- You might find it
surprising to learn that
00:00:00.90\00:00:02.36
Christians haven't always
loved the idea of Christmas.
00:00:02.36\00:00:05.40
In fact, the Christmas
season has actually sparked
00:00:05.40\00:00:08.54
some of the biggest debates
in the history of Christianity.
00:00:08.54\00:00:11.94
And that's our topic
on today's Authentic.
00:00:11.94\00:00:15.34
[soft music]
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I know this is going
to be hard to believe
00:00:36.50\00:00:38.10
because here in North America,
00:00:38.10\00:00:39.40
the Christmas
season virtually starts
00:00:39.40\00:00:41.60
at the end of November,
00:00:41.60\00:00:42.90
but there was a
time when, to Christians,
00:00:42.90\00:00:45.31
Christmas wasn't
that big of a deal.
00:00:45.31\00:00:48.04
Today, it's practically the
biggest festival of the year,
00:00:48.04\00:00:51.31
even though officially.
00:00:51.31\00:00:52.75
According to
traditional church doctrine,
00:00:52.75\00:00:55.32
it's supposed to come
second place to Easter.
00:00:55.32\00:00:58.89
But historically speaking,
00:00:58.89\00:01:00.46
the sheer size of Christmas
is a relatively new phenomenon.
00:01:00.46\00:01:04.43
The fact is it took us hundreds
of years to settle on a date
00:01:04.43\00:01:07.76
for the birth of Christ.
00:01:07.76\00:01:09.26
And the one that we've
chosen is probably wrong.
00:01:09.26\00:01:13.57
But that's not really
what I want to dwell on today
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because I think most
people are aware that
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December 25th
probably isn't the anniversary
00:01:17.77\00:01:21.21
of Christ's birth.
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In fact, it's more likely
that we arrived at that date
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by co-opting
popular winter festivals
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that the Romans
held like Saturnalia,
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which ran from
December 17 to December 23
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and Brumalia which
fell on December 25.
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Brumalia was a
festival dedicated to the gods
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Saturn and Bacchus and
it involved a great deal of
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feasting. So as you can
imagine, it was very popular,
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so popular, in fact,
that after the Roman Empire
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sort of converted to
Christianity in the fourth
00:01:50.97\00:01:54.48
century, it was nearly
impossible to unseat the
00:01:54.48\00:01:58.01
popularity of these festivals.
00:01:58.01\00:01:59.55
So, and this was the approach
that Pope Gregory the Great
00:01:59.55\00:02:02.95
took, instead of forbidding
these pagan festivals,
00:02:02.95\00:02:06.62
they reinterpreted
them and claimed them
00:02:06.62\00:02:09.46
for the Christian faith.
00:02:09.46\00:02:10.66
We actually have a record of
this happening up in England,
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where the missionary Augustine,
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not the church
father from North Africa,
00:02:16.46\00:02:18.80
but the man who became the
first Archbishop of Canterbury.
00:02:18.80\00:02:23.00
Augustine had a
terrible time trying to convince
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a Germanic tribe
known as the Angles,
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who became the
English to give up
00:02:28.68\00:02:31.21
their pagan rites and rituals.
00:02:31.21\00:02:33.68
So instead of forcing
the Angles into submission,
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he decided to
keep the pagan temples
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and rework them as
Christian houses of worship.
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Here's what Pope
Gregory told them to do
00:02:43.32\00:02:45.63
back in the 590s AD.
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I'm just going to read
the beginning and the end
00:02:48.43\00:02:50.40
of this letter,
because it's pretty long.
00:02:50.40\00:02:53.13
The Pope writes, "when Almighty
God shall have brought you
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to our most reverend
brother, the bishop Augustine,
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tell him that I have long
been considering with myself
00:03:00.11\00:03:03.11
about the case of the
Angli", that's the English,
00:03:03.11\00:03:06.72
"to wit, that the
temples of idols in that nation
00:03:06.72\00:03:09.48
should not be destroyed,
00:03:09.48\00:03:11.39
but that the idols themselves
that are in them, should be."
00:03:11.39\00:03:14.86
So, in other words, they're
going to keep the buildings
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and turn them into
Christian houses of worship.
00:03:17.36\00:03:19.49
Why?
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Well, he says this, "for
it is undoubtedly impossible
00:03:20.96\00:03:24.63
to cut away everything
at once from hard hearts,
00:03:24.63\00:03:27.54
since one who strives to
ascend to the highest place
00:03:27.54\00:03:30.84
must needs rise by steps
or paces, and not by leaps."
00:03:30.84\00:03:35.84
What he's
basically saying is this:
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if you rip down the temples,
00:03:38.85\00:03:40.52
it's going to be
too much, too soon.
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Let the pagans
keep the buildings
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and dedicate them to Christ.
00:03:45.29\00:03:47.66
And this was the attitude that
most of Western Christianity,
00:03:47.66\00:03:50.83
at least the Christianity
centered in Rome adopted
00:03:50.83\00:03:54.50
in the early medieval period.
00:03:54.50\00:03:57.07
It also meant that the
winter festivals were slowly
00:03:57.07\00:04:00.24
but surely repurposed to
represent the birth of Christ.
