Merry Christmas

I don't know what to say about Christmas that hasn't already been written. The Biblical accounts of Christ's birth are the best accounts; there is nothing I can hope to add because it is all there. I think the best way for me to celebrate Christmas on my blog this year is to share the Gospel accounts. My purpose as a Christian is to share the Gospel of Christ and many people have never read the story of Jesus' birth, so here it is.

I'm just going to put the links to both Matthew and Luke due to the length of the passages. I'll let the Bible speak for itself.

Matthew 1-2

Luke 1-2

Merry Christmas to anyone reading this and I hope you will experience the love of Christ this holiday season.

The Myth of the Pagan Origins of Christmas

This post The Myth of the Pagan Origins of Christmas was originally published on Intellectual Takeout by Daniel Lattier. I enjoyed reading this post, so I wanted to share it instead of summarize it myself. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did. I'll probably post something of my own before Christmas, so check back soon.

The Myth of the Pagan Origins of Christmas

It’s generally accepted that early Christians adopted December 25^th as the day of Christ’s birth to co-opt the pagan celebration of the winter solstice. Some believe this fact undermines Christianity.

But according to Professor William Tighe, this “fact” may actually be a myth.

Based on his extensive research, Tighe argues that the December 25^th date “arose entirely from the efforts of early Latin Christians to determine the historical date of Christ’s death.” He also goes so far as to claim that the December 25^th pagan feast of the “'Birth of the Unconquered Sun'… was almost certainly an attempt to create a pagan alternative to a date that was already of some significance of Roman Christians.”

Tighe explains…

In the Jewish tradition at the time of Christ, there was a belief in what they called the “integral age”—that the prophets had died on the same days of their conception or birth. Early Christians spent much energy on determining the exact date of Christ’s death. Using historical sources, Christians in the first or second century settled on March 25^th as the date of his crucifixion. Soon after, March 25^th became the accepted date of Christ’s conception, as well.

Add nine months—the standard term of a pregnancy—to March 25^th, and Christians came up with December 25^th as the date of Christ’s birth.

It is unknown exactly when Christians began formally celebrating December 25^th as a feast. What is known, however, is that the date of December 25^th “had no religious significance in the Roman pagan festal calendar before Aurelian’s time (Roman emperor from 270-275), nor did the cult of the sun play a prominent role in Rome before him.” According to Tighe, Aurelian intended the new feast “to be a symbol of the hoped-for ‘rebirth,’ or perpetual rejuvenation, of the Roman Empire…. [and] if it co-opted the Christian celebration, so much the better.”

As Tighe points out, the now-popular idea that Christians co-opted the pagan feast originates with Paul Ernst Jablonski (1693-1757), who opposed various supposed “paganizations” of Christianity.

Of course, to Christians, it really doesn’t matter that much whether or not they co-opted December 25^th from the pagans, or vice versa. The Christian faith doesn’t stand or fall on that detail. But it’s nevertheless valuable for all of us to give closer scrutiny to shibboleths—such as that of the pagan origins of Christmas—which are continually repeated without being examined.  ​

God's will needs to be our will

When I was younger, as with most people, I had all these ideas about what I wanted to be when I grew up, anything from a garbage truck driver to a kicker for the Carolina Panthers (the next #4). The one serious idea of a career that I did have was being a soldier. When I was in fifth grade I lost the ability to walk completely and after that I knew that I couldn't be a foot soldier. I didn't know until a few years later, however, that disabled people cannot be in the military.

I wasn't upset when I learned this because it makes sense that all soldiers should be physically able to defend the nation. It wasn't until a year or so ago that I saw that writing seems to be what God created me to do. Nonetheless it was a situation (not the only one) where I had face the reality that my plans for my life aren't usually God's plans for my life. God didn't come to me in dream and tell me that I would become a writer or anything like that, but He did lead me to writing. That's my topic today: what God's will is and how we can understand more about God's will.

So, what is God's will? The Bible is the best place to look for answers to these kind of questions, since it is God's heart put to paper and it is God breathed. The will of God is explained in 1 Timothy 2:1-4 (emphasis added) is, "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." His will is for "all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." Once you become a Christian you are "to be conformed to the image of his Son." (Romans 8:29)

Simply put, God's will can be defined as: for all people to accept Christ's gift of grace and to become more like Christ. I'm not trying to oversimplify the will of God or say that I have some insider information on God's will, but I think my definition is a pretty good working definition. Now, as far as being saved, I've done that part, the hardest part is becoming like Christ. I'll write about becoming like Christ another time, as it is a topic that deserves it's own discussion.

To know God's will is to know God, which is a lifelong pursuit. Romans 12:2 discusses this, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." The renewal of your mind is daily prayer and Bible study. Daily prayer and Bible study will help you to start to understand more about God's character by building (and maintaining) a relationship with the Lord. And this is how "you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is."

We're also instructed to "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18), to do good works (1 Peter 2:15), to be "sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality" (1 Thessalonians 4:3), and to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:18-20) By obedience to God's commands you will further your understanding of His will even more. Obedience to His commands is also a part of building your relationship with God.

Be warned that God's will isn't without suffering or hardships, in fact sometimes suffering is part of His will.  1 Peter 3:17 says, "For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." The best example of this is Jesus' crucifixion. Isaiah 53:10 spells out what God's will for Jesus was,

"Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand."

Jesus came into this world to suffer and to die to atone for our sins, but he was resurrected later on. He knew this suffering and dying was part of God's will, Matthew 26:39 confirms this by quoting Jesus himself: "Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.""

Now, if you are looking for specifics on God's plans for your life -- like where to live, where to work, who to marry -- then you probably won't get the answer that you're expecting. You have to trust that through, again, getting to know God (by walking with the Lord, obeying Him, and relying on the Holy Spirit) that He will lead you to make the right decisions in accomplishing His "good, pleasing and perfect will." Proverbs 11:5 says, "The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness." Remember, that Holy Spirit does dwell within us to be our guide in making decisions. The ultimate key to this is wanting God's will instead of ours. Psalm 37:4, "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

I'll leave you with a question: will you make His will for your life, your will for your life?