the Greek word Christos, meaning Anointed One, or Messiah? X-mas is simply an abbreviation for Christmas. (By the way, have you ever noticed how we often use the letter X to mean "cross," as in Railroad X-ing?) Even so, I think it is a good idea to say--or write--the wonderful name of Jesus Christ whenever we can!
----
Another source noted that the Oxford English Dictionary documents the use of "X-mas" back to 1551, when the abbreviation was employed nearly universally wherever the name Christ was used. For example, Xian and Xianity were in frequent use as abbreviations of Christian and Christianity.

So whatever phrase you use to greet people this holichristikwanzaka season, please, I beg of you, do so with purpose and meaning. As for me and my house (uh, I don't mean that in some pompous gender bias kind of way), we'll wish our friends and fam a "Merry Christmas"; because like this author, I too love using the name of Christ whenever possible...but my second favorite holiday greeting is definately "mele kaliki maka" for obvious reasons.

Hey, here's something to think on too. Devout students of the Hebrew language never write out the word "God" they always write it "G-d" in fear of accidentally taking the Lord's name in vain. So maybe, somewhere in history, that plays into the "X-mas" or "Happy Holidays" greetings. Who knows.

The ADVENTure of Christmas (5 of 12)

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As we delve deeper and deeper into the roots and origins of many of our Christmas traditions, let us not forget that many of these stories, as I have tried to depict, contain elements of folklore and legend. Perhaps one of the most mysterious and debated of our Christmas traditions is the candy cane.

The most common (yet false) story of the candy cane's origin is that a candy maker in Indiana wanted to make the candy as a "witnessing tool" and decided to incorporate elements of Jesus' birth, death, and ministry. Nice thought, but probably not true. (You can read the rest of this legend here.)

I've got to pause here to give it up for the author of my primary source who evidently did her research and also realized the error in the above account. For that, I'm quite glad, because the story that is more widely accepted as truth is quite a great deal more humorous indeed! In its days of old, the candy cane was a mere stick (straight, not curved) of white sugar that served as a pacifier for fussy babies. In the 1670's a German choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral bent the sugar sticks into canes to represent a shepherd's staff. Why did he do this? To keep the children occupied during the long winded nativity services!! ha ha ha!

In regards to the red stripes, no one knows exactly where they came from. Some think our above mentioned Indiana candy maker truly comes into the picture here, but who knows? However, we do know that it was around the turn of the 20th century as Christmas cards before depict all white candy canes whereas Christmas cards after depict canes with red stripes (as one source noted).

Regardless of where the red stripes originated, they now serve as a picture of the brutal beatings and the 40 lashes across his back that Jesus Christ took so that we may become His co-heirs and His friends. Isaiah 53:5 says, "...by His stripes we are healed."

As to the flavoring of the sugar and striped canes, it is also unsure when and why that was added. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the flavor of peppermint is very closely related to that of hyssop, a plant used by the ancient Jews in their sacrifices to God, because Jesus was the perfect and final sacrifice that was made.

I shall end this post with a quote directly from "The ADVENTure of Christmas" by Lisa Whelchel. "Isn't it wonderful that every candy cane you share is a story waiting to be told and an invitation to 'taste and see that the Lord is good' (Psalm 34:8)"

The ADVENTure of Christmas (4 of 12)

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Well, it had to happen, I missed yesterday's post--bring out the bamboo rods, I deserve it.

Around the Christmas season I always seem to hear a great number of people using a great many excuses of why it's ridiculous and uneducated to "celebrate Jesus' birth on December 25th". They say things like, "don't you know that all Christian holidays were pagan holidays before they were 'Christian'?" Well yes, I do know that--and your point is??? So let's talk about why we celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25th.

Well before the shift into the Common Era (A.D.), the Romans held a yearly celebration called Saturnalia, which means "the birthday of the unconquerable sun". They spent an entire week feasting and worshiping their many gods and finished off the celebration with a party to end all parties! That party was held on December 25th each year. Enter Constantine.