00:04:00.24\00:04:04.97
Now, to be perfectly honest,
00:04:04.97\00:04:06.74
the history of this
is not entirely clear.
00:04:06.74\00:04:10.01
And there was considerable
debate in the early days
00:04:10.01\00:04:12.71
of the church about
when Christ was born.
00:04:12.71\00:04:16.18
Eventually they
did settle on December,
00:04:16.18\00:04:18.89
but even then the
celebration of Christmas
00:04:18.89\00:04:21.62
was nowhere near the
big deal that it is today.
00:04:21.62\00:04:25.46
In a lot of places, it
pretty much came and went like
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any other church holiday.
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Of course, the partial
retention of some elements
00:04:31.33\00:04:34.27
of pagan culture did
create some consternation
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after the 1500s, when
large numbers of Christians
00:04:37.67\00:04:41.34
started to reform the
practices of the Western Church.
00:04:41.34\00:04:44.68
In addition to looking
at key theological issues
00:04:44.68\00:04:47.58
like the sale of
indulgences, the role of priests
00:04:47.58\00:04:50.49
and the nature of
the communion service.
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Some people started to
look at absolutely everything,
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including any lingering
traces of pagan culture
00:04:57.69\00:05:01.16
that might be hiding in
the Liturgical Calendar.
00:05:01.16\00:05:04.80
And in England, the
Puritans wanted nothing
00:05:04.80\00:05:08.20
to do with Christmas.
00:05:08.20\00:05:10.27
And the reason
they didn't like it was
00:05:10.27\00:05:12.11
because of the way
that it was celebrated,
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not because they didn't want
to honor the birth of Christ.
00:05:14.51\00:05:18.31
And the Puritans
weren't alone in condemning
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the moral excesses that
went with the Christmas season,
00:05:20.65\00:05:23.39
stuff that seemed to
linger from the days of
00:05:23.39\00:05:25.89
those wild Roman parties.
00:05:25.89\00:05:28.46
People were getting drunk.
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They were
behaving like gluttons.
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They were acting foolish,
even during church services.
00:05:31.73\00:05:35.43
And to many
Christians, it still felt well,
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a little too pagan.
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Now I'm summarizing
an awful lot of history
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and I'm not
really doing it justice,
00:05:43.51\00:05:45.37
but I only have 28 minutes,
00:05:45.37\00:05:47.18
so you're going
to have to put up
00:05:47.18\00:05:48.24
with some big generalizations.
00:05:48.24\00:05:51.38
Maybe I'll just
sum it up like this.
00:05:51.38\00:05:53.68
Over the centuries it
wasn't just the Puritans
00:05:53.68\00:05:56.65
who raised
questions about Christmas.
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And there was a lot of
back and forth on the issue of
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borrowed paganism and
the rather raucous habits
00:06:01.16\00:06:05.09
of some people
during the Christmas season.
00:06:05.09\00:06:09.16
But because the Puritans loom
large in our American memory,
00:06:09.16\00:06:13.03
and everybody was talking
about them just a few weeks ago
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at Thanksgiving, I just
kind of gravitate to them.
00:06:15.87\00:06:19.57
And so I'll show you
the kinds of concerns
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that led the Puritans to
want to get rid of Christmas.
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This comes from a
pamphlet written in 1583,
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so really just
before the 17th century.
00:06:28.48\00:06:31.52
And here's what it said,
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"in Christmas time,
there is nothing else used,
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but cards, dice, tables,
masking, mumming, bowling,
00:06:35.56\00:06:38.79
and such like fooleries."
00:06:38.79\00:06:40.33
In other words, they
thought people were having
00:06:40.33\00:06:42.26
way too much fun.
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"And the reason is for
that, they think they have
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a commission and
prerogative that time
00:06:46.27\00:06:48.54
to do what they list and to
follow what vanity they will."
00:06:48.54\00:06:52.97
Apparently people seem to
think that all the normal rules
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of polite Christian
behavior had been suspended
00:06:55.88\00:06:58.25
for Christmas.
00:06:58.25\00:06:59.45
And so this Puritan
author makes this plea.
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"But the true celebration
of the feast of Christmas is
00:07:02.58\00:07:05.59
to meditate as it were
to ruminate in the secret
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cogitations of our minds
upon the incarnation and birth
00:07:09.36\00:07:12.09
of Jesus Christ, God and
man, not only at that time,
00:07:12.09\00:07:16.77
but all the times
and days of our life
00:07:16.77\00:07:19.37
and to show ourselves thankful
00:07:19.37\00:07:21.40
to his blessed
majesty for the same."
00:07:21.40\00:07:24.84
So this author is
not really condemning
00:07:24.84\00:07:27.14
the observance of Christmas.
00:07:27.14\00:07:28.74
He just has a problem with
how people were observing it.
00:07:28.74\00:07:32.11
And of course, once the
British monarchy was overthrown
00:07:32.11\00:07:35.48
in the 17th century,
00:07:35.48\00:07:36.72
the Puritans just
banned Christmas altogether.
