A lot of the things we hear about the christmas trappings are in themselves 'hear-say" .. of course we know he was not born dec25 .. but every weekend a baby's birthday is celebrated not being the actual day . i think we can let traditions rule other traditions and get buried in them until we are sour at the mouth .. i think that we should take what we have, or do .. and sanctify it unto the lord ....and do it UNTO THE LORD JESUS.
-like this -...if i buy meat from a market and i don't know its "pagan origin" or if it was sacrificed to idols .. i take it and i give thanks to God for it and it is sanctified unto him now .. and i cook eat and enjoy.
Just so, we don't know (not really ) the origins of so very many mingled little traditions .. So if i have a tree,i sanctify it to the lord to remember him who suffered the truth that "cursed is he that hangeth on a tree "- i put a star on it to remember the star that led the magi to JESUS its ALL ABOUT JESUS .. i give gifts to remember that God GAVE his only begotten son and i CELEBRATE JESUS .. we have this liberty to take what god has created and use it to his Glory and glory in Christ alone . i will not be ruled by men's traditions nor men's oppositions to traditions but by the Holy Spirit in the freedom he has afforded us through His own shed blood .ITS ALL ABOUT JESUS ! . if its not all about Jesus for you .. then Repent , be baptized for the remission of your sin and receive the promised holy Spirit and Live .
sometimes we impose religious froth . In all my life i have never celebrated anything but Jesus at this time of year.. the trapping only became
agan " when "MAN" told me they were .. and more info now says a lot of those so called pagan origins don't match up with historic fact . (means they are possibly based on religious ferver only )so back and forth it goes -to what end ? Jesus is not glorified in either argument . and there is no scriptural basis for the basics of it . if we cast out everything that can be related backwards by fact or rumor to paganism we simply become slaves to what ever religious mindset blowing around in trends. and if we apply the standard to "one celebration" and not everything, then we are being hypocritical . after all meeting on a Sunday is related back to worship of "the sun" ..hence SUN-day . But i don't see many opposing doing so . (personally i don't gather on a Sunday because i believe in gathering every day of the week at some point where believers are available to do so .) SO .. whatever wrongful reason and motives and styles "OTHERS" do it for .does not govern the freedom I have to see Jesus in EVERY aspect of my life and honor him in it as i abide IN him and He IN me . and walk in obedience to the holy Spirit . i have heard So very many arguments over this topic over 30 years i myself have argued BOTH Sides of it . but when i reflect i realized -Never has the holy Spirit brought any conviction to my heart on the mater . an we are to walk in the spirit . It would be very different if i was practicing something overtly sinful like the idolatry of Mary -or the most common sin "Christians" (so called) commit of carnality in the practice of Gluttony without a second thought about the nature of that action . there are far worse things then celebrating Jesus with decorative Joy .
in short - it is not the trappings BUT THE HEART MOTIVE AND FOCUS that makes a "thing" good or bad . In scripture, in one place they made raisin sweet cakes dedicated to "the queen of heaven " and god called it detestable .. -another time earlier raisin cakes were handed out by the thousands at the celebration of bringing the "ark of the covenant into the city _ (i think it was ).. .. so are raisin cakes pagan .. NO they are raisin cakes they have no mind nor will . it is what our own heart attributes to "A THING".. which sanctifies it unto the lord Jesus or unto something else . -Celebrate JESUS ONLY for his sake and HIS name to HIS GLORY.
