Time For A Change Isaiah 43:19
I was asked why we celebrate Christmas on December 25. The description in the Bible account seems to point to sometime in spring as when Jesus was born. I found two theories for it.
First, historically, early Christians didn’t celebrate Jesus’ birth, or at least there’s no evidence of it. Early Christians didn’t celebrate birthdays at all; they saw it as a pagan practice. Later, as beliefs changed, they looked to discover when to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Early Christian scholars believed Jesus’ conception and crucifixion happened on the same day because both are essential for salvation and around AD 200 scholars determined Jesus was crucified on March 25, so those early Christians simply added nine months to March 25 and came to December 25.
The second thought is the celebration of Jesus’ birth was chosen to coincide with the Roman pagan festival of Saturnalia, a festival celebrating the end of winter and culminating with gift giving. All I could find stated Christians started celebrating Christmas in December around AD 312 after Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. Either way, I think it’s appropriate to have Christmas this close to New Year.
And now your second history lesson today. Ancient Mesopotamia celebrated the New Year, Akitu, at the spring equinox, marking the start of a new agriculture cycle. Modern New Year was established on January first by Julius Caesar in 45 BCE to celebrate Janus, the god of beginnings and transitions. Pope Gregory XIII officially named January first as the start of the New Year in 1582. It’s been associated with hope and renewal ever since.
There’s a point to all this and it has to do with why I think it’s appropriate for Christmas to be close to New Year. It’s because Jesus’ birth is all about change. Jesus changed our relationship with the Father. We no longer need to go through an intermediary to talk with God. The Holy Spirit lives within us, he knows our hearts and minds, and we can talk with him anytime we desire. We no longer need to be perfect to approach God. Like the leper approached Jesus and asked to be cleansed, like the sinful woman approached Jesus and washed his feet, we can approach God unafraid and ask him to heal our soul.
Jesus brought change into the world, but he also taught us how we can change the world. First is through prayer and reliance on the Holy Spirit. Jesus prayed all the time, seeking the Father’s presence and guidance. As Christians we also must pray and seek guidance as we work in the world for two reasons; one, when unsure, God will point out the right course to take. Second, it will ensure what we do is in line with God’s message and ideals.
As you study Jesus you will see he stated his intentions and motives to everyone, as his followers we must do the same. Several years ago I was on a business trip to Boston, several women in the class wanted to go up and see Salem. These women came from all across the country and were taxied from the airport to the hotel, since I drove from here to Boston, I was the only one with a car. They asked me to drive and go with them, they would even pay for my dinner. I politely declined which brought a series of comments about me being afraid of my wife. I explained that I know nothing was going to happen, but as a devote Christian I didn’t want to give even a hint of impropriety. By clearly stating my convictions are based on God, I gained their respect. I did let them borrow the car.
Jesus challenged the authorities, confronting leaders that hindered his kingdom, opposing those who pushed the unfortunate to the fringes. Jesus chastised the leaders for questioning his healing the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath. He gently put down those who questioned his allowing the sinful woman to touch his feet.
In our current political environment, Jesus shows he reaches his out his hand to everyone. It doesn’t matter how you live, where you’re from, whether you’re on assistance, what your status is, God reaches his hand out to you, and I do my best to do the same. It’s a lesson for all Christians.
Jesus built relationships and had patience in those relationships. It took three years to get Peter to see things clearly. There have been several whom I’ve engaged with who were preached at, criticized, condemned and hurt by Christians. They were told they were going to hell and were unlovable by God. I don’t know, maybe those Christians were trying to lead them to Christ, but they certainly didn’t understand relationship and patience. Jesus was alive thirty years before he started his ministry. God has a plan and timing. Those Christians didn’t realize they were part of God’s plan, and they were working according to God’s timing. By wanting results on their time, they didn’t increase the kingdom, they drove others away from it. Jesus tells us to do things according to the Father’s will, not ours.
Jesus taught us to balance the letter and the spirit of the Law. Again, the man with the withered hand, Jesus asked the Pharisees, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath, to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?”
Through his Word, God tells us what he considers right and wrong, but it’s not meant to be legalistic, if it were none of us could stand before God. Jesus came to change men from the legalistic view of the Law, to see the spiritual meaning of it; compassion and empathy for others. Mark 12:31, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary of doing good.” The harder one’s life is, the harder we as Christians should work to lift up that life.
There are several other things Jesus’ life teaches us as Christians, several more changes he brings to our life; for now, I want to touch on just one more.
Matthew 23:13, “Woe to you, teachers of the Law, you hypocrites!” Isaiah 29:13, “These people come near me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” God has been warning us about hypocrisy all through history, now Jesus takes it head on and warns his followers to beware of it. Hypocricy undermines the integrity of one’s faith. It can lead to spiritual blindness. It can lead to self-deception where one may think they’re being faithful, but they’re really not.
Again, Isaiah 29:13, “These people come near me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” Isaiah gives us God’s warning not to use scripture and faith to justify preconceived prejudices and fears.
Matthew 7:3, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” Hypocricy can prevent individuals from recognizing their own faults. And when Christians point out the sins of others while displaying their own unabashedly, the message of Christ gets ignored and the door to the kingdom can be closed to those we seek after. I believe this is why Jesus declares the two greatest commandments are; Love God, Love your neighbor. I believe loving your neighbor like Jesus shows us, is the demonstration of our loving God.
It’s New Years, the historical time of new hope and change. Let’s see it as Christians. See hope, the trust in God’s Word and the redeeming work of Christ. See renewal, the renewal of our hearts and our relationship with the Father.
See it as the beginning of a new world. Rely on the Holy Spirit for leadership and guidance. State your Christian ideals, live them out with others. Work against prejudice and injustice. See each person, regardless of lifestyle or position. See them as a creation of God, as one worthy of his attention and yours.
Share God and his message but do so gently and with no demands. Trust God’s timetable.
Avoid hypocrisy, it only puts roadblocks in front of the gates of God’s kingdom.
Matthew 10:7, “Proclaim as you go, saying, ’The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” In this new year, let’s go forth from here, let all Christians into the world proclaiming the presence of the kingdom of God.
Let all Christians work among others. Not to make them live like us or worship like us, but to proclaim the kingdom of heaven. To share the good news of the gospel. To demonstrate our love of God, simply because God tells us to.
May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ
And the blessings of his Father in heaven
Always be with you.
Amen