00:07:36.72\00:07:40.02
For that matter, they
also implemented strict rules
00:07:41.46\00:07:43.69
on how to keep the Sabbath,
00:07:43.69\00:07:45.39
which they
thought was on Sunday,
00:07:45.39\00:07:48.26
because they were irritated at
00:07:48.26\00:07:49.73
how the British king
had published a book,
00:07:49.73\00:07:51.83
outlining all the
acceptable leisure activities
00:07:51.83\00:07:54.97
a person could engage
in on a Sabbath afternoon.
00:07:54.97\00:07:58.71
Of course the British
monarchy was eventually restored
00:07:58.71\00:08:01.71
and life went back to
normal and here we are today
00:08:01.71\00:08:04.18
with Christmas
still on our calendar.
00:08:04.18\00:08:06.85
And it comes as a surprise
to a lot of modern Christians,
00:08:06.85\00:08:09.78
but it was only during the 1800s
00:08:09.78\00:08:11.49
that Christmas
really grew in popularity
00:08:12.62\00:08:15.02
and became the major
festival that it is today.
00:08:15.02\00:08:18.29
I mean, people were obviously
partying in the distant past
00:08:18.29\00:08:21.86
and there was an observance
of the birth of Christ.
00:08:21.86\00:08:25.33
But Christmas is,
you and I know it,
00:08:25.33\00:08:27.14
the big commercial enterprise
00:08:27.14\00:08:28.80
that completely
permeates our marketplaces
00:08:28.80\00:08:31.57
for six or seven weeks.
00:08:31.57\00:08:33.61
And that's a
really recent phenomenon.
00:08:33.61\00:08:36.41
Now, if you think I'm
about to condemn Christmas,
00:08:36.41\00:08:38.88
you can relax.
00:08:38.88\00:08:40.15
I'm not, but I've got
to take a quick break.
00:08:40.15\00:08:42.38
And when I come back,
00:08:42.38\00:08:43.65
I'm going to look at
the big underlying question
00:08:43.65\00:08:45.82
about cultural accommodation,
00:08:45.82\00:08:48.09
which is the real reason
the observance of Christmas
00:08:48.09\00:08:50.73
became an issue at all.
00:08:50.73\00:08:52.63
- [Announcer] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:08:54.66\00:08:57.10
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers,
00:08:57.10\00:09:00.47
but that's where
the Bible comes in.
00:09:00.47\00:09:02.87
It's our guide to a
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You're at the Voice of Prophecy.
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We've created the
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They're designed to
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00:09:21.16\00:09:23.39
- There are all
kinds of approaches
00:09:24.53\00:09:25.99
that modern Christians
take toward the authority
00:09:25.99\00:09:28.26
of scripture, but
among those who treat this
00:09:28.26\00:09:30.90
as the infallible word of God,
00:09:30.90\00:09:33.64
there are really
two schools of thought,
00:09:33.64\00:09:36.74
at least when it
comes to how you're going to
00:09:36.74\00:09:38.67
think about its
impact on your behavior
00:09:38.67\00:09:41.01
in your religious practice.
00:09:41.01\00:09:43.01
On the one hand,
you've got people who say that
00:09:43.01\00:09:45.05
if the Bible
doesn't forbid something,
00:09:45.05\00:09:47.45
then you're allowed to do it.
00:09:47.45\00:09:49.15
On the other hand,
you've got people who say that
00:09:49.15\00:09:50.92
if the Bible
doesn't prescribe something,
00:09:50.92\00:09:53.82
then you shouldn't be doing it.
00:09:53.82\00:09:55.39
And this to a large extent
is where the age-old debate
00:09:55.39\00:09:58.46
about Christmas comes from.
00:09:58.46\00:10:00.66
When it comes to something
like the communion service,
00:10:00.66\00:10:03.23
there's no doubt that
the Bible prescribes it.
00:10:03.23\00:10:05.77
This is something that all
Christians should be doing.
00:10:05.77\00:10:09.34
But you won't find
a command in the Bible
00:10:09.34\00:10:11.21
telling Christian churches
to observe the birth of Christ.
00:10:11.21\00:10:14.48
And in the earliest decades
of the church, they didn't.
00:10:14.48\00:10:19.01
Their primary focus was
on the death and resurrection
00:10:19.01\00:10:21.75
of Christ, but there
was nothing to suggest that
00:10:21.75\00:10:24.65
we couldn't observe
the birth of Christ.
00:10:24.65\00:10:26.89
And so in due time we did,
00:10:26.89\00:10:30.33
and that's where the
rubber meets the road.
00:10:30.33\00:10:32.29
Those who argued against
the observance of Christmas said
00:10:32.29\00:10:35.30
that God didn't
tell us to do it.
00:10:35.30\00:10:37.20
And those who
wanted Christmas said,
00:10:37.20\00:10:39.20
look, there's
nothing to forbid it.
00:10:39.20\00:10:41.27
And I guess the really
interesting thing is that
00:10:41.27\00:10:43.91
both parties were
acting in good conscience.
00:10:43.91\00:10:47.04
Both of them
wanted to honor Christ,
00:10:47.04\00:10:49.18
but they had different ideas
about how you should do that.
