A couple of Sundays ago, as I was getting dressed, I pulled out one of my ties to put on. Wanda made comment that is was a Christmas tie. It had candy canes and snowmen on it. I asked her, “Why is it a Christmas tie? What do snowmen and candy canes have to do with Christmas?” She had no answer. So I decided to do a little research. According to thehistoryofchristmas.com:
During the 17th century, craftsmen created white sticks of candy in the shape of shephreds' [sic] crooks at the suggestion of the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. The candy treats were given to children to keep them quiet during ceremonies at the living creche, or Nativity scene, and the custom of passing out the candy crooks at such ceremonies soon spread throughout Europe. Some have suggested that the cane is in the shape of the letter “J” representing Jesus, with the white representing purity and the red, His blood. I am not sure how accurate all of this is, but at least it gave me some answers.
That took care of the candy cane, now on to the snowman. How did the snowman come to be associated with the Christmas holiday? A google search and I still don’t know. Some connect it with Charles Dickens’ book, “A Christmas Carol” in which there is a lot of snow. Others say it is simply because snowmen are made out of snow which is a wintertime event, and Christmas is celebrated in winter. However, this does bring to my mind another question.
Why is it that some people want to center everything about Christmas on Jesus and others want to take Him completely out of it? Such is the nature of man, a creature of extremes. It seems strange to me that people who give Christ little or any thought the rest of the year want to make Him the total focus of their lives for a few weeks. Putting out a nativity scene and going to church once or twice during the holiday season is no substitute for a life focused on Christ 365 days a year. Don’t get me wrong; I am glad people are at least thinking about Christ this time of the year. I just wish it was a part of their thinking and lifestyle year round. That may be a part of the problem; it requires too much commitment.
Those on the other extreme want to take everything having to do with Christ out of Christmas. The idea, in and of itself, does not bother me that much. Christmas, after all, is man made and whether you want to celebrate or not is totally up to you. However, the overall mindset bothers me a great deal. It is not just Christmas these people are after; it is anything to do with Christ and Christianity. Any public mention of Christianity conveys a state sponsored religion and everyone knows that violates separation of church and state. Many people are surprised to find that the phrase “separation of church and state” does not appear anywhere in the Constitution. It is also interesting to read what many of our founding fathers has to say about the importance of Christianity (Christianity specifically, not just religion in general). Dave Miller of Apologetics Press has some excellent material on this.
--Lamar
About Me
- Lamar Russell
- St Mary's, GA, United States
- Weekly bulletin. Church Office Phone: (912) 882-5800
Friday, December 18, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
DO NOT BE AFRAID PART 3
For the last couple of weeks, we have been discussing some things of which we should not be afraid. Today, we will conclude these thoughts with two things which we should fear: sin and God.
Sin is to be feared by every man, woman, and child. Sin the transgression of God’s law and includes every kind of moral and religious disobedience. As we watch television and movies and listen to music, sin is often glamorized and portrayed as a way to make life pleasant. Really? How pleasant do you think Tiger Woods’ life is right now? His sinful lifestyle has made his life anything but pleasant, and that says nothing about what it is doing to his wife and children. He probably thought no one would ever know, but “be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23).
That is just the physical, social side of the effects of sin. What about the spiritual? “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2). Sin causes us to be separated from God and incurs His wrath. “For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:30-31). Yes, sin destroys careers, families, and lives. However, it also destroys souls. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Jesus said, “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.5 “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:4-5). What men might do to us is limited to our existence in this body. God’s power goes beyond the grave into eternity.
We do not fear God in the sense of being afraid of unfair treatment or injustice. We fear God in that we live in awe of His greatness, we respect Him, we believe Him, and we obey Him. The decisions we make in life should be governed by a fear of the Lord. While we do not fear God in the sense of injustice, we should fear His wrath against sin and what will happen to us if that sin remains unforgiven. We need to understand that God’s response to us is determined by the choices we make. “Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off” (Romans 11:22).
