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December 14, 2006
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Patricia
King: "SHOULD CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?"
"When you remember His
extravagant gift, how can you not reach out to bless others?"
 The
other day, I visited a museum in the Old City of Jerusalem. This museum featured
some artifacts and remains of a priest's home that was burned in the fire of the
second tabernacle--approximately 70 years after Jesus died. Inscribed on the
wall of the museum were the words of a Jewish Historian:
"The first tabernacle was destroyed because of idolatry, illicit
relationships, and bloodshed. The second was destroyed because of pure hatred."
The Jews were divided in their perspectives at that time, and these differences
in beliefs ended up in severe political and religious tensions. The factions
became so volatile, that each group literally despised the other. In the midst
of their quarrelling and divisive actions, the Romans came through the gates and
burned the temple, killing men, women, and children. There were few survivors.
Their houses were left desolate. The temple was burned to the ground. They were
so focused on their differences that they failed to see the bigger battle.
Factions in the Church Today
I think of the church today with all our factions (divisions). One group stands
against another due to differences in doctrinal and theological interpretations.
We sometimes refuse to have anything to do with another due to differences of
beliefs, and yet, we all believe that Jesus is Lord. We judge and condemn each
other refusing to fellowship or labor together. Let's beware--a house divided
against itself will fall.
December is the month where the Christian world celebrates the birth of Christ.
The traditional belief of the date of Christ's conception was March 25 (around
the spring equinox), and December 25th was nine months later. It is this date
that we celebrate as the birth of Christ. Many have refuted this date as being
accurate, and it is possible and even probable that it is not. Should this
make a difference in our heart's focus though?
Wars are arising in the Church even concerning the celebration of Christmas.
Some challenge the celebration saying that it has pagan roots. They challenge
the accuracy of the date, they claim that Christmas trees are evil because they
were an object of pagan worship, and they say that caroling also has its
foundation in paganism.
Some say, we should honor the Jewish feasts
(Bible feasts) instead. Others in the body believe that to do so would be an
expression of legalism and religion, and so the factions begin--the war rages.
Purity of the Heart is Important
"Man looks to the outward
appearance but God looks to the heart."
Let us be careful not to get our focus off of what is important. Man looks to
the outward appearance but God looks to the heart. If our desire is to celebrate
the birth of Jesus at this time of the year, then let that be done according to
the purity of the heart and with integrity of conviction before Him. The
attention of the whole world is called to acknowledge the birth of the Savior at
this time of year, even if they don't believe.
Let's pray during this time that the
revelation of Christ will fill the earth. Would this not be a better way to
spend our time, rather than being at war with each other over how we celebrate
Him?
The Jewish Celebration of Hanukkah
Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish festival that is celebrated in the month of
December. This year, it is celebrated from sundown on December 15 through
sundown December 23. Hanukkah means "dedication," and so this celebration has
great significance.
History of Hanukkah
The holiday commemorates the rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem after
the Jews 165 B.C. victory over the Hellenist Syrians. Antiochus, the Greek King
of Syria, outlawed Jewish rituals and ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods.
In 168 B.C., the Jews holy Temple was seized and
dedicated to the worship of Zeus. Some Jews were afraid of the Greek soldiers
and obeyed them, but most Jews were angry and decided to fight back.
The fighting began in Modiin, a village not far from Jerusalem. A Greek officer
and soldiers assembled the villagers, asking them to bow to an idol and eat the
flesh of a pig, which are activities forbidden to Jews.
The Greek officer asked Mattathias, a
Jewish High Priest, to take part in the ceremony. He refused, and another
villager stepped forward and offered to do it instead. Mattathias became
outraged, took out his sword, and killed this villager, then killed the officer.
His five sons and the other villagers then attacked and killed the soldiers.
Mattathias' family went into hiding in the nearby mountains, where many other
Jews who wanted to fight the Greeks joined them. They attacked the Greek
soldiers whenever possible.
Judah Maccabee (the second leader of the Judean revolt against the
Greek-Syrians), and his soldiers went to the Holy Temple, and were saddened that
many things were missing or broken, including the golden menorah. They cleaned
and repaired the Temple, and when they were finished, they decided to have a big
dedication ceremony.
For the celebration, the Maccabees wanted
to light the menorah. They looked everywhere for oil, and found a small flask
that contained only enough oil to light the menorah for one day.
Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days. This gave them enough time to
obtain new oil to keep the menorah lit.
Today, Jews celebrate Hanukkah for eight
days by lighting candles in a menorah every night, thus commemorating the
eight-day miracle.
What a wonderful celebration! At this time, we can remember to worship God as a
God of Miracles. At this time, we can remember Jesus, who is the true Light of
the world.
Some dear friends of ours, David and Stephanie Herzog introduced us to the
Hanukkah celebration. The Herzogs and their children, celebrate Hanukkah in a
wonderful way. They light the menorah every night and have gifts for the
children to open each day. They celebrate by opening their home to family and
friends, as they serve special meals, and enjoy times of visiting, prayer,
worship, and showing hospitality. We as a family, were so touched last year
through the Herzog's family celebration, that this year, we are going to
celebrate Hanukkah. I love it.