00:10:49.18\00:10:52.61
Now for the
sake of transparency,
00:10:53.58\00:10:55.42
I should probably
acknowledge my indebtedness
00:10:55.42\00:10:57.55
to Gerry Bowler and
his book on the history
00:10:57.55\00:11:00.29
of the Christmas debate,
00:11:00.29\00:11:01.82
because most of the
examples I'm using today
00:11:01.82\00:11:04.59
actually come from him.
00:11:04.59\00:11:06.09
And it was just
easier to access his
00:11:06.09\00:11:07.96
nicely collected research
than to spend countless hours
00:11:07.96\00:11:11.13
in the library,
looking for my own.
00:11:11.13\00:11:13.84
And in his opening
chapter, Mr. Bowler gives us
00:11:13.84\00:11:16.50
two examples of people on
either side of this debate.
00:11:16.50\00:11:20.28
On the European mainland,
you had the Swiss Calvinist
00:11:20.28\00:11:23.68
who were definitely
in favor of Christmas
00:11:23.68\00:11:26.65
and their Second Helvetic
Confession stated it this way.
00:11:26.65\00:11:30.45
"It allowed for the
observance of the festivities
00:11:30.45\00:11:33.82
of our Lord's
nativity", there's Christmas,
00:11:33.82\00:11:36.22
"circumcision, passion,
resurrection, ascension,
00:11:36.22\00:11:39.03
and the sending of the
Holy Spirit upon his disciples."
00:11:39.03\00:11:42.40
So, to these people,
Christmas was just part of
00:11:42.40\00:11:45.67
contemplating the life
and ministry of Christ.
00:11:45.67\00:11:48.77
But then over on
the British Isles,
00:11:48.77\00:11:50.67
you had the Scottish
Calvinist who felt that
00:11:50.67\00:11:53.11
observing any of these
church holidays was a tribute
00:11:53.11\00:11:56.34
to Roman papal authority.
00:11:56.34\00:11:58.55
In 1560, they put out a
book outlining something
00:11:58.55\00:12:02.22
called the
"regulative principle"
00:12:02.22\00:12:04.62
or the principle that if
the Bible doesn't prescribe it,
00:12:04.62\00:12:08.59
it shouldn't be part of worship.
00:12:08.59\00:12:09.96
In fact, I was born
into a Christian tradition
00:12:09.96\00:12:13.46
that's still kind of practiced
that regulative principle
00:12:13.46\00:12:17.10
toward the
beginning of the 20th century.
00:12:17.10\00:12:19.40
When the only songs
they permitted in church
00:12:19.40\00:12:21.57
had to come word for word
out of the book of Psalms.
00:12:21.57\00:12:26.34
In 1560, the
Scottish Calvinist declared,
00:12:26.34\00:12:29.84
"we understand whatsoever
men, by laws, councils
00:12:29.84\00:12:33.25
or constitutions have imposed
upon the conscience of men
00:12:33.25\00:12:36.85
without the expressed
commandment of God's word."
00:12:36.85\00:12:39.82
So that's it.
00:12:39.82\00:12:40.76
That's the regulative principle,
00:12:40.76\00:12:42.56
the principle that says, if
the Bible doesn't prescribe it,
00:12:42.56\00:12:45.36
it's pretty much out of bounds.
00:12:45.36\00:12:47.40
And then it goes on to
list a whole bunch of stuff
00:12:47.40\00:12:49.76
that falls into that category.
00:12:49.76\00:12:51.93
And I quote, "such
as be vows of chastity,
00:12:51.93\00:12:55.50
forswearing of marriage,
00:12:55.50\00:12:57.14
binding of men and women to
several and disguised apparels
00:12:57.14\00:13:00.58
to the superstitious
observation of fasting days,
00:13:00.58\00:13:03.71
difference of meat
for conscience sake,
00:13:03.71\00:13:06.21
prayer for the dead,
00:13:06.21\00:13:07.68
and keeping of holy days of
certain saints commanded by men,
00:13:07.68\00:13:10.89
such as be all those that
the Papists have invented."
00:13:10.89\00:13:14.79
So, really their
major complaint was that
00:13:14.79\00:13:17.39
these were
obligations imposed by the Pope.
00:13:17.39\00:13:21.40
"As the feasts as they
turn them of apostles, martyrs,
00:13:21.40\00:13:24.67
virgins of Christmas,
circumcision, epiphany,
00:13:24.67\00:13:28.40
purification, and other
fond feasts of our Lady, which
00:13:28.40\00:13:31.57
things, because in God's
scriptures, they neither have
00:13:31.57\00:13:34.28
commandment nor assurance,
we judge them utterly to be
00:13:34.28\00:13:37.88
abolished from this
realm, affirming further that
00:13:37.88\00:13:40.72
the obstinate
maintainers and teachers of
00:13:40.72\00:13:42.85
such abominations ought
not to escape the punishment
00:13:42.85\00:13:46.19
of the civil magistrate."
00:13:46.19\00:13:49.26
So, you'll notice there's
a lot of stuff on their list.
00:13:49.26\00:13:52.53
And much of it
was something that
00:13:52.53\00:13:54.13
all Protestants agreed with.
00:13:54.13\00:13:56.33
They had doctrinal issues
with quite a few of these items.
