Holiday Adaptations?

 

 

The Encarta English Dictionary Defines Adapting as "the process or state of changing to fit a new environment or different conditions, or the resulting change." When I became a Christian, it started a process that resulted in change. First, one by one, small changes in me began to manifest themselves. As time passed and I endeavored to know and understand more, and bigger changes occurred within my being, I was being transformed.

After the birth of my daughter (now 11) I started to experience another sort of change, the change that occurs when holidays are no longer about snagging a date or getting invited to the coolest parties. As a mother and a Christian, I wanted my daughter to see Jesus in all that we do, including the special things we do, like the celebrations of the holiday seasons.

Mark 12: 28-31 says: One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
There is no commandment greater than these."

At my conversion I was a self-proclaimed "spiritualist". So how, after my transformation could I continue to celebrate the same holidays that pagans do, as the pagans do them, or even to accept the perversions of these "Holy Christian" holidays. I could not and cannot.

1 Corinthians 10:14-22 Says: Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.
Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?
Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?

No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

The first and most obvious holiday I wanted to adapt was Halloween, this is the pagan high holy holiday. This is the day where the spirits are thought to be their most powerful, by pagans and many Christians alike. How then could I turn a blind eye to this and encourage my child to put our faith aside during this season, even if was just for the sake of fun. No, I was not prepared to put my faith aside on this day or any other day for that matter, nor did I want to deprive my children of good clean fun. With much prayer I felt God's leading to turn this into an opportunity to evangelize. What other day of the year are doors opened to strangers and so many open to spiritual things? How many people deal with depression, addiction and pain? So I with my laptop I made festive flyers with scriptures and with pictures of pumpkins and candy corns. I include among others Phil 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
Now, my three kids and I make a project every year of making these care packages. We include cookies, and candies, and other trinkets. My kids and I dress-up in costumes to deliver our anonymous gifts.

1Corinthians 10:23-33 goes on to say
"I have the right to do anything," you say—but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything"—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience,
for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."
If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience.
I am referring to the other person's conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another's conscience?
If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—
even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

The next holiday I began to adapt to fit my Christian life was Christmas. "Christmas"? You say, "This is Thee Christian religious holiday!" It was intended to be that way by many, but through the generations compromises where made with pagans." Ephesians 6:12 says: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

The aforementioned entities are not interested in the glory of God, quite the opposite. They would love to take what was intended to a holy celebration of the birth of the long awaited messiah and transform it into a time of greed and self-centered sensational experience of human desires.

Colossians 2:8 says
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

So little of Christmas seems to be about Christ at all, oh sure, it is steeped in traditions, but not Christ centered at all. We worship the image of Santa Claus and teach our children fictional stories from the North Pole, but neglect to teach them about our God and King. Need I remind you of one of the first of all commandments Exodus 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: This is repeated over 50 times throughout scripture. This is the sin of Idolatry. He wants to be your savior, your redeemer, and Lord over ALL areas of your life. Please do not tempt his wrath which falls upon those who place either self or graven image before him.

Our Family celebrates Christmas as Christ's Birthday. We play Santa, it is a game we play, we pretend, and they know deep down it is pretend, I don't lie to my kids about Santa, I teach them about St. Nicholas and why he did these good deeds. He was a Bishop and did his charity anonymously from the overflowing of his heart with the love of Jesus.

2 Timothy 4:3,4 says "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."

It really sickens me that people would rather talk about Santa, and elves, and magic deer, and sneaky giant rabbits, than to talk about the Messiah. Perhaps the birth of the long awaited Messiah and his subsequent crucifixion doesn't sound like fun. The "Good News" of the gospel, must not arouse enough joy in the hearts of our society, so we must replace him with counterfeit myths and fairy tales.

Isaiah 30:10
says "They tell the seers, "Stop seeing visions!" They tell the prophets, "Don't tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies."

My family celebrates a Christian Passover as did Christ (in Christian circle) this is commonly referred to as the last supper. This is when he broke the bread and he and disciples ate, and he issued the command, "Do this in remembrance of me."

The Thesaurus lists these synonyms for the word Remembrance- Commemoration, Celebrations, tribute, recollection. Jesus asked that we do things to remember him and to teach our future generations about him, his story. Shouldn't all of our "Celebrations, Tributes, and Remembrances" honor him and his sacrifice, the sacrifice that altered history?

We take this so called " Easter" season to remember and give thanks for his sacrifice. We have adopted the practice of The Christian Seder, then we fast (liquids) only until Resurrections morning. During our fast we pray and ask that the Lord examine our hearts and remove any iniquity. This is pleasing to the Lord.

Hebrews 10:22 says;" let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water."

He wants us in all times of worship and celebration to seek his face.

1 Chronicles 16:11 says "Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice".

It's time to as ourselves some questions: Are we seeking him? Or are we seeking entertainment? Are we washed clean of our sins and have we been given grace we do not deserve? Doesn't that excite you? Don't you want to share that good news with your neighbor that you love more than yourselves? This is the command God gives us, that we love the Lord our God, with all of our hearts, and with all our souls, and with all our minds, and with all our strength and that we love our neighbors more that we love ourselves. I'll leave you with this thought. What pleases him? This is our reasonable act of service as Romans 12 says; "Brothers and sisters, God has shown you his mercy. So I am asking you to offer up your bodies to him while you are still alive. Your bodies are a holy sacrifice that is pleasing to God. When you offer your bodies to God, you are worshiping him. Offer your whole self to him, do not hold back. Galations 2:20 For I am crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ that lives within me, and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God that loved me and gave himself for me."