Today is known by many as Pentecost Sunday.  You know the story.  The holy spirit descends, people speak in tongues, the church is born.

However, the day of the event is not arbitrary.  There was a reason why the believers had to wait for the promise from the father.  The day itself is a holy day on the biblical calendar.  It is the feast of weeks, or shavuot.   The holy day marks something incredibly significant….it is the anniversary of the giving of the law, and the beginning of the old covenant.

That covenant- although it was given by God, is called a ministry of death or condemnation.   The law is good…but it reveals that we ourselves are lawbreakers.  Thus, it produces only death.  The holy spirit troll on the same day to become the fulfilment of completion of that covenant… a new covenant of Grace and life… not condemnation and death.

“If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.”   James 1: 26

Humans can be devout.  They can express an outward religiousness on demand.  It gives us a sense of pride, in a way, to have a piety that people notice.

We all know the religious person that wears their holiness on their sleeve.   They might attend multiple services each week.  They “behave’ in all the proper religious ways.  They don’t cheat on their spouse.  They might read their Bible on a regular basis.  They don’t struggle with drug addiction, or alcoholism.    Nothing wrong with any of that.

However, when they open their mouth, you know that there is something askew.   Criticism, judgment, and sarcasm leaves their lips.   They have something negative to say about everything and everyone.   They excel in delivering a verbal beating to either you, or someone else you know.

The Bible tells us that out of the abundance of the hearth, the mouth speaks.   With such a person, you have a fairly good thermometer of what is in their heart.   Despite their outward religiousness, a tongue that just injures, gossips and criticizes can tell you that their heart is far from the peace and joy that knows Christ.  James says here that their religious is in vain, not because their religion in itself can gain them anything, but that their tongue reveals it is no “religion” at all… merely a pretense covering over a darkened and distant heart.
Rather the Bible says that we should:

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers”.  (Eph 4:29)

That is the tongue of the righteous.  It imparts grace.  It edifies.  It builds up, encourages, and strengthens.

Keep a tight reign on your tongue.  Practice using it for imparting life and grace… to be a well of refreshing, rather than a poisoned spring that sickens and kills.   James goes on to say that both sweet and bitter water do not come forth from the same spring.  Let the words of your mouth tell of the grace that is in your heart.

For most Christians today, December 25th is treated as one of the most sacred days of the year. We use numerous slogans to reinforce that- from “Keep Christ in Christmas”, “Wise Men Still Seek Him”, and others, like “He is the Reason for the Season”.

For many, the season is full of family traditions, and loaded with emotional meaning.

Virtually all Bible-Believing Christians are familiar with the text in Mark 7:13 where Jesus blasts the Pharisees of his day because they “Nullified the Word of God by their traditions”, and those sincere Christians assent to the idea that it is a bad thing to put tradition ahead of the Word of God. However, we always imagine that it is someone elses tradition. What about if it was OUR tradition?

Before the reader progresses here, the question must be answered: If was apparent that my denominational or family tradition was contrary to God’s Word, would I be willing to dump the tradition? If your answer is “No”, then you don’t need to read any farther.
The Christmas Tradition
As mentioned, Christmas has grown to be the most recognizable day on the ecclesiastical calendar. As Christians, we associate with the birth of Christ in Bethlehem.

Ironically, most Christians also understand that Jesus was almost certainly not born in December. Everything in the Bible about his birth hints against that. For several hundred years after Christ, there was no indication in the writings of church leaders that December 25th had any significance to the church. We talk about his birth at this time of year, with a wink and shrug, acknowledging to the world at the outset that as Christians, we are purporting a fanciful myth. We say “well, we don’t know the actual day, but this is as good a day as any”. So is December 25th really a day we ought to be celebrating?

Where the December 25th Date Came From
Where did the date December 25h come from then? The actual date does have an ancient history of being recognized as a holy day- more over, as the birth day of a god.

In Persia, it was the rebirth of Nimrod, and later, that of Mithras. In Egypt, the birth of the Sun god Osiris. In Rome, it was the festival of Saturnalia, which climaxed on the 25th with the “Brumalia”. Later in the 3rd century, many of the pagan traditions were consolidated into the Natalis Dies Solis Invicti, or “Birth Day of the Unconquered Sun”.