00:13:56.33\00:14:00.70
And of course, the
idea that the Roman Bishop
00:14:01.87\00:14:04.01
could force you to observe
these holidays and regulations
00:14:04.01\00:14:07.58
was deeply problematic,
00:14:07.58\00:14:09.88
because from their perspective,
00:14:09.88\00:14:11.55
if the Bible didn't require it,
00:14:11.55\00:14:14.15
you needed the freedom
to make your own decision.
00:14:14.15\00:14:16.85
And on that front, I
completely agree with them.
00:14:16.85\00:14:19.95
Nobody has the right
to force you to do things
00:14:19.95\00:14:22.69
that you believe
contradict the scriptures.
00:14:22.69\00:14:25.53
And you'll notice that
these Scottish Calvinists
00:14:25.53\00:14:27.76
were trying to ban
these religious observances
00:14:27.76\00:14:30.13
from the realm,
which makes it obvious.
00:14:30.13\00:14:33.17
They were still
living in a world
00:14:33.17\00:14:34.67
where the church played a
huge role in running the state,
00:14:34.67\00:14:38.84
which is another big problem
00:14:38.84\00:14:40.94
for the issue of
religious liberty.
00:14:40.94\00:14:43.35
Of course, Christmas
landed on these people's
00:14:43.35\00:14:46.11
doctrinal chopping block,
00:14:46.11\00:14:47.58
because it was easy to
prove that the Bible does not
00:14:47.58\00:14:51.42
ask us to observe
the birth of Christ.
00:14:51.42\00:14:54.29
And if religious observance
becomes a matter of the state
00:14:54.29\00:14:56.89
forcing you to do something,
00:14:56.89\00:14:59.06
I'm on board,
00:14:59.06\00:15:00.50
you cannot require
religious observance by law.
00:15:00.50\00:15:03.47
That is clearly wrong.
00:15:03.47\00:15:06.03
But the Scottish
Calvinist wanted more than just
00:15:06.03\00:15:08.60
the banning of church coercion.
00:15:08.60\00:15:10.81
They were introducing
their own kind of coercion
00:15:10.81\00:15:13.38
by forcing people, by
law, to skip Christmas.
00:15:13.38\00:15:17.48
And that was just as wrong.
00:15:17.48\00:15:20.12
Now I know that
some of you are wondering
00:15:20.12\00:15:22.08
what in the world this
has to do with right now
00:15:22.08\00:15:24.52
because obviously
nobody's forcing Christmas
00:15:24.52\00:15:27.92
and nobody's legally banning it,
00:15:27.92\00:15:29.99
at least not as a
matter of personal observance.
00:15:29.99\00:15:33.13
So why even bring up this issue?
00:15:33.13\00:15:35.40
Well, I'll be
honest and tell you that
00:15:35.40\00:15:36.97
I do have some skin in this game
00:15:36.97\00:15:38.93
because in my office,
00:15:38.93\00:15:41.20
this is a bigger
question than you suspect.
00:15:41.20\00:15:44.41
Every time I dare to go on
the air and talk about Christmas
00:15:44.41\00:15:47.64
or pay homage to
the birth of Christ,
00:15:47.64\00:15:49.98
I still get letters
from some far-flung corners
00:15:49.98\00:15:53.18
of Christianity,
complaining that I have somehow
00:15:53.18\00:15:56.28
become an apostate.
00:15:56.28\00:15:57.85
Now, to be honest, a
lot of these complaints
00:15:57.85\00:16:00.22
come from
overseas, from cultures
00:16:00.22\00:16:02.32
that are radically
different than ours.
00:16:02.32\00:16:04.13
And I do suspect
that these are places
00:16:04.13\00:16:06.80
where minor sects and cults
have had some kind of influence,
00:16:06.80\00:16:10.77
but not all of them.
00:16:10.77\00:16:12.90
I remember one
particularly nasty holiday
00:16:14.17\00:16:16.27
when our team here
at the Voice of Prophecy
00:16:16.27\00:16:18.24
was invited to host ABC's
annual Christmas Eve special,
00:16:18.24\00:16:22.41
and suddenly our social
media timeline filled up
00:16:22.41\00:16:25.81
with angry comments
from other parts of the world
00:16:25.81\00:16:28.55
telling us that we
weren't real Christians
00:16:28.55\00:16:31.12
and that we were
somehow offending God
00:16:31.12\00:16:33.69
by acknowledging Christmas.
00:16:33.69\00:16:36.06
I was especially
appalled when people started
00:16:36.06\00:16:38.26
posting nasty
comments under pictures of
00:16:38.26\00:16:40.56
the children's choir, an
award-winning choir by the way,
00:16:40.56\00:16:43.83
that helped us out.
00:16:43.83\00:16:45.27
And people were
saying, these children weren't
00:16:45.27\00:16:48.07
real Christians
because this was Christmas.
00:16:48.07\00:16:51.57
And I have to say judging
by the level of viciousness
00:16:51.57\00:16:54.18
that I saw, some of
these people weren't making
00:16:54.18\00:16:56.68
much of a case for
their own Christianity.
00:16:56.68\00:16:59.85
You know, the debate
might be tiny here in the West.