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
--Lamar
Sin is to be feared by every man, woman, and child. Sin the transgression of God’s law and includes every kind of moral and religious disobedience. As we watch television and movies and listen to music, sin is often glamorized and portrayed as a way to make life pleasant. Really? How pleasant do you think Tiger Woods’ life is right now? His sinful lifestyle has made his life anything but pleasant, and that says nothing about what it is doing to his wife and children. He probably thought no one would ever know, but “be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23).
That is just the physical, social side of the effects of sin. What about the spiritual? “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2). Sin causes us to be separated from God and incurs His wrath. “For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:30-31). Yes, sin destroys careers, families, and lives. However, it also destroys souls. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Jesus said, “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.5 “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:4-5). What men might do to us is limited to our existence in this body. God’s power goes beyond the grave into eternity.
We do not fear God in the sense of being afraid of unfair treatment or injustice. We fear God in that we live in awe of His greatness, we respect Him, we believe Him, and we obey Him. The decisions we make in life should be governed by a fear of the Lord. While we do not fear God in the sense of injustice, we should fear His wrath against sin and what will happen to us if that sin remains unforgiven. We need to understand that God’s response to us is determined by the choices we make. “Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off” (Romans 11:22).
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
--Lamar
Friday, December 4, 2009
DO NOT BE AFRAID PART 2
Last week, we discussed some things of which we should not be afraid. We should not be afraid to use what we have been given to work for God, nor should we be afraid to get involved in doing good.
We should not be afraid to take a stand for what is right, even if it means going against the crowd. In John 9, Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth. When the Jewish leaders questioned the parents of the healed man about this miracle, they refused to commit themselves because they did not want to go against the crowd. “His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue” (John 9:22). Certainly the right way is not always the easy one. Being a faithful Christian calls for courage. The Bible says, “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). It is tempting to yield to the crowd and go along with what everyone else is doing.
Jesus taught that the majority will choose the wrong course. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Christians should not seek to be like everyone and everything around them. Romans 12:2 encourages us, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
If we stand for what is right no matter what, it may cause us to lose friends, be ridiculed, and even suffer persecution. Paul writes, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). No, it is not always easy to do the right thing, especially when it means acting contrary to what others are doing and what they want us to do. However, if our faith in God rests firmly in our minds, worldly opposition loses its significance.
We should never be afraid to confess our faith in Christ. We are familiar of the story of Peter’s denial of Christ. Only a short time earlier, Peter had stated that he would die for Jesus. Yet, when confronted by enemies of Christ and pressured, he gave into his fear. He denied Jesus three times, the final time with cursing and swearing (Matthew 26:69-75). Jesus said, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. “But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33). May we always have the boldness and courage to declare our faith and love for Him everywhere and to everyone.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
--Lamar
We should not be afraid to take a stand for what is right, even if it means going against the crowd. In John 9, Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth. When the Jewish leaders questioned the parents of the healed man about this miracle, they refused to commit themselves because they did not want to go against the crowd. “His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue” (John 9:22). Certainly the right way is not always the easy one. Being a faithful Christian calls for courage. The Bible says, “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). It is tempting to yield to the crowd and go along with what everyone else is doing.
Jesus taught that the majority will choose the wrong course. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Christians should not seek to be like everyone and everything around them. Romans 12:2 encourages us, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
If we stand for what is right no matter what, it may cause us to lose friends, be ridiculed, and even suffer persecution. Paul writes, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). No, it is not always easy to do the right thing, especially when it means acting contrary to what others are doing and what they want us to do. However, if our faith in God rests firmly in our minds, worldly opposition loses its significance.
We should never be afraid to confess our faith in Christ. We are familiar of the story of Peter’s denial of Christ. Only a short time earlier, Peter had stated that he would die for Jesus. Yet, when confronted by enemies of Christ and pressured, he gave into his fear. He denied Jesus three times, the final time with cursing and swearing (Matthew 26:69-75). Jesus said, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. “But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33). May we always have the boldness and courage to declare our faith and love for Him everywhere and to everyone.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
--Lamar
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