Tuesday Toss Up

With Christmas freshly around the corner, I’ve seen a lot about pagan rituals and how Christians stole them because the pagans came before Christianity. No. No, they didn’t. Christianity is woven into the creation of the world. Jesus created it. Jesus existed before He was born on this planet. He lived to show us the way, following Him. He died to conquer sin and Resurrected to conquer death. He is the author and finisher of this world. He is the beginning to the end. Everything else is a copy or twist. 

Animals were sacrificed to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve. Animal sacrifices, a representation of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, continued down through the ages until Jesus offered Himself as the final physical sacrifice for sin. Thereafter, Jesus required a broken heart and a contrite spirit. 

This world is a three act play: Old Testament, New Testament, and from then to now with the final climactic ending being the coming again of Jesus Christ to reign on the earth. 

Did you know that Christian is not what the followers of Christ called themselves? It was a label created by unbelievers. The followers of Christ called themselves disciples and saints. Disciples and saints practiced the rituals Jesus started, the Sacrament and baptism, healing, teaching, sharing His words, and doing what He would do. As time moved on, they adopted the title Christian. They also adopted many traditions created by those around them, seeing the beauty and symbolism as it applied to Christ.

For the record, pagans or whatever you want to call anything that doesn’t follow Jesus twisted what God created to fit their own story. It continues, today, we just don’t call it paganism anymore, except as a specific sect. It has many names now. Perhaps the most common name we use is secularism, which tries to divorce God from His creation.

Jesus came first. He made paganism and secularism possible because He gives everyone a choice to follow Him or not. Those who choose not to will be separated from Him, from His light, His glory, His presence. They won’t be comfortable in His presence. How could anyone be comfortable in the presence of someone they derided or declared didn’t exist?

We are encouraged to embrace all that is good and beautiful because all that is good and beautiful comes from God. Is it really so difficult to believe that the merciful Lord inspired even those who don’t believe in Him to seek out light and goodness? 

A few examples: The evergreen remains green and living year around, like a true life centered in Christ. Jesus will come back to rule and reign on this earth dressed in red. Santa is the spirit of giving and joy. What the adversary means for evil, God is able to turn for good. Stockings and gift giving are all representative of all the blessings God gives us, small and large, every day. Followers of Jesus joyfully seek every little thing that reminds us of Jesus and His love and goodness and grace.

I’m able to be grateful to those who attempt to belittle and diminish and dismiss Christmas and/or Christ. They strengthen my faith because I know they are wrong. Even as they are wrong, God’s hand is stretched out still, beckoning, inviting. As long as there is hope for them, there is hope for me.

Celebrate the traditions, create new ones. Seek for every reminder of the goodness, mercy, and love of God. Christmas is more obvious, but in the dark of cold winter, we need the light and warmth of an everlasting Savior and Redeemer, Lord and King, born in obscurity for each and every one of us.

A whole year lies ahead to prepare.