00:16:59.85\00:17:02.82
There aren't many people
00:17:02.82\00:17:04.52
that are
objecting to Christmas here,
00:17:04.52\00:17:07.42
but I assure you at
least on a global scale,
00:17:07.42\00:17:09.79
the debate isn't quite dead.
00:17:09.79\00:17:12.23
So what I'm going
to do today is this,
00:17:12.23\00:17:15.06
because personally I'm
more in line with the idea
00:17:15.06\00:17:17.90
that if something doesn't
violate a command of scripture
00:17:17.90\00:17:21.07
and it doesn't violate
the principles of scripture
00:17:21.07\00:17:23.87
or the moral law of God,
then it probably isn't wrong.
00:17:23.87\00:17:27.81
And just to be
clear, for me personally,
00:17:27.81\00:17:30.88
the Bible is the
ultimate court of appeal
00:17:30.88\00:17:33.52
and the infallible
authoritative standard
00:17:33.52\00:17:36.05
of Christian faith in practice,
00:17:36.05\00:17:37.59
which means that I
completely affirm its authority
00:17:37.59\00:17:41.16
over my faith.
00:17:41.16\00:17:42.69
And what I do when it
comes to the matter of deciding
00:17:42.69\00:17:45.63
whether or not I'm going
to participate in something,
00:17:45.63\00:17:48.30
I want to ask
myself whether or not
00:17:48.30\00:17:50.57
I'm violating
biblical principle.
00:17:50.57\00:17:53.77
And I'll be honest
in the holiday season,
00:17:54.94\00:17:57.54
it can be easy to wander
into inappropriate territory,
00:17:57.54\00:18:01.31
things like drunkenness
or gluttony or greed.
00:18:01.31\00:18:04.75
Along those, I have to
agree with the Puritans.
00:18:04.75\00:18:06.88
Those are out of bounds.
00:18:06.88\00:18:09.38
But dedicating
time for meditating on
00:18:09.38\00:18:11.42
the incarnation of Christ,
00:18:11.42\00:18:13.52
taking time with my family
00:18:13.52\00:18:15.09
to let them know how
much I appreciate them,
00:18:15.09\00:18:17.53
giving my children
gifts, a nice family dinner,
00:18:17.53\00:18:20.40
reading from the Gospel of Luke
00:18:20.40\00:18:22.10
and singing about the fact that
00:18:22.10\00:18:23.37
God became a
flesh-and-blood human being,
00:18:23.37\00:18:26.00
man, give me a break.
00:18:26.00\00:18:27.34
There's nothing wrong with that.
00:18:27.34\00:18:29.87
Now I do have to
take another quick break,
00:18:29.87\00:18:31.97
but don't go away because
I'm about to wish you all
00:18:31.97\00:18:34.54
peace on Earth and
Goodwill toward men.
00:18:34.54\00:18:37.81
- [Announcer] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statues,
00:18:40.18\00:18:44.49
Bible prophecy can be
incredibly vivid and confusing.
00:18:44.49\00:18:49.09
If you've ever read
Daniel or Revelation
00:18:49.09\00:18:51.29
and come away scratching
your head, you're not alone.
00:18:51.29\00:18:54.30
Our free Focus on Prophecy
Guides are designed to help you
00:18:54.30\00:18:57.77
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00:18:57.77\00:18:59.47
and deepen your
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00:18:59.47\00:19:01.87
for you and our world.
00:19:01.87\00:19:03.54
Study online or
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and start bringing
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00:19:05.94\00:19:08.88
- You know, it
comes as a surprise
00:19:10.25\00:19:11.75
to a lot of modern Christians
that there was ever a debate
00:19:11.75\00:19:14.72
about the subject of Christmas,
00:19:14.72\00:19:16.22
but for a really long
time, that debate was real.
00:19:16.22\00:19:21.02
And just before the break,
I mentioned my own position.
00:19:21.02\00:19:24.16
What seems appropriate to
me is to ask whether or not
00:19:24.16\00:19:27.40
an activity is violating
the principles of God's word.
00:19:27.40\00:19:31.20
Now you might not agree
with everything I've said
00:19:31.20\00:19:33.74
and that's okay.
00:19:33.74\00:19:35.47
You do you and I'll do me.
00:19:35.47\00:19:37.84
And what I pray is that
both of us are following Christ
00:19:37.84\00:19:40.98
to the best of our ability
00:19:40.98\00:19:42.44
and building a meaningful
relationship with God.
00:19:42.44\00:19:46.08
And I guess that's
my appeal to all of us
00:19:46.08\00:19:48.58
this Christmas season.
00:19:48.58\00:19:50.05
And now I want to break
away from the ancient debate
00:19:50.05\00:19:52.45
over Christmas and
move on to something else
00:19:52.45\00:19:54.39
pretty important.
00:19:54.39\00:19:56.12
Unfortunately, it's
starting to feel like
00:19:56.12\00:19:58.09
Christians are following in
the footsteps of wider society,
00:19:58.09\00:20:01.46
and we're allowing ourselves
to be divided over things
00:20:01.46\00:20:04.37
that shouldn't divide us.