What About Christmas?
"Christmas to us is a wonderful
celebration and remembrance of the birth of our Savior."
Do we need to abandon our tradition of
celebrating Christmas in exchange for Hanukkah? What if December 25th is not
really the actual birthday of Jesus? What if the origin of the Christmas tree is
a pagan practice?
As a family, we celebrate Christmas. The Bible says, "to the pure all things are
pure." Christmas to us is a wonderful celebration and remembrance of the birth
of our Savior. I love reflecting on the extravagant gift of our Heavenly
Father's wonderful love at this time, even though we are called to remember Him
at all times, not just in this season.
Our tradition is to give gifts to others at this time in the same way, our
Father has blessed us. It is a holiday filled with love, kindness, joy, and
blessing. As a ministry, we are busy preparing boxes of gifts and turkey
dinners, complete with all the trimmings to give to the poor. We have special
projects to care for single parents and orphans.
When you remember His extravagant gift, how
can you not reach out to bless others? Caring for the poor blesses His heart,
and so this is our gift back to Him. We do this all throughout the year, but
during this season, we have special added touches that we really enjoy.
In our tradition, we do have a tree. I have never thought of this as a pagan
ritual. For us, it has a different meaning. An evergreen tree to me is a symbol
of life. Jesus is the Tree of Life and as we abide in Him, we have life. If we
mediate on His Word day and night, we will be like a tree planted by rivers of
water. Isaiah says that we are like trees of righteousness, the planting of the
Lord that He might be glorified. The lights on the tree remind us that He is the
Light of the World and that we reflect His light and beauty in the earth.
Our tradition includes filling our home with family and friends. We host special
meals and celebrations with our team and those we love. We light the fire, burn
specially scented candles, bake cookies, and decorate our home and center with
beautiful reminders of His love, joy, and peace.
A Special Season to Be Enjoyed
"Let us not walk with
judgment towards each other as to how we are going to celebrate the season."
December is a special time of year. For some, it is a celebration of Hanukkah
remembering Christ, the miracle working God and the Light of the world. To some,
it is a celebration of Christmas remembering that Christ came into the world to
save sinners. And to some, like ourselves, it is a celebration of both. To me,
it all sounds wonderful. It is all about Him. Let's celebrate in as many ways
as we can with a heart full of passion. He is worthy!
Let us not walk with judgment towards each other as to how we are going to
celebrate the season. Let us simply walk in our own convictions, and then, go
love everyone with extravagant love!!! Enjoy and embrace your conviction to the
fullest, but don't judge another.
So don't let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not
celebrating certain Holy days, or new moon ceremonies, or Sabbaths. For these
rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ Himself is that
reality. Colossians 2:16-17
In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while
others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that
whichever day you choose is acceptable. Those who worship the Lord on a special
day, do so to honor Him. For we don't live for ourselves or die for ourselves.
If we live, it's to honor the Lord. And if we die, it's to honor the Lord.
So why do we condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer?
Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let's stop condemning
each other. Romans 14:5,
6a, 7, 8, 10, 12
Have a wonderful time this season, enjoying reflections of His goodness and
expressing it to others. May your home be filled with the essence of His
glorious presence.
Happy Holidays
--Love Him and love each other.
--Make the season special!
Joy to the world, the Lord is come.
Let earth receive her King!
Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth Peace and Good Will towards men.
Be Blessed!
Patricia King
www.extremeprophetic.com
patricia@extremeprophetic.com
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Patricia King's Upcoming Itinerary:
January 7, 2007
The Xperience! Encountering His Presence --XP Free Event
Best Western--Grace Inn
10831 South 51 St.; Phoenix AZ
Contact: 866-765-9286
January 12-14, 2007
Abiding Life Christian Fellowship
4133 Blue Bonnet Dr.; Stafford TX
Contact: 281-565-6405 or
www.alcf.cc
January 25-28, 2007
Days of Glory
Extreme Church
953 E. Sahara Avenue; Las Vegas, NV
Contact: 866-980-5465 or click (here)
"The daily prophetic words that are sent to our nearly 132,000 subscribers are made possible by the purchase of products like those featured in this email. You may purchase them directly from this email, or visit our online store at www.elijahshopper.com."
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We pray that it will be used by the Lord to remove the scales from believers'
eyes concerning the ongoing role of Israel in God's
affairs. God opened our eyes through Don's teaching, and now we pray with new
vision for the peace of Jerusalem. We're confident
that after reading this book you will, too." --Michael W. and Debbie Smith
Your
People Shall Be My People is a story with explosive implications, a teaching
that could change everything. I believe this is the
real story of the Jewish people and the Church as God saw it unfold...." --John Dawson, Founder, International Reconciliation Coalition
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