No, I'm not talking about a twisted exorcist played by Keanu Reeves. I'm talking about the Roman emperor who, in my opinion, single handedly screwed the spread of the Gospel by ushering Christendom into the Roman Empire at the First Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 (Christendom later rose to its peak--where it remained for a looooong time--in A.D. 392 under the emperor Theodosius I). But that's another rant for another day, lol. I digress, back to the story...

In the year A.D. 313 Constantine became a follower of Christ and was disturbed by his people's worships of false gods. Acting on his concern, he declared December 25th "the Feast of the Nativity"--purposely using the similar terminology that his fellow Romans used to describe their celebration on that day. In the years that followed, the Feast of the Nativity became known as "Christ-mass", which obviously became Christmas.

Sometimes I wonder why Christians can't seem to be creative and original. It seems that we're always knocking off the title of a book, or tv show, or song, etc, and twisting them into some "holy" program to be used to "reach" the "lost" (sorry, superfluous quotes there...). However, the book that much of the information from these posts is coming from, The ADVENTure of Christmas, helped me to see this phenomenon in a different light. The author cited Romans 12:21 that says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Cool perspective. I've never thought our holiday's evil roots as being overcome with good in that way. (But I do still feel that Christians need to stop knocking off every freakin' thing they can--I mean come on, use the creativity God gave you!) So as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus this December 25th, let it motivate us to cover all evil and be covered ourselves in the light that radiates from our Creator-Savior's face.

The ADVENTure of Christmas (3 of 12)

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In recent years I have come to make a personal choice regarding how I will decorate my home this time of year. This decision has been to not litter my home with images of Santa Clause--as he has become the symbol of the 21st century's twisted, capitalistic, motive behind this Christmas season--selfish commercialism. After a little research, perhaps I'll look in to slightly modifying that choice.

Once upon a time, in the city of Myra (or Patara, depending on the source), Turkey, there lived a young lad by the name of Nicholas. By the time he was a teenager, he was often called the "boy bishop" and was greatly loved by everyone in the community. As soon as his family's wealth began to be passed down to him, he secretly gave to the poor and needy in over-abundance.

One of the most famous legends of his giving is to that of three poor sisters on the eaves of their weddings. The story goes that the eldest of the girls was too poor to pay her wedding dowry, so on the night before she was to be wed, Nicholas climbed onto the roof of her home and threw a gold coin down the chimney. The coin landed in the young woman's stocking as it was hanging beside the fireplace to dry. The second daughter's dowry was provided in the same anonymous fashion. However, on the eave of his third daughter's wedding, the girls' father hid himself on the roof and waited. Alas, Nicholas's secret was revealed and the people loved him even more than before.

Centuries later the "young bishop" was attributed sainthood and given the name Saint Nicholas, pronounced Sinter Klaas by the Dutch.

So whether you have none, a few, or hundreds of Santa Claus figures around your home this Christmas season, let it be an object lesson as to who the true Gift Giver is and to whom all things belong. His name is Jesus, and in Him and through Him all things were made and He holds all things together. He gives and takes away, He gives and takes away...

Whew, barely squeaked this post in on the "third day" of the series...it's 11:49 pm and starting to storm. You know what that means right? God wants to talk--His voice is in the thunder. Can you hear it? If you can't, maybe He wants to whisper...

The ADVENTure of Christmas (2 of 12)

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Ok, let me get this one out of the way. This year has brought about the fiercest debate (and a rather silly one, imo) over the terminology of the Christmas tree that I have ever seen. So let's discover the origin of this tradition.

"Since ancient times evergreen plants and trees have had special meaning during bitter winter months--and for obvious reasons. Many ancient people believed that the sun was a god and that winter came every year because the sun god had become sick and weak. They celebrated the winter solstice (December 21st or 22nd) because it meant that at last the sun god would begin to get well. Evergreen boughs reminded them of all the green plants that would grow again when the sun god was strong and summer would return.