Other nations, before the entrance of Christianity, had their celebrations on that day, including the Norse “Yule” festivals in Scandinavian countries.

In most cases, the celebration involved either evergreen branches made into wreaths, adorned with candles, or a whole evergreen tree, adorned with silver and gold amulets of Bacchus, the god of wine and merriment. It usually involved the exchanging of gifts, also.

It is of critical importance to realize that these celebrations existed in the Roman and Hellenistic cultures at larger during the early formative years of the church, and it was a given that Christians wouldn’t take part in such idolatry.

Tertullian, one of the greatest apologists in the Christian church in the 3rd century remarked in his writing “On Idolatry” that some Christians were backsliding, and starting to mimic the pagan practices of Brumalia in December (Later called Natalis Solis Invictus) by decorating their doors with lights and wreaths:

But “let your works shine,” saith He; but now all our shops and gates shine! You will now-a-days find more doors of heathens without lamps and wreaths than of Christians. What does the case seem to be with regard to that species (of ceremony) also? If it is an idol’s honour, without doubt an idol’s honour is idolatry. If it is for a man’s sake, let us again consider that all idolatry is for man’s sake; let us again consider that all idolatry is a worship done to men, since it is generally agreed even among their worshipers that aforetime the gods themselves of the nations were men; and so it makes no difference whether that superstitious homage be rendered to men of a former age or of this. Idolatry is condemned, not on account of the persons which are set up for worship, but on account of those its observances, which pertain to demons (Tertullian. On Idolatry, Chapter XV.)

The true church of Jesus Christ at the time was NOT observing December 25th. On the contrary. To adorn an evergreen tree with decorations and lights was a sign a believer had become totally backsliden.

At this time, there was some speculation by some Christian writers of 2nd and 3rd century when Christ might have been born… but no one even considered a time in December. Some thought a date in April. Some thought March. Many now think that, seeing that the great events of Christ’s life were orchestrated around Jewish Holy Days, that they Feast of Tabernacles in the Fall would be a likely time. (This would seem to be also alluded to in the Gospel of John, when John specifically mentions how Christ, the Word of God, dwelt or literally was “tabernacled” with us, when speaking of his incarnation. -John 1:14).

The tipping point happened in the 4th century, when the Roman Emperor Constantine, who spent most of his life as a sun worshiper, set by royal decree, the birth of Christ to December 25th., in 336 AD. It is clear that his only motivation to pick that date was to correspond with Natalis Solis Invicti, and thus “synchronize” the Holy Days of the pagan empire with the growing Christian population. The church apparently succumbed to his wishes without too much resistance. The Roman bishops decreed that the day would be marked with a special “Mass”, thus “Christ’s Mass” began.

So at this point, many might ask what is wrong with celebrating the day on December 25th, if there is a “new meaning” associated with it? Over the years, church leaders loosely use the phrase that the pagan holiday has been “baptized” and now it is thoroughly Christian. After all, no Christian is actually worshiping Mithras or Solis Invictus on December 25th, right?

The first problem we should have with this is that all the cultural adornment of the pagan holiday came charging right into the church. The pagan December 25th holiday was marked by decorating and lighting an evergreen tree, and parties for exchanging gifts. That might sound familiar. As an afterthought, some Christians like to say that the “gift giving” has to do with the Magi bringing gifts to Jesus (it doesn’t) … but they are of course, at a total loss to explain what a decorated tree has to do with the birth of Christ! To make it worse in the west during our contemporary times, the folklore of Santa Claus and Rudolph have far eclipsed the artificial veneer about Jesus anyways. It is, at best, a secular holiday. At worst, its a continuation of the idolatrous practices that the church of Jesus Christ rejected from the outset.

When you attempt to make a synthetic holiday by adopting anything from paganism, you simply pollute the truth. Look for example, how the church now celebrates Christ’s resurrection with the synthetic holiday “Easter”- the very word being derived from a Babylonian goddess of fertility. The ensuing confusing has made the emblems of the supposed Holy Day colored eggs and bunny rabbits, the symbols of the goddess after who the day is named. The church attempted the same thing by “baptizing” the pagan holiday of Samhain, the feast of the dead, as “All Saint’s Day” (Old English “All Hallows Eve ie “Halloween”). The Christian name stuck, but otherwise there is nothing “Christian” about it.

