Cleaning Up The Christmas Mess
How should the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) respond to efforts to remove "Christ" from "Christmas"?
When I was growing up in the Ozarks, I was never really fond of Christmas.
Of course, there were somethings that I liked about the whole Christmas season.
There was the singing. I liked going to church, and singing Christmas carols. I liked caroling with my friends. I liked that people were extra nice during Christmas time. They would even smile at my futile efforts to sing on key and in tune. I guess it was really true, that it was the thought that counted.
I also liked the way, that people were generally nicer, and more charitable, during the Christmas season than any other time of the year. People would go out of their way to show kindness to one another, and help each other out. It was like for one month of each year, they actually tried to live like they were the Children of Truth. Usually the people who lived there, just went to church on Sunday to make payments on their fire insurance, without church having any real effect, on how they lived the other six days of the week.
In fact, I liked most things that associated Christmas with the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ). I liked manger scenes, and did not even mind being a wise man every year in the Christmas play at our small rural church. (I always said that it was type casting. People who knew me thought that was really funny.)
Still, the things about Christmas that I did not like, outweighed the things that I liked.
Foremost, there was the hypocrisy. Many of the people there had a certain amount of disdain, and distrust for Jews, even though they knew so little about Jews, that they could not have picked a Jew out of a crowd of one. Yet, they would sing songs about the Man of Truth ransoming Israel, and being born the King of the Jews. Why were they excited about someone who was the king of a people, who many of them blamed for every trouble in their lives? Did they think that the King of the Jews, was not also a Jew? How could they say, that they loved him but not his people?
Also, the niceness in public from Thanksgiving to Christmas, was just some sort of blind obedience to an unspoken social custom of southern culture. When people were out of public sight, the gloves came off, and the fighting began.
Mostly, they fought over things that were Christmas related. For example, what the other people in their immediate family were going to have to give up, to ensure that they were able to meet all of the gift giving expectations, of their friends and relatives. They would also fight about, whose relatives they would visit, at what day and time. Often, a man and his wife would have parents, who lived no where near each other, who both demanded that the grandchildren be at their house, on the exact same day and time. Of course, if you were growing up divorced, then it was even worse.
When they finally did meet up with their families for Christmas, there was often more fighting. People would be on edge, and at last let out whatever they had bottled up, since last Christmas. It seemed that any perceived wrong, or sleight, that anyone had ever done to anyone else, even if it was when they were both toddlers, came out during Christmas. It was a far cry from peace on Earth and goodwill towards men.
Often this tension was driven by the crass commercialism of American Christmas. Like everything else, the Americans had found a way to turn Christmas into a lucrative business opportunity. There were constant advertisements, telling people that if they really loved their families, then they would buy them the things this year, that would keep them from being losers, who only had the items, that had kept them from being losers last year. Of course, the same people that sold those must-have items of last year, for inflated prices, were selling the must-have items of this year, for inflated prices.
The spokesman, and icon, of this constant materialistic discontent, was Santa Claus. This shyster would tell children, if they were nice, then he would personally deliver the gifts that they most desired, to their home. He would find a way to break into any home. This conman would also tell them, that he was watching them all the time. I thought it was kind of creepy, that this fat man in a red suit was watching me, go to the bathroom and take baths. I really felt sorry for the girls, that he was watching.
Then I learned when I was nine, that my mother and others had perpetrated this fraud upon me. I decided to get even, by pretending that I still believed in this fraud, and going along with their scam, until they decided to admit, that they had lied to me, themselves. I collected loot for three more years.
While I did sometimes get stuff I really wanted for Christmas, there was an equally good chance that I would get something that I did not want, did not need, or would not fit. The same was true for the gifts that I gave to others - particularly relatives who were 60 or more years older than me. I had to work to buy my own clothes since I was seven years old, and money was scarce. I would have much rather that everyone kept their own money, instead of going through the gift giving hassle, that mostly benefited merchants like Wal-mart.
Instead, I wanted to invest whatever money I could scrape up, in Wal-mart stock. After all, Wal-mart was headquartered in Northwest Arkansas, you could by as little as a single share in the layaway department, for a small amount of money, and they were always opening new stores. Instead, my mother made me save up just about every dime, that did not go to necessities like clothes, so at the end of each year, I could buy things that other people probably neither needed, nor wanted, in return for them providing a similar service to me. Somehow, it seemed obvious to everyone but me, that perpetuating a system, where I would give up investment capital, to receive a sweater that itched too much to wear, was one size too small, and that I would outgrow in a few months, was of more lasting value, than stocks whose price grew so fast, that they had be split multiple times over the next thirty years.