00:20:04.37\00:20:06.67
We've become such a sharply
divided society as a whole.
00:20:06.67\00:20:10.24
We've become so impatient
and angry with each other.
00:20:10.24\00:20:14.58
Then maybe this
season we could take the time
00:20:14.58\00:20:17.58
to remember that
you and I were radically
00:20:17.58\00:20:19.78
at odds with God once.
00:20:19.78\00:20:22.32
Our sins made him
completely unapproachable.
00:20:22.32\00:20:26.42
And yet in the birth of Christ,
00:20:26.42\00:20:28.59
God made an astonishingly
humble move in our direction
00:20:28.59\00:20:33.60
and he didn't have to do it.
00:20:34.46\00:20:36.03
He could have left
us to die in our sins,
00:20:36.03\00:20:38.87
but instead he
chose to become one of us
00:20:38.87\00:20:42.20
and live here with us in
this horrible mess we created
00:20:42.20\00:20:46.27
in a very broken world.
00:20:46.27\00:20:48.61
And it seems to me that
the very least we could do
00:20:50.08\00:20:52.51
in response to
that kind of godly love
00:20:52.51\00:20:55.25
is to humble our own hearts
00:20:55.25\00:20:56.85
and become more
generous with each other.
00:20:56.85\00:20:59.69
Honestly, I've always
struggled to understand
00:20:59.69\00:21:02.36
why some
Christians seem to want to
00:21:02.36\00:21:04.13
regulate other
people's behavior.
00:21:04.13\00:21:06.59
I mean, if we're talking
about flagrant immorality,
00:21:06.59\00:21:09.26
if we're talking about
violating the Ten Commandments,
00:21:09.26\00:21:11.53
okay, I get it.
00:21:11.53\00:21:13.07
Churches really are supposed
to deal with moral problems
00:21:13.07\00:21:16.20
when they crop up
in a congregation.
00:21:16.20\00:21:18.34
And in some ways we could
afford to be more faithful
00:21:18.34\00:21:22.08
about doing it.
00:21:22.08\00:21:23.71
The Bible makes
it abundantly clear
00:21:23.71\00:21:25.68
and Paul spends a lot
of time trying to correct
00:21:25.68\00:21:27.98
the immorality found in
some of the earliest churches.
00:21:27.98\00:21:32.29
but you know, when it
comes to personal choice,
00:21:32.29\00:21:34.22
you've got to
wonder, why is it so hard
00:21:34.22\00:21:37.99
to let other people
make their own decisions?
00:21:37.99\00:21:40.86
Why do we have
this irresistible urge
00:21:40.86\00:21:43.10
to remake other
people in our own image?
00:21:43.10\00:21:46.63
Here's some good advice
from the writings of Paul,
00:21:46.63\00:21:49.24
which might be a
great motto for Christians
00:21:49.24\00:21:51.57
who want to remember
the humility of Christ
00:21:51.57\00:21:54.21
during the Christmas season.
00:21:54.21\00:21:56.04
And he mentions
this in the context of
00:21:56.04\00:21:58.15
the incarnation or
the birth of Christ.
00:21:58.15\00:22:01.98
He writes, "therefore,
if there is any consolation
00:22:01.98\00:22:05.55
in Christ, if
any comfort of love,
00:22:05.55\00:22:07.86
if any fellowship of the spirit,
00:22:07.86\00:22:09.46
if any affection and mercy,
00:22:09.46\00:22:11.23
fulfill my joy by
being like-minded,
00:22:11.23\00:22:14.40
having the same love,
being of one accord of one mind.
00:22:14.40\00:22:18.20
Let nothing be done through
selfish ambition or conceit,
00:22:18.20\00:22:21.47
but in lowliness of mind.
00:22:21.47\00:22:23.47
Let each esteem
others better than himself.
00:22:23.47\00:22:27.21
Let each of you look out
not only for his own interests,
00:22:27.21\00:22:29.84
but also for the
interests of others."
00:22:29.84\00:22:33.82
And then he goes on to describe
00:22:33.82\00:22:35.78
how Jesus had all the
glory of Heaven at his disposal,
00:22:35.78\00:22:39.15
And yet he chose
to humble himself
00:22:39.15\00:22:41.16
by appearing as a
human baby in Bethlehem.
00:22:41.16\00:22:44.46
He writes, "let
this mind be in you,
00:22:44.46\00:22:46.90
which was also in Christ Jesus,
00:22:46.90\00:22:49.13
who being in the form of God,
00:22:49.13\00:22:50.63
did not consider it
robbery to be equal with God,
00:22:50.63\00:22:53.84
but made himself
of no reputation,
00:22:53.84\00:22:56.10
taking the form of a bondservant
00:22:56.10\00:22:58.07
and coming in
the likeness of men."
00:22:58.07\00:23:00.41
what would it look like,
00:23:01.71\00:23:03.31
in the spirit of
the birth of Christ?
00:23:03.31\00:23:05.95
What would it look like
00:23:05.95\00:23:07.15
if you and I really
did esteem other people
00:23:07.15\00:23:10.65
as better than ourselves?
