[Frumanchu]

GRPL Whitefield Christmas Ping!

[Frumanchu]

May this be an intelligent and decent discussion of the celebration of our Lord's birth.

[Gamecock]

And FIRST, you do not celebrate this aright, when you spend most of your time in cards, dice, or gaming of any sort.

I suppose football games are out. Good thing my boys aren't participating

[P-Marlowe]

A most excellent essay. The duty of the Christian is to keep Christ in Christmas. If the world turns it into a secular celebration our duty is to turn it back to God. I think it would be a shame to abandon the festival to those who would strive to remove even the name of Christ from the celebration that has been declared in honor of his birth.

The ACLU and the secular world has declared war on Christmas. Their duty as they see it is to turn our eyes away from Christ at this time. Our duty as Christians should be to preserve the day for the Glory of God and to turn their eyes toward Christ.

Thanks for posting this.

[little jeremiah]

Ping to self.

[rwfromkansas]

You got to love those two-titled pieces the Puritans loved to do.

You know it is good stuff when it has two titles. lol

[topcat54]

The celebration of the birth of Christ hath been esteemed a duty by most who profess Christianity.

I appreciate Whitefield, although he was still an Anglican, albeit a Calvinist.

What, shall we not remember the birth of our Jesus? Shall we yearly celebrate the birth of our temporal king, and shall that of the King of kings be quite forgotten? Shall that only, which ought to be had chiefly in remembrance, be quite forgotten? God forbid!

His writing reflects a rather sentimental view of Christmas. If there was any real possibility of forgetting the birth of Chrst, would not God the Father have instituted an annual day specifically to bring it to our remembrance?

"And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' "

[topcat54]

"We have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas: first, because we do not believe in the mass at all, but abhor it, whether it be said or sung in Latin or in English; and, secondly, because we find no Scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the birthday of the Savior; and, consequently, its observance is a superstition, because not of divine authority." (Charles Spurgeon, Sermon on Dec. 24, 1871).

"When it can be proved that the observance of Christmas, Whitsuntide, and other Popish festivals was ever instituted by a divine statute, we also will attend to them, but not till then. It is as much our duty to reject the traditions of men, as to observe the ordinances of the Lord. We ask concerning every rite and rubric, "Is this a law of the God of Jacob?" and if it be not clearly so, it is of no authority with us, who walk in Christian liberty." (from Charles Spurgeon's Treasury of David on Psalm 81:4.)

[Jeremiah Jr]

Matthew 1:21 "And she shall bring forth a Son, and then shalt call his Name Yeshua (Jesus): For he shall save his People from their Sins."

Yeshua is Jewish.

Jeremiah 10
3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless;
they cut a tree out of the forest,
and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
4 They adorn it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so it will not totter…

Jeremiah 16
19 O LORD, my strength and my fortress,
My refuge in the day of affliction,
The Gentiles shall come to You
From the ends of the earth and say,
"Surely our fathers have inherited lies,
Worthlessness and unprofitable things."
20 Will a man make gods for himself,
Which are not gods?
21 "Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know,
I will cause them to know
My hand and My might;
And they shall know that My name is the LORD.

Yeshua was born during Sukkot (Tabernacles) Back up nine months and you arrive at Chanukah!

[Corin Stormhands]

It is my design to lay down rules for the true keeping of that time of Christmas, which is now approaching.

I had time to skim the article.

Seems indeed that he has no problem with the celebration of Christmas, but with the way in which it is celebrated.

It's hard to put in context though, since culturally we have much more leisure time (and much more with which to fill it).

My family celebrates both the spiritual and the secular side of Christmas. With the spiritual taking precedence. Our participation in the church Christmas production is a part of our ministry. And we work hard to see that those who might otherwise be alone on Christmas have a place to go...which is usually our house.

[Puritan Idelette]

Thank you so much for these EXCELLENT arricles. Wonderful exhortation! They have encouraged and edified me.
Have a Blessed Christmas!

[Ulysses]

bump for later...