On top of all that, was the decorating. It would suck up almost every Saturday, after Thanksgiving, until the day after Christmas. The men (which included my younger brother, who was five years old the first year we lived on the farm) would start by going out to the middle of nowhere, as soon as there enough light to see, no matter how cold it was, or how much other work we had, until we found a young cedar tree, that appeared to be the right size for our living room. Then we would cut it down close to the ground. Then we would sort of half-drag, half-carry, the cedar tree to the truck, where we would place in the bed, and tie it down. Of course, our arms would be itching, from the scratches we received from the cedar tree needles.
When we finally got home, the tree would leave a trail of cedar needles, from the front door to the corner, where it was placed. The women would look over the tree each year, when we attempted to set it up, and always noted every manner, in which it was less than perfect. Some years, it was a little too tall, and they would want it shortened somehow. This never went well, and someone almost always ended up, with some sort of minor injury. Other years, it would be a little too short, and they would want us to figure out some way to elevate it, which always made it a lot more likely to tip over.
Real trees cut by hand, and then half dragged through a doorway, that they could barely be squeezed through, always ended up lopsided, by the time they were placed in a tree stand. The trick was to hide the bare spots, while having the tree not lean towards the side with more solid coverage. This violated the laws of physics, and the tree became like a set mouse trap, waiting for the smallest motion to set it off.
Then came the actual decorating of the tree. This too was a painful process, that only added to our itching woes. We would be careful to place heavier objects on the more barren side, as the tree wobbled in its stand. As the weight of decorations took their toll on the branches, the tree would continue to be more susceptible to swaying. More than once over the years, the whole tree toppled over with a loud crash, after it had been decorated. Then the men would have to place the tree back up somehow, and try to figure out how to keep it from doing so again. Sometimes it crashed more than once in a season.
Even when things went relatively well, there was still a tremendous mess that had to be cleaned up, from bringing the tree into the living room. Then the tree had to be watered every single day, to keep it from drying out and catching on fire, from the electric lights. Every day, the tree would shed what seemed like a gallon of needles, and every day one of us boys had to clean it up. Finally, Christmas day would arrive, and the nightmare was almost over.
The big moment would come, when the presents under the tree would be handed out by one, or more of us boys. It was probably our job, because we could fit under what was left of the tree, more easily than the adults. Mostly likely though, it was because us boys were expendable extras, in meeting the endless demands of farming life. Also, when the tree did fall on one of us one year, the adults were able to lift it off of the unfortunate child.
Then we would open our presents, with the greatest of care. We were careful to not tear the paper, so we might be able to use it next Christmas. Still, after devoting countless hours of turmoil and pain, to arrive at the moment of gift opening, it would all be over in 10 minutes time.
Finally, the day that I had been waiting for since the Friday after Thanksgiving, would arrive - the day after Christmas!
Down would come the skeletal remains of the Christmas tree, and it would be dragged out to a snow covered field, where it would become the funeral pyre of another Christmas. Down would come the decorations, and everything else that reminded us of the most awful time of the year. It was the happiest day of the entire Christmas season. I knew that all was well, until the Friday after next Thanksgiving, once I started cleaning up the Christmas mess.
Today, there is another kind of Christmas mess that needs cleaning up. Like those Christmases in the Ozarks, of long ago, there has been a lot of fighting over Christmas each year. There has been an annual effort, by an American society that moves ever further from its moral foundation, based on the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law), to remove every reference to the Man of Truth from Christmas.
Many times, they do not even want to use the word "Christmas" but instead say "Holidays".
Now it is obviously more inclusive, of those in American society, who observe other holidays like Chanukah, Saint Lucia Day, and Kwanza, to say "Happy Holidays", instead of "Merry Christmas", but that is not really their intention.
For example, at where I work, a lady came down from the main office on the top floor, and invited everyone to come up for a little celebration. I inquired about what would be there. She told me, that there were sugar cookies, punch, and the like. When I said, "Oh a Christmas party", she jumped back a step, and raised both hands in alarm. She said, that we are a diverse company, and it was a "Holiday party".
Yet, when I arrived to inspect their efforts, I found Christmas decorations, including Santa and Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, a Christmas tree, red and green napkins, and an assortment of traditional Christmas foods. The only music that played were instrumental versions of classic Christmas songs. There was not one single thing that referenced any other holiday, nor to anything related to the Man of Truth, like a manger scene. It was an obvious effort, to remove any reference of anything that might be linked to the Man of Truth, from Christmas.
How should the Children of Truth respond to these efforts?
Some of them have spent considerable effort fighting with society to keep "Christ" in "Christmas". The only thing, the least bit worthwhile about Christmas, is the attention that it puts on the Man of Truth. If you remove "Christ" from the word "Christmas", all you have left is "mas", which is pronounced "mess". They think that they are cleaning up the Christmas mess.
