Crazy Theological Thoughts

I really like the idea.  But I think there needs to be someone more.  People want to put Christ back in Xmas because they se all the cards, toys, decorations, pagan feasts, songs, and shopping which take away from what Christmas is all about. I was even told Christmas started early this year.  It started on Thanksgiving day because of "black Friday" starting early.  People start singing Christmas songs in the beginning of December.  But this is not Christmas.  (It should rightly be noted that there are some places where Christmas is 364 days a year.) But this is not Christmas.  This is shopping, singing, and decorating.  Santa Claus is not even Christmas.  If you really want to put the Christ back in Christmas, call it what it is ... The Nativity of Our Lord. I do not celebrate much of Christmas anymore.  I make some cookies, and decorate the church for Advent.  I guess I still do like listening to Christmas music thro...

Here it comes!  Christmas Season begins  on December 25th.   The season continues through  January 5th.   These are the twelve days of Christmas.  I would love to explain why this is important but I would generally be adding my own thoughts and not be grounded in anything. Oh well, why not?  Jesus Christ has come to the world to be a blessing to all God's people.  If you really remember the significance of the number 12 you can do a lot with these twelve days.  These twelve days could represent the twelve pearly gates which allow one to enter into the new Jerusalem, in Revelation. These twelve days could be paralleled to twelve births in Genesis 29-30.  These twelve children would be the foundation of the people of Israel.  It would be through these twelve children the promises of God would be fulfilled. These twelve days could even be related to twelve callings.  Jesus was born into the world to save it...

The Christmas tree has absolutely nothing to do with Jesus!  Well maybe that is not entirely false.  The custom was developed in pagan societies that believed life was dying during the winter time.  They would bring in tree branches (generally evergreens because the leaves would last longer).  They believed that they would be able to preserve the spirit or life of the trees through the winter time. This lead to a more elaborate tradition of bringing entire trees into our houses in order to preserve life through the winter.  Winter is the season of death, and therefore to bring hope into the life of these people that the plants, flowers, trees would come back to life in the spring is not crazy. Here is the connection.  The church celebrates the life of Christ the new born child in the beginning of the season of death, namely winter.  The church also celebrates his death in the beginning of spring, namely the season of new birth.  Jesu...

In the year AD 274, the emperor Aurelian introduced the festival of the Invincible Sun,  on December 25th.   Sometime after this the church established the commemoration of the incarnation.  It is first recognized about AD 336. It should also be noted that there is a relationship with the winter solstice.  In Egypt around 1996 BC the solstice was recorded  on January 6th.   Later in 331 BC when Alexandria was founded the solstice was recorded  on December 25th.   These two dates are the bookends for the season of Christmas. But these do not explain anything important. Tertullian identified the date of Christ's crucifixion  on March 25th.   In the Ancient world great or important people were died about the same time they were born.  Birth-dates and Death-dates were very important.  In Christ's case it was not birth date but conception date that was important. Christ being crucified  on ...