Why Celebrate Christmas?

 Why Celebrate Christmas?

My Brothers and Sisters, fellow Believers and followers of Christ, 

Why celebrate Christmas? Should we celebrate Christmas ? Are we breaking a law or Commandment? What are we doing here people? Christ was a Jew. Paul was a Jew but he taught people not to follow Jewish legalism—that is— judging others by how they keep Jewish traditions, practices, and holidays. It sounds much like Jesus’s teachings in Matthew 15:11, Mark 7:15

Google: That phrase, "It's not what you put in your mouth that defiles you, but what comes out of your mouth," is a core teaching from Jesus in the Gospels (Matthew 15:11, Mark 7:15) that shifts focus from ritual purity (like handwashing) to inner character, meaning true impurity comes from evil thoughts, words, and actions originating from the heart, not from certain foods or ceremonial uncleanness. 

Is Christmas just a pagan holiday? In observance of it , are we participating in idolatry and demonic worship? What about that Santa Claus guy? Many say that today’s Christmas traditions predate the birth of Christ. However, is Christmas just about the birth of Christ, who is the Word of God? Can anything predate the Word of God?

Hmm…am I rationalizing or trying too hard to legitimize Christmas? Is it necessary to legitimize Christmas? Can man legitimize Christmas or anything? Or, perhaps the question is, “What are you willing to give up to the enemy that really belongs to your Father? What will you allow Satan to claim as his? 

If we choose another day to celebrate to  remember Christ’s birth, won’t Satan also defile that day? Where do we begin in our belief of God and His Word? At what point in time does His power take effect? It may sound like a silly question but that is what we imply when we allow demonic forces to claim dominion and dominance within our lives. Be mindful that Satan cannot himself reign over God’s Kingdom. -But, he can lie and claim territory that we allow him to occupy.

Satan and his followers were created by God. This is not one of those which came first— the chicken or the egg quandaries. There is no argument, circumstance or scenario you can apply to claim that Satan wins. He is a tool. He cannot create. His very existence yields to and gives affirmation of God’s Glory and Light.

Should we set aside days as holy days or holidays? If so, how? Jesus gave His Disciples instructions on how to celebrate or remember Him. He wanted to be remembered. Why? Out of vanity? We’re talking about the lowly Jesus, the spotless lamb. Remembering him is not just a tradition or a ritual. It is power to overcome and conquer sin. It is power to live holy and righteously. So, he instructed His Disciples…

34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

There is power in God’s Love ❤️ Does this describe the Christmas that you celebrate? 

In Matthew 26 starting at verse 26, Jesus instructs His Disciples to eat and drink with Him at the Passover Feast taking the bread and saying…

“Take, eat; this is my body.”

and with the wine he said…

27 …“Drink ye all of it;

28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”

This was not a command or a law, yet man has legalized it and made it into a ritual and an obligatory task to be a part of the Body of Christ. The institutional church has installed it as part of its doctrine going as far as to say who can take part in the ceremony and designating those who are not worthy to partake of Christ’s Body. 

I ask you, being that they are unholy acts and not of God, are the acts of tasking and burdening God’s people with carnal, manmade doctrine and rituals that serve the flesh and the world not akin to the paganism and idolatry that these same people claiming to be believers claim to hate and not believe in?

The Jews rebuked Jesus because God’s Laws handed down to Moses were all that they knew.  We like to stick to what we know and in doing so we often cut off our blessings and revelations to new growth and incite. The Jews didn’t realize that God had more to offer them if they would change their hearts—that is—to become more like God in character and love. They didn’t understand that the Laws of Moses were only a shadow of things to come—that is—the fulfillment of the law through Christ Jesus. 

Their pride and vanity inhibited them, making them believe that they were already holy and righteous, not needing to change their hearts and ways. Many were not ready for the truth God would reveal through the New Testament or New Covenant He was making with them. Hence, their hearts and their faith were not ready for Jesus who was not the representation of the New Covenant, but the embodiment of the New Covenant. 

Matthew 26:26-30

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.

30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

In Matthew 4 we read that Jesus tells Satan that man cannot live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. It is God’s Word that gives life and meaning therefore can anything ever predate Jesus’s existence? He was there with God in the beginning in the essence of His Word. 

Matthew 4:1-4

4 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

So, what is the significance of the existence of the Word in its relationship to Christmas? Is the actual birthdate of Jesus more important than the existence of Jesus? Can we really know the accurate date and time of his birth? Jesus like us was a spiritual being. Can we know the actual creation date of the Spirit or our spirit? If we remain focused upon his fleshly birth, then we become guilty of what so many religions accuse Christianity of—idolatry. Jesus was God incarnate—God incarnate in as His Word was encapsulated into a fleshly body. Satan had to try to find a way to tarnish and destroy this image of God that had taken form in a human body and try to replace it with his own image. What does that look like and why do some people prefer to give his image more power than God, when God created all of the angels, even the fallen ones. 