Still others have responded, by massive efforts to participate in Christmas, in order to ensure that the Man of Truth remains at the center of Christmas, each year. They put on holiday light displays, and Christmas plays. Unfortunately, they often undermine their own efforts, by including secular things like Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and songs like "Jingle Bells", while they think that they are cleaning up the Christmas mess.
Like in most families, there is a lot fighting inside of the family of the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD), each year over Christmas. Many of the Children of Truth have come to realize that Christmas is basically a pagan holiday, which they should not be celebrating in the first place, as explained by The Mensch Who Killed Christmas. So, should the Children of Truth even be concerned about efforts to secularize a pagan holiday?
Fortunately, the Book of Truth (The Bible) has answers to these questions, for anyone that is willing to allow the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) to lead them to the truth.
The answers to these questions, really revolve around the answer to another question: What defines religion that the Father of Truth finds pure?
Pure religion that He finds undefiled, is to both take care of the poor, like widows and orphans, AND to remain clean from the ways of the world (James 1:27).
It is for this reason, that the Man of Truth said, that the greatest two commandments were to love His Father with all of your being, AND to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). In fact, every other commandment in the Law of Truth, is just details of how to carry out these two commandments, that define His religion of love (Matthew 22:40).
In order to get a clear picture of how, the Father of Truth says, to carry out these greatest two commandments, that are central to pure religion, we must be careful to not add commandments, that He did not give, nor to do away with commandments, that He did give (Deuteronomy 12:32). We must remember, that the Man of Truth did not come to do away with the commandments, that define love for the Father of Truth and for other people (Matthew 5:17). Our religion is worthless, if it is based on the commandments of men, instead of His Commandments (Mark 7:7). We will not go unpunished, if we try to add our own commandments, or take away His commandments, because that is making our own religion, to replace His religion of love (Revelation 22:18-19).
It is keeping the traditions made by other people, that is burdensome (Matthew 23:4). This means that we must not cling to any tradition, that contradicts any commandment that He has given, because that removes His Word, from being the basis of our decisions (Mark 7:9). He has given us the Spirit of Truth, to write the Law of Truth upon our hearts (Hebrews 8:10). So the commandments that define His religion of love, are not too heavy for the Children of Truth to carry out (1 John 5:3).
Any tradition or practice, that contradicts the Word of Truth, is from the Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan Aka The Devil) (John 8:44). The Father of Lies uses these traditions and practices to blind people, so that they will not see things clearly, and come into the House of Truth (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). The Children of Truth are to not make any room in their religion, for anything that is from him (Ephesians 4:27). The Children of Truth are to have nothing to do with any practice, that is from the Father of Lies (Ephesians 5:11). The Children of Truth are not to love secular practices, because they come from the Father of Lies, instead of the Father of Truth (1 John 2:15). [Secular means "belonging to the world".]
Now with this in mind we can clearly see how to respond to these efforts, and begin cleaning up the Christmas mess.
The root of the entire issue is not, that a secular society is making some sort of effort to "remove Christ from Christmas". That is only a symptom of the greater sickness that is destroying America from within. The real issue is, that there is an effort to remove the Man of Truth from American society completely. Those, who are behind these efforts, are doing so, because they deny the existence of the Man of Truth, and His Father, just like the Man of Lies (The Antichrist aka The Beast) will do (1 John 2:22). They operate in the same spirit as the Man of Lies (1 John 4:3).
They have been publishing one lie after another, for generations, to move America from basing its laws on the Law of Truth, through a subtle influence. It is the same process that has lead to the disintegration of Thanksgiving. When it is finished, it will bring about the death of America. The only way to avert that, is for enough Americans who oppose this agenda, to recognize that is a time for civil disobedience, and resist it, by refusing to comply with laws, that oppose the commandments of the Father of Truth, that are written in the Law of Truth.
The Children of Truth must recognize, that these efforts are not battles, in some sort of cultural war. The war is spiritual in nature, and people are not who they are really fighting against, so they need to respond accordingly (Ephesians 6:11-13).
So there is no prohibition in the Book of Truth against celebrating birthdays, but neither is there any commandment to celebrate the birthday of the Man of Truth. The Children of Truth must not change the religion of the Father of Truth, by adding prohibitions, or commandments, that He has not made. Still, the Children in Truth cannot call December 25th, the birthday of the Man of Truth, and be walking in truth, when the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka New Testament) gives enough information, to be certain that when Jesus was born, was about three months later.