Here is a serious question that is germane to the whole issue: Looking at the Bible in it’s entirety, when God’s people were confronted with the cultural practices of a pagan land were they A) Told to assimilate those practices into their worship, and “baptize” them with a new name, or B) Told to utterly detest, reject, and abstain from the pagan practices, in favor of following God’s Word?

Here are just three places where you can clearly see the answer:
“Be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their (the heathen nations) gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.” (Deuteronomy 12:30)

“Drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places.” (Numbers 33:52)

“They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, “Do not do as they do,” and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do.” (2 Kings 17:15)

There are scores of places in the Old and New Testament where God reiterates in no uncertain terms that God’s people are not to adopt the religious practices of the heathen. When his covenant people did, it was considered sin, and they had to repent of it. They were told not only to not follow after the other gods…they were told to not worship the LORD in the same manner that the pagans worshiped their gods!

So what the church did in the 4th Century, at Constantine’s behest, stands in clear opposition to what God commanded not only Israel, but the church regarding idolatry. And inasmuch as we follow the lead set by Constantine, we are continuing that error.

Where that Leaves us Today
The majority of Christians today realize that December 25th really isn’t Christ’s birthday. Many sincere bible-believing Christians know this, and even recognize the pagan origin of much of the trappings of Christmas…. but they will still celebrate it.

Sometimes it is just an emotional attachment to the glee of opening gifts, to the familiar Christmas music, or to the special traditional family time. But as mentioned at the outset… what really is more important.. following our familiar traditions, or following the Word of God?

Some Bible believing Christians see the holiday in pragmatic terms- although it is not really Jesus’ birthday, but a thinly disguised pagan holiday, they figure they can use it to introduce others to church or the Gospel. However, what are we really communicating about the Gospel if our segue to the unchurched is clearly pagan mythology that, at the core, really has nothing to do with the truth of the Gospel?
Others will just go along with it, because everyone else does. However the majority on anything is rarely right. And it is the man or woman of principle and courage that resists the group-think tendencies of the majority, and stands apart for what is right.

Ultimately it is a matter of conscience. In Romans 13, Paul tells us that one may consider a day more holy than another, while one may consider them all the same. However, that still needs to be squared with the biblical admonitions against idolatry, and our desire to walk in the truth, in a way that is compromised by the culture.

Sunday marks the beginning of the “High Holy Days” in Judaism, with Rosh Hashanah beginning at sunset. To many of us in Christendom, this might be little more than a piece of trivia that we can tuck away in our “general religious knowledge” folder, however, the event has specific significance to us as believers. Jesus’ life and ministry revolved around the biblical holidays, of which Rosh Hashanah is one.

Jesus came into the temple at the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, was crucified on Passover, rose from the dead on the Feast of First Fruits, and when he ascended, he made sure his followers understood that the next major event for them was the descent of the Holy Spirit, which God coordinated with the Jewish feast of Pentecost. Can you see the pattern? Every major event that had to do with our redemption was tied to a particular aspect of the Jewish feasts in the Spring. It doesn’t end there.

It is fairly clear, based on the writings of Paul, John, and the words of Jesus, that Christ’s second coming is in a similar fashion, tied to the Jewish holy days in the fall. For example, the beginning of Rosh Hashanah is marked by the blowing of the Shofar, or trumpet, and the most common element in the Bible where it talks about the Second coming is preceded by the blowing of a trumpet. (1 Thess 4:16-17, 1 Cor 15:52, Rev 4:1 ).

And the other most talked about element is how the nations of the earth will be raging against Israel. And it just so happens that right now, perhaps more than ever, Jerusalem, is a tinderbox that could be in for some troubling time. Consider how close the appearance of the Lord might be! While many of us go about our business, stop and take an inventory that the Day of the Lord may be drawing very near. Not trying to scare anyone, or persuade them that we are in the final stretch,.but consider soberly “what if”, for whatever reason, we should have to stand before God today?

If you are available Sunday, come and share in the Word of God with us– Faunce Memorial Church in Plymouth this Sunday . (EWF)