Spiritual

I approach the above question from a Christian point of view-I am one!  Soon after Jesus, and Apostle/Disciples, I believe Christianity took a slide and lost it’s core values that Jesus had outlined and became watered down and weak.  Looking for support from the structures of man, rather than living the ‘Spiritual life’, they started to become almost superstitious in their ways.  This always happens if we lose that vital living relationship with Jesus.  The ‘Church’ began to lose its Power, and substituted  externals to lean on rather than the inner life.  The then leaders in following centuries, started to mix their Living Faith with rituals and observations of seasons etc not advocated by Jesus such as using Alters or Incense or even appointing a figurehead.  The idea of having a Pope began to come about, and the beginnings of worship with alters, Incense and a whole structure of activities under the banner of ‘Church’.  A Figurehead was elected called ‘the Pope’ in replacement for Jesus-the “Head of the Church”-literally “called out ones”.  Further, the mechanism of ‘Church’ became ingrained as the way forward, the majority of which is just not in the New Testament-except the one thing-’Breaking of Bread’-at a meal.

This state of affairs continued into Roman times where Emperors continued to rule in Rome-Constantine being one.  He had the ‘brilliant’ idea of integrating the state and the ‘Church’.  Far far away from what Jesus taught-we then had joint rule by worldly leaders and ‘men of the ‘church’-a complete contradiction-because people really seeking God in ‘Truth’, had a structure presented to them, far away from what Jesus or the Apostle Paul understood and taught.

Jump again to Medieval times, where Pagan feasts abounded, and the ‘Church’ again looking to get followers or at least align itself for identification with worldly matters, were looking to Christianize feasts and events.  They turned their attention to Yuletide or other events with a view perhaps to Evangelize-and the 24th (Norwegian)/25th came on the Horizon.  The details are not so important, but the fact is that this date was ‘Christianized’ and became established as celebration of Christ’s birth.  The actual historical date is more October/November.

Herein lies the problem.  It’s not near Christ’s birth, and also there are far more important issues to look at-true Spiritual Life does not need birthdays and times and seasons to be celebrated, but is more to do with a living internal relationship with a risen Jesus!  I celebrate everyday the fact that the Godhead stooped down to human (my level) in the face of Jesus, and called us/me a ‘Friend’ (if we do His Will)!  The bible even tells us that-that we dont need to “observe times and seasons as some do”-yet we ‘write that off’ so easily and DO observe times and Seasons, and dont mention it, as we would have to change our ‘whole way of doing things’!

How far away we wander from the center of things on the ‘Christian landscape’-no wonder its called Christendom! Its a vast land where you can hide from Jesus and His teaching-the central meaning of it all, and Christmas is just another good hiding place!  Some may be perceptive enough to sort the wood from the trees, but there is a whole weight of rules and regulations out there (exactly what Jesus warned against-and harshly), put on people by man and not God, that prevents many a true soul from hearing the truth.

I believe there is no problem in using Christmas for a good family time which is what I do-but please separate the true from the false.

{ 0 comments }