They could however, celebrate December 25th, as his name day like people do in Greece, and eastern Europe, because that would be in line with the truth. [When I lived in Greece, the Greeks celebrated the birthday of everyone with the same first name, on the same day. For example, they celebrated my wife's birthday in November, even though her birthday was in April, because that is when they celebrated the birthday of everyone with her name.] The name day of names like "Jesus" ("Jesse", "Joshua", etc.) is December 25th, and the name day of names like "Emmanuel", is December 26th.
Even if the Children of Truth decide to do such a thing, then they must be careful to avoid including pagan customs, that have their roots in idolatry, such as Christmas trees, and decorating with greenery. There must be no place in their religion, for lying to their own children, about a man named Santa Claus, because that too is from the religion of the Father of Lies. The same is true about manger scenes, that include wise men, because that also contradicts the Renewed Covenant.
Still, they might want to take advantage of the raised awareness of the Man of Truth, during this season, to bring people into the House of Truth (Colossians 4:5). They can sing songs, that truthfully tell about his birth, and other events of his life. They can put on plays, that tell the story of the Man of Truth, perhaps starting with the prophets, moving to his birth in the Spring, having the wise men showing up two years later, his ministry as a grown man, and ending with his death, burial, and resurrection. There are many opportunities to present people with the Good News, during this season. For example, I once went to a drive through a light display, that started with the Garden of Eden, and ended with the New Jerusalem coming down. The important thing is to only tell the truth, about the Man of Truth, so people can come into the House of Truth.
In like manner, there is neither a commandment to give each other gifts, nor a prohibition against such a practice. People are commonly off work at this time of year, so it is a convenient time to meet with family and friends, to exchange gifts. However, they would have more time with each other, and more fun, if they met for the Jamboree of the Father of Truth, instead of rushing all over the place, over the span of a day or two.
Still, the Children of Truth certainly should only give gifts, that are in proportion to their income (2 Corinthians 8:12). No one should be compelled to give gifts, especially ones they cannot afford, because that fosters resentment (2 Corinthians 9:7). They should especially not build up discontent over material things, to cause other people to seek after material things, because that is leading them into idolatry (Colossians 3:4-6). That is the end result of always seeking after bigger, better, newer things.
Their life does not consist of what they own (Luke 12:15). The Children of Truth are supposed to learn how to be content, regardless of their wealth or poverty (Philippians 4:11-12). They should be content if they have food, clothing, and shelter (1 Timothy 6:8). After all, it is the gifts from the tree, that the Man of Truth purchased at Calvary, that really matter.
The Children of Truth must be wary of the real danger, that comes from being distracted by Christmas, and losing sight, of what the birth of the Man of Truth really means.
For example, I live a couple of blocks from a mega-church, that has one of the ten largest Christmas light displays in the world. It has over two million bulbs. They start working on putting up their lights in August, and it takes until May to take them all down. They have displays of children playing, Santa Claus, animals, clowns, cowboys, and wise men coming to the manger. There is hardly anything, that actually lines up, with what is recorded in the Book of Truth. Their electric bill for this light display was several hundred thousand dollars, each year, until they got new LED lights. Would not the efforts of their congregation, and their money been better spent, on helping the poor of their community, and supporting missionaries to spread the Good News?
The same could be said, of those who spend their treasures, talents and time, either campaigning to artificially keep the Man of Truth in a holiday, that was never really about him to start with, or attacking those, who ignorantly celebrate Christmas.
All of the Children of Truth would be better off, spending their energy in carrying out the Great Commission, to teach the commandments of the Man of Truth to all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). It would be much better, if they would focus their energy on preaching the Good News about the Man of Truth, as he commanded (Mark 16:15-16). That is the best way to go about cleaning up the Christmas mess.
The Children of Truth should not be overly alarmed about these efforts to remove the Man of Truth from society. The Man of Truth warned, that the love of many for him would become cold, because evil would thrive, shortly before his return (Matthew 24:12). The Children of Truth should be looking up, because this means that their redemption is close at hand (Luke 21:28). They need to remember, that the Man of Lies cannot come until after there is a falling away of many from following the Man of Truth (2 Thessalonians 2:3). The Day of Alarming is coming soon, which will set off a series of events that will lead to the Man of Truth ruling the Earth from Jerusalem. He will finish cleaning up the Christmas mess.
The worst part about the Christmas mess, is that all of the distractions of fighting over Christmas, keeps people from ever knowing, how to come into the House of Truth. Anyone, who surrenders control of their lives to the Man of Truth, because they are persuaded, that His Father raised him from the dead, will come into the House of Truth (Romans 10:8-10). After they come into the House of Truth, then they can begin to grow enough to learn about cleaning up the Christmas mess (1 Peter 2:1-3).