Are there images representing Christmas that you put before God and Christ? Are they as innocent as we think they are? Should we teach them to our children? If we can’t destroy them because they are part of the world. How do we protect our children or is it that we must prepare, teach and arm them to be fully aware of the darkness around them, think with the mind of Christ, always trying to look to Heavenly things first, pleasing God? Are we ruining their childhood by not allowing them to believe in fantasies and enjoy the short term benefits of their youth, not having to deal with the harsh realities of the world? Or, must we responsibly provide them with the reality of the world and the entrapment of its enticing but sinful nature?

Now, if we truly understand the enemy, the Adversary, then we know that he is always going to mimic God. Any day, any time, any thing, and anybody God blesses, Satan is going to curse. People, if no one has told you, let me be the first to tell you that EVERYDAY IS BLESSED BY GOD. That you live to see another day is a blessing from God. 

Now, anything blessed by God is cleansed, pure, and holy. That which God has created by His Word and called “good” having been blessed by Him can never be called unclean. God does not and cannot create corruption. Corruption is a byproduct or result of sin. It is man who allows Satan to defile that which God has created as good and clean.

Satan doesn’t stop corrupting on any day. So, how are we to live Holy if we are afraid to live or celebrate any day in fear of what Satan has done? Do his proclamations carry more weight than God’s? Can we prevent those who choose to follow him from practicing demonic rituals on any given day? They too have free will. 

Therefore, I am not presenting rationalizations but realization of what is known and unknown—neither which we have control over. Which is why we place our faith and hope in God and the righteousness of His Son, Christ Jesus. 

Google: 

The phrase "let no man tell you what to eat or drink" comes from the Bible, specifically Colossians 2:16, meaning don't let others judge you based on dietary laws or religious festivals (like Sabbaths, New Moons) because these Old Testament rules were shadows pointing to Christ, the real substance found in Him, encouraging believers to focus on faith in Christ rather than external rituals or judgments from others. 

Context in Colossians 2:16-17 (NLT):

• "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". 

Key Meanings:

• Freedom in Christ: Paul is telling early Christians (many of whom were Gentile converts) not to be pressured by Jewish legalists to follow every Old Testament dietary or festival rule, as Christ fulfilled these.
• Shadow vs. Substance: The rituals (food, feasts, Sabbaths) were pointing to Jesus; He is the reality, the "body" or substance.
• Focus on Christ: True worship and spiritual life come from faith in Christ, not strict adherence to external laws or pleasing others' opinions.
• No Judgment: Believers shouldn't judge each other over these matters, as God accepts them, and they are accountable to Christ, not other people's rules. 

In essence, it's a call to spiritual freedom, focusing on the core of faith in Jesus rather than being bound by man-made rules or external practices that were symbolic of Him. 

We should celebrate Christmas remembering that…

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭21‬ ‭KJV‬‬ (Taken from website Bible dot com.)

We should celebrate Christmas because our hearts have been changed through God’s Word, Christ Jesus, Yeshua, Emmanuel , The Light of the World shining His Light upon the path to God’s unconditional love. Christmas is our time to shine our Light, the Light within us. 

Is it sinful to focus upon the gift giving and not THE GIFT from God? You tell me. However, giving gifts is only one way to express our love. There is nothing wrong with wanting to bless others. God encourages it. This is why God gives to us in abundance so that we may share with others helping them to also be blessed. 

Yet, the true giving comes from a heart filled with the love of God . Do everything in love He told us and Be ye Holy for I am Holy. It is then that we are remembering Jesus and sharing Jesus and His love with others. This is the priceless gift and purpose of Christmas that the world cannot tarnish, commercialize, minimize, replace with an X, or strip away. 

The enemy will always find a way to kill, steal, and destroy. We don’t need to try and fix or do away with Christmas. God is always in control. We just need to start giving Jesus to more people by becoming more like Him. Jesus,  the reason for the season is always the answer. 

Don’t let Satan turn you against your neighbor and don’t ever believe that man has the answers to everything and that we have the right and authority to try to change the world into what we desire it to be. 

At Christmas, we are remembering Christ as He would have us remember Him—by our showing of unconditional love towards one another, and by our acts of kindness. Walking in His love and light, we are exemplifying who He is and letting others know that we are His Disciples. We are spreading the true gospel that His Kingdom is at hand for anyone who believes upon His name. We are proclaiming Him the Son of God, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords!

Be blessed. Be encouraged. Merry Christmas 🎄! 

With unconditional love, your servant, His soldier,

Mishael

Oh, okay for anyone who might be hung up on names and titles, this is an opportunity for you to be set free and free indeed. Jesus paid it all! He took care of all of that too. 

Michelle T. Kenner