The ancient Egyptians worshipped a god called Ra, who had the head of a hawk and wore the sun as a blazing disk in his crown. At the solstice, when Ra began to recover from the illness, the Egyptians filled their homes with green palm brushes which symbolized for them the triumph of life over death (hmm--that palm brush symbolism ring any bells?)."⁽¹⁾ [Parenthetical comments mine]

Nearly identical practices and beliefs can also be found in early Roman, Celtic, and Viking traditions.

The story of how the evergreen tree came to be associated with the Catholic celebration of Christ mass (Christmas) is said to have begun in the seventeenth century with a young English missionary named Winfirid (later St. Boniface). Legend has it that he was so outraged one night as he happened upon a group of men offering a sacrifice to an oak tree that he felled the mighty oak with one swing of his axe. According to the tale, a fir tree eventually grew from the stump. The missionary proclaimed that the tiny new tree represented Jesus' victory over death on the cross and the eternal life made available to us through Him. It is said that St. Boniface used the tree as an object lesson, saying that the three points of the tree represent the three persons of the Holy Trinity--God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The origination of the evergreen tree being brought indoors and adorned with twinkling lights begins fairly earlier, in the 16th century, with Martin Luther. While walking through the forest one December night, as the stars seemed to show unusually bright, He passed under some evergreens and the stars appeared to dance in the trees all around him.

The story goes on to say that this beautiful experience of God's creation moved him to such intimate worship that he chopped down a fir tree, set it up in his living room, and wired the branches with candles in an attempt to recreate the look of the stars twinkling in the branches. He smiled as his children's eyes were suddenly opened to the meaning of Psalm 19:1: "The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display His marvelous craftsmanship." ⁽²⁾

So as you carefully select the perfect location for your Christmas tree, string its branches with lights (if it doesn't already have them), and place on it meaningful ornaments with delicate precision, know that you are partaking in an act of worship to Jesus as we have woven these two traditions into one tapestry of praise to our Lord Jesus who has overcome fear and death, and shines as a blinding light in the deepest regions of our world and of our lives.

The ADVENTure of Christmas (1 of 12)

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Today I'm beginning the first of a 12 part post series (1 post per day) dedicated to shedding light onto the roots of many of our Christmas traditions--who knew they weren't just testimonies to commercialism and capitalism??

The majority of the information used will come from Lisa Whelchel's "the ADVENTure of Christmas", but also from a few other additional resources.

Since this will be a twelve day post series, why not start with "the 12 days of Christmas" song and tradition?

For more than three hundred years, it was against the law in England to be a member of the Catholic Church. But since when has law been able to regulate the spreading of the gospel of Christ? In fact, legal regulations and mandates throughout history have just led to more creative ways of sharing the story of Jesus--and that is exactly what happened with many Catholic parents. The legend goes that a group of these parents came up with "The Twelve Days of Christmas" as a code to teach their children about things of God. So let's crack the code shall we?

"My true love" represents God, who gives all the gifts listed in the song.
"A partridge in a pear tree" is Jesus, who gave His life on a tree (the cross).
"Two turtle doves" symbolize the Old and New Testaments.
"Three french hens" are faith, hope, and love.
"Four calling birds" speak of the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
"Five golden rings" correspond to the first five books of the Bible (also known as the Pentateuch).
"Six geese a-laying" stand for the six days of creation.
"Seven swans a-swimming" are the seven gifts of the Spirit from Romans 12:6-8.
"Eight maids a-milking" point to the eight beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-10.
"Nine ladies dancing" signify the nine elements of the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.
"Ten lords a-leaping" represent the Ten Commandments.
"Eleven pipers piping are the eleven faithful disciples (minus Judas--who obviously wasn't faithful).
"Twelve drummers drumming" call to mind the twelve points of the Apostle's Creed.

So there ya have it--Da Vinci don't have nothin' on that code! lol (and yes, the horrid grammar in that last sentence is on purpose to all you critics out there! ha ha)

Thanks Neil!

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Yesterday I entered our home in the News 2 Christmas Contest. Thanks to Neil Orne (News2 morning anchor) for featuring a pic of our home on his blog today!