Come into the House of Truth.
When I was growing up in the Ozarks, I was never really fond of Christmas.
Of course, there were somethings that I liked about the whole Christmas season.
There was the singing. I liked going to church, and singing Christmas carols. I liked caroling with my friends. I liked that people were extra nice during Christmas time. They would even smile at my futile efforts to sing on key and in tune. I guess it was really true, that it was the thought that counted.
I also liked the way, that people were generally nicer, and more charitable, during the Christmas season than any other time of the year. People would go out of their way to show kindness to one another, and help each other out. It was like for one month of each year, they actually tried to live like they were the Children of Truth. Usually the people who lived there, just went to church on Sunday to make payments on their fire insurance, without church having any real effect, on how they lived the other six days of the week.
In fact, I liked most things that associated Christmas with the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ). I liked manger scenes, and did not even mind being a wise man every year in the Christmas play at our small rural church. (I always said that it was type casting. People who knew me thought that was really funny.)
Still, the things about Christmas that I did not like, outweighed the things that I liked.
Foremost, there was the hypocrisy. Many of the people there had a certain amount of disdain, and distrust for Jews, even though they knew so little about Jews, that they could not have picked a Jew out of a crowd of one. Yet, they would sing songs about the Man of Truth ransoming Israel, and being born the King of the Jews. Why were they excited about someone who was the king of a people, who many of them blamed for every trouble in their lives? Did they think that the King of the Jews, was not also a Jew? How could they say, that they loved him but not his people?
Also, the niceness in public from Thanksgiving to Christmas, was just some sort of blind obedience to an unspoken social custom of southern culture. When people were out of public sight, the gloves came off, and the fighting began.
Mostly, they fought over things that were Christmas related. For example, what the other people in their immediate family were going to have to give up, to ensure that they were able to meet all of the gift giving expectations, of their friends and relatives. They would also fight about, whose relatives they would visit, at what day and time. Often, a man and his wife would have parents, who lived no where near each other, who both demanded that the grandchildren be at their house, on the exact same day and time. Of course, if you were growing up divorced, then it was even worse.
When they finally did meet up with their families for Christmas, there was often more fighting. People would be on edge, and at last let out whatever they had bottled up, since last Christmas. It seemed that any perceived wrong, or sleight, that anyone had ever done to anyone else, even if it was when they were both toddlers, came out during Christmas. It was a far cry from peace on Earth and goodwill towards men.
Often this tension was driven by the crass commercialism of American Christmas. Like everything else, the Americans had found a way to turn Christmas into a lucrative business opportunity. There were constant advertisements, telling people that if they really loved their families, then they would buy them the things this year, that would keep them from being losers, who only had the items, that had kept them from being losers last year. Of course, the same people that sold those must-have items of last year, for inflated prices, were selling the must-have items of this year, for inflated prices.
The spokesman, and icon, of this constant materialistic discontent, was Santa Claus. This shyster would tell children, if they were nice, then he would personally deliver the gifts that they most desired, to their home. He would find a way to break into any home. This conman would also tell them, that he was watching them all the time. I thought it was kind of creepy, that this fat man in a red suit was watching me, go to the bathroom and take baths. I really felt sorry for the girls, that he was watching.
Then I learned when I was nine, that my mother and others had perpetrated this fraud upon me. I decided to get even, by pretending that I still believed in this fraud, and going along with their scam, until they decided to admit, that they had lied to me, themselves. I collected loot for three more years.
While I did sometimes get stuff I really wanted for Christmas, there was an equally good chance that I would get something that I did not want, did not need, or would not fit. The same was true for the gifts that I gave to others - particularly relatives who were 60 or more years older than me. I had to work to buy my own clothes since I was seven years old, and money was scarce. I would have much rather that everyone kept their own money, instead of going through the gift giving hassle, that mostly benefited merchants like Wal-mart.
Instead, I wanted to invest whatever money I could scrape up, in Wal-mart stock. After all, Wal-mart was headquartered in Northwest Arkansas, you could by as little as a single share in the layaway department, for a small amount of money, and they were always opening new stores. Instead, my mother made me save up just about every dime, that did not go to necessities like clothes, so at the end of each year, I could buy things that other people probably neither needed, nor wanted, in return for them providing a similar service to me. Somehow, it seemed obvious to everyone but me, that perpetuating a system, where I would give up investment capital, to receive a sweater that itched too much to wear, was one size too small, and that I would outgrow in a few months, was of more lasting value, than stocks whose price grew so fast, that they had be split multiple times over the next thirty years.
On top of all that, was the decorating. It would suck up almost every Saturday, after Thanksgiving, until the day after Christmas. The men (which included my younger brother, who was five years old the first year we lived on the farm) would start by going out to the middle of nowhere, as soon as there enough light to see, no matter how cold it was, or how much other work we had, until we found a young cedar tree, that appeared to be the right size for our living room. Then we would cut it down close to the ground. Then we would sort of half-drag, half-carry, the cedar tree to the truck, where we would place in the bed, and tie it down. Of course, our arms would be itching, from the scratches we received from the cedar tree needles.
When we finally got home, the tree would leave a trail of cedar needles, from the front door to the corner, where it was placed. The women would look over the tree each year, when we attempted to set it up, and always noted every manner, in which it was less than perfect. Some years, it was a little too tall, and they would want it shortened somehow. This never went well, and someone almost always ended up, with some sort of minor injury. Other years, it would be a little too short, and they would want us to figure out some way to elevate it, which always made it a lot more likely to tip over.
Real trees cut by hand, and then half dragged through a doorway, that they could barely be squeezed through, always ended up lopsided, by the time they were placed in a tree stand. The trick was to hide the bare spots, while having the tree not lean towards the side with more solid coverage. This violated the laws of physics, and the tree became like a set mouse trap, waiting for the smallest motion to set it off.
Then came the actual decorating of the tree. This too was a painful process, that only added to our itching woes. We would be careful to place heavier objects on the more barren side, as the tree wobbled in its stand. As the weight of decorations took their toll on the branches, the tree would continue to be more susceptible to swaying. More than once over the years, the whole tree toppled over with a loud crash, after it had been decorated. Then the men would have to place the tree back up somehow, and try to figure out how to keep it from doing so again. Sometimes it crashed more than once in a season.
Even when things went relatively well, there was still a tremendous mess that had to be cleaned up, from bringing the tree into the living room. Then the tree had to be watered every single day, to keep it from drying out and catching on fire, from the electric lights. Every day, the tree would shed what seemed like a gallon of needles, and every day one of us boys had to clean it up. Finally, Christmas day would arrive, and the nightmare was almost over.
The big moment would come, when the presents under the tree would be handed out by one, or more of us boys. It was probably our job, because we could fit under what was left of the tree, more easily than the adults. Mostly likely though, it was because us boys were expendable extras, in meeting the endless demands of farming life. Also, when the tree did fall on one of us one year, the adults were able to lift it off of the unfortunate child.
Then we would open our presents, with the greatest of care. We were careful to not tear the paper, so we might be able to use it next Christmas. Still, after devoting countless hours of turmoil and pain, to arrive at the moment of gift opening, it would all be over in 10 minutes time.
Finally, the day that I had been waiting for since the Friday after Thanksgiving, would arrive - the day after Christmas!
Down would come the skeletal remains of the Christmas tree, and it would be dragged out to a snow covered field, where it would become the funeral pyre of another Christmas. Down would come the decorations, and everything else that reminded us of the most awful time of the year. It was the happiest day of the entire Christmas season. I knew that all was well, until the Friday after next Thanksgiving, once I started cleaning up the Christmas mess.
Today, there is another kind of Christmas mess that needs cleaning up. Like those Christmases in the Ozarks, of long ago, there has been a lot of fighting over Christmas each year. There has been an annual effort, by an American society that moves ever further from its moral foundation, based on the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law), to remove every reference to the Man of Truth from Christmas.
Many times, they do not even want to use the word "Christmas" but instead say "Holidays".
Now it is obviously more inclusive, of those in American society, who observe other holidays like Chanukah, Saint Lucia Day, and Kwanza, to say "Happy Holidays", instead of "Merry Christmas", but that is not really their intention.
For example, at where I work, a lady came down from the main office on the top floor, and invited everyone to come up for a little celebration. I inquired about what would be there. She told me, that there were sugar cookies, punch, and the like. When I said, "Oh a Christmas party", she jumped back a step, and raised both hands in alarm. She said, that we are a diverse company, and it was a "Holiday party".
Yet, when I arrived to inspect their efforts, I found Christmas decorations, including Santa and Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, a Christmas tree, red and green napkins, and an assortment of traditional Christmas foods. The only music that played were instrumental versions of classic Christmas songs. There was not one single thing that referenced any other holiday, nor to anything related to the Man of Truth, like a manger scene. It was an obvious effort, to remove any reference of anything that might be linked to the Man of Truth, from Christmas.
How should the Children of Truth respond to these efforts?
Some of them have spent considerable effort fighting with society to keep "Christ" in "Christmas". The only thing, the least bit worthwhile about Christmas, is the attention that it puts on the Man of Truth. If you remove "Christ" from the word "Christmas", all you have left is "mas", which is pronounced "mess". They think that they are cleaning up the Christmas mess.
Still others have responded, by massive efforts to participate in Christmas, in order to ensure that the Man of Truth remains at the center of Christmas, each year. They put on holiday light displays, and Christmas plays. Unfortunately, they often undermine their own efforts, by including secular things like Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and songs like "Jingle Bells", while they think that they are cleaning up the Christmas mess.
Like in most families, there is a lot fighting inside of the family of the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD), each year over Christmas. Many of the Children of Truth have come to realize that Christmas is basically a pagan holiday, which they should not be celebrating in the first place, as explained by The Mensch Who Killed Christmas. So, should the Children of Truth even be concerned about efforts to secularize a pagan holiday?
Fortunately, the Book of Truth (The Bible) has answers to these questions, for anyone that is willing to allow the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) to lead them to the truth.
The answers to these questions, really revolve around the answer to another question: What defines religion that the Father of Truth finds pure?
Pure religion that He finds undefiled, is to both take care of the poor, like widows and orphans, AND to remain clean from the ways of the world (James 1:27).
It is for this reason, that the Man of Truth said, that the greatest two commandments were to love His Father with all of your being, AND to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). In fact, every other commandment in the Law of Truth, is just details of how to carry out these two commandments, that define His religion of love (Matthew 22:40).
In order to get a clear picture of how, the Father of Truth says, to carry out these greatest two commandments, that are central to pure religion, we must be careful to not add commandments, that He did not give, nor to do away with commandments, that He did give (Deuteronomy 12:32). We must remember, that the Man of Truth did not come to do away with the commandments, that define love for the Father of Truth and for other people (Matthew 5:17). Our religion is worthless, if it is based on the commandments of men, instead of His Commandments (Mark 7:7). We will not go unpunished, if we try to add our own commandments, or take away His commandments, because that is making our own religion, to replace His religion of love (Revelation 22:18-19).
It is keeping the traditions made by other people, that is burdensome (Matthew 23:4). This means that we must not cling to any tradition, that contradicts any commandment that He has given, because that removes His Word, from being the basis of our decisions (Mark 7:9). He has given us the Spirit of Truth, to write the Law of Truth upon our hearts (Hebrews 8:10). So the commandments that define His religion of love, are not too heavy for the Children of Truth to carry out (1 John 5:3).
Any tradition or practice, that contradicts the Word of Truth, is from the Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan Aka The Devil) (John 8:44). The Father of Lies uses these traditions and practices to blind people, so that they will not see things clearly, and come into the House of Truth (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). The Children of Truth are to not make any room in their religion, for anything that is from him (Ephesians 4:27). The Children of Truth are to have nothing to do with any practice, that is from the Father of Lies (Ephesians 5:11). The Children of Truth are not to love secular practices, because they come from the Father of Lies, instead of the Father of Truth (1 John 2:15). [Secular means "belonging to the world".]
Now with this in mind we can clearly see how to respond to these efforts, and begin cleaning up the Christmas mess.
The root of the entire issue is not, that a secular society is making some sort of effort to "remove Christ from Christmas". That is only a symptom of the greater sickness that is destroying America from within. The real issue is, that there is an effort to remove the Man of Truth from American society completely. Those, who are behind these efforts, are doing so, because they deny the existence of the Man of Truth, and His Father, just like the Man of Lies (The Antichrist aka The Beast) will do (1 John 2:22). They operate in the same spirit as the Man of Lies (1 John 4:3).
They have been publishing one lie after another, for generations, to move America from basing its laws on the Law of Truth, through a subtle influence. It is the same process that has lead to the disintegration of Thanksgiving. When it is finished, it will bring about the death of America. The only way to avert that, is for enough Americans who oppose this agenda, to recognize that is a time for civil disobedience, and resist it, by refusing to comply with laws, that oppose the commandments of the Father of Truth, that are written in the Law of Truth.
The Children of Truth must recognize, that these efforts are not battles, in some sort of cultural war. The war is spiritual in nature, and people are not who they are really fighting against, so they need to respond accordingly (Ephesians 6:11-13).
So there is no prohibition in the Book of Truth against celebrating birthdays, but neither is there any commandment to celebrate the birthday of the Man of Truth. The Children of Truth must not change the religion of the Father of Truth, by adding prohibitions, or commandments, that He has not made. Still, the Children in Truth cannot call December 25th, the birthday of the Man of Truth, and be walking in truth, when the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka New Testament) gives enough information, to be certain that when Jesus was born, was about three months later.
They could however, celebrate December 25th, as his name day like people do in Greece, and eastern Europe, because that would be in line with the truth. [When I lived in Greece, the Greeks celebrated the birthday of everyone with the same first name, on the same day. For example, they celebrated my wife's birthday in November, even though her birthday was in April, because that is when they celebrated the birthday of everyone with her name.] The name day of names like "Jesus" ("Jesse", "Joshua", etc.) is December 25th, and the name day of names like "Emmanuel", is December 26th.
Even if the Children of Truth decide to do such a thing, then they must be careful to avoid including pagan customs, that have their roots in idolatry, such as Christmas trees, and decorating with greenery. There must be no place in their religion, for lying to their own children, about a man named Santa Claus, because that too is from the religion of the Father of Lies. The same is true about manger scenes, that include wise men, because that also contradicts the Renewed Covenant.
Still, they might want to take advantage of the raised awareness of the Man of Truth, during this season, to bring people into the House of Truth (Colossians 4:5). They can sing songs, that truthfully tell about his birth, and other events of his life. They can put on plays, that tell the story of the Man of Truth, perhaps starting with the prophets, moving to his birth in the Spring, having the wise men showing up two years later, his ministry as a grown man, and ending with his death, burial, and resurrection. There are many opportunities to present people with the Good News, during this season. For example, I once went to a drive through a light display, that started with the Garden of Eden, and ended with the New Jerusalem coming down. The important thing is to only tell the truth, about the Man of Truth, so people can come into the House of Truth.
In like manner, there is neither a commandment to give each other gifts, nor a prohibition against such a practice. People are commonly off work at this time of year, so it is a convenient time to meet with family and friends, to exchange gifts. However, they would have more time with each other, and more fun, if they met for the Jamboree of the Father of Truth, instead of rushing all over the place, over the span of a day or two.
Still, the Children of Truth certainly should only give gifts, that are in proportion to their income (2 Corinthians 8:12). No one should be compelled to give gifts, especially ones they cannot afford, because that fosters resentment (2 Corinthians 9:7). They should especially not build up discontent over material things, to cause other people to seek after material things, because that is leading them into idolatry (Colossians 3:4-6). That is the end result of always seeking after bigger, better, newer things.
Their life does not consist of what they own (Luke 12:15). The Children of Truth are supposed to learn how to be content, regardless of their wealth or poverty (Philippians 4:11-12). They should be content if they have food, clothing, and shelter (1 Timothy 6:8). After all, it is the gifts from the tree, that the Man of Truth purchased at Calvary, that really matter.
The Children of Truth must be wary of the real danger, that comes from being distracted by Christmas, and losing sight, of what the birth of the Man of Truth really means.
For example, I live a couple of blocks from a mega-church, that has one of the ten largest Christmas light displays in the world. It has over two million bulbs. They start working on putting up their lights in August, and it takes until May to take them all down. They have displays of children playing, Santa Claus, animals, clowns, cowboys, and wise men coming to the manger. There is hardly anything, that actually lines up, with what is recorded in the Book of Truth. Their electric bill for this light display was several hundred thousand dollars, each year, until they got new LED lights. Would not the efforts of their congregation, and their money been better spent, on helping the poor of their community, and supporting missionaries to spread the Good News?
The same could be said, of those who spend their treasures, talents and time, either campaigning to artificially keep the Man of Truth in a holiday, that was never really about him to start with, or attacking those, who ignorantly celebrate Christmas.
All of the Children of Truth would be better off, spending their energy in carrying out the Great Commission, to teach the commandments of the Man of Truth to all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). It would be much better, if they would focus their energy on preaching the Good News about the Man of Truth, as he commanded (Mark 16:15-16). That is the best way to go about cleaning up the Christmas mess.
The Children of Truth should not be overly alarmed about these efforts to remove the Man of Truth from society. The Man of Truth warned, that the love of many for him would become cold, because evil would thrive, shortly before his return (Matthew 24:12). The Children of Truth should be looking up, because this means that their redemption is close at hand (Luke 21:28). They need to remember, that the Man of Lies cannot come until after there is a falling away of many from following the Man of Truth (2 Thessalonians 2:3). The Day of Alarming is coming soon, which will set off a series of events that will lead to the Man of Truth ruling the Earth from Jerusalem. He will finish cleaning up the Christmas mess.
The worst part about the Christmas mess, is that all of the distractions of fighting over Christmas, keeps people from ever knowing, how to come into the House of Truth. Anyone, who surrenders control of their lives to the Man of Truth, because they are persuaded, that His Father raised him from the dead, will come into the House of Truth (Romans 10:8-10). After they come into the House of Truth, then they can begin to grow enough to learn about cleaning up the Christmas mess (1 Peter 2:1-3).
Come into the House of Truth.
posted by The House Of Truth @ December 22, 2014
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