00:23:10.65\00:23:13.09
I know it's not an
easy approach to life
00:23:13.09\00:23:15.29
because our hearts
are saturated with pride.
00:23:15.29\00:23:17.46
But what if we just did that?
00:23:17.46\00:23:19.79
I mean, if God the Son can
play such a high value on us,
00:23:19.79\00:23:24.77
then we can afford to place
a high value on each other.
00:23:26.23\00:23:28.90
And you'll notice
Jesus attracted huge crowds
00:23:28.90\00:23:31.67
who wanted to know
more about this God of love,
00:23:31.67\00:23:34.34
but he didn't run
around condemning people
00:23:34.34\00:23:36.14
over everything they did.
00:23:36.14\00:23:38.05
In fact, the only
group he ever got rough with
00:23:38.05\00:23:40.82
was the religious
leaders who were going around
00:23:40.82\00:23:43.08
trying to regulate
everybody's behavior.
00:23:43.08\00:23:46.25
You know, there's an
old Christmas tradition
00:23:46.25\00:23:48.26
where people traded
roles for a day or two
00:23:48.26\00:23:50.39
and servants acted like bosses
00:23:50.39\00:23:52.23
and bosses acted like servants.
00:23:52.23\00:23:54.63
You still find remnants of
this tradition in Boxing Day,
00:23:54.63\00:23:57.53
which is celebrated in
the British Commonwealth.
00:23:57.53\00:24:00.37
At one point in history,
00:24:00.37\00:24:01.87
there was even a special
day when one of the choir boys
00:24:01.87\00:24:04.11
at church got to
dress up like the bishop
00:24:04.11\00:24:06.57
and do his job for a day.
00:24:06.57\00:24:08.78
And while there were
parts of that celebration
00:24:08.78\00:24:10.78
that made some
people uncomfortable
00:24:10.78\00:24:12.25
because it felt like
it was mocking the clergy.
00:24:12.25\00:24:15.28
There was something about it
00:24:15.28\00:24:16.75
that seems entirely appropriate
00:24:16.75\00:24:18.45
to the spirit of Christ's birth.
00:24:18.45\00:24:20.59
The King of
Heaven became one of us,
00:24:20.59\00:24:22.89
and because of that, we
will one day live like he does.
00:24:22.89\00:24:27.13
In fact, in Revelation 3:21,
00:24:27.13\00:24:28.96
the Bible indicates that
Christ, the heavenly king
00:24:28.96\00:24:32.07
intends to share
his throne with us.
00:24:32.07\00:24:35.04
It says, "to him who overcomes,
I will grant to sit with me
00:24:35.04\00:24:38.77
on my throne, as I
also overcame and sat down
00:24:38.77\00:24:42.04
with my father on his throne."
00:24:42.04\00:24:44.88
No wonder the angels
were so deeply moved the night
00:24:44.88\00:24:47.62
they announced Christ
birth to the shepherds.
00:24:47.62\00:24:50.35
I'll be right back after this.
00:24:50.35\00:24:52.62
- [Announcer] Here at
the Voice of Prophecy,
00:24:53.82\00:24:55.29
we're committed to
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00:24:55.29\00:24:57.83
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00:24:57.83\00:25:00.73
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Discovery Mountain
is a Bible-based program
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for kids of all
ages and backgrounds.
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Your family will enjoy
the faith-building stories
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from this small
mountain summer camp, Penn Town
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with 24 seasonal
episodes every year
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and fresh content every week.
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There's always a new
adventure just on the horizon.
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- Just before the break,
I mentioned the song of the
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angels, the night
that Christ was born.
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And I thought, I'd end the
show today by reading that.
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It's found in Luke chapter two,
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which you probably know
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because it's the
one part of the Bible
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that everybody
reads this time of year.
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And it's another reason I'm
glad for the Christmas season,
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because at least once a year,
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people who don't really
think about Christ a lot,
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slow down long enough to
pay at least a little attention,
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which is good because I
think our world really needs
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to understand that God is
not ignoring the human race.
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So Luke chapter two,
beginning in verse eight,
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it says "now there
were in the same country,
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shepherds living
out in the fields,
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keeping watch over
their flock by night.
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And behold an angel of
the Lord stood before them
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and the glory of the
Lord shone around them,
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and they were greatly afraid.
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Then the angel said to
them, do not be afraid,
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for behold, I bring you
good tidings of great joy,
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which will be to all people.
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For there is born to you
this day in the city of David,
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a savior who is Christ the Lord.
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And this will
be the sign to you.
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You will find a babe
wrapped in swaddling cloths,
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lying in a manger.
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And suddenly there
was with the angel,
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a multitude of
the heavenly host,
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praising God and saying
glory to God in the highest
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and on Earth, peace,
goodwill toward men!"
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People living through
the ravages of a pandemic
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and the frustration
of political turmoil
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might not feel a lot of Goodwill
for other people right now.
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And maybe some of
that is due to the fact
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that we've
forgotten the kind of Goodwill
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the birth of Christ represents.
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The appearance of that infant
in Bethlehem caused angels
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to light up the night sky and
they couldn't help themselves.
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They had to start singing
because the appearance of God
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is a real human being means that
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you and I have nothing to fear
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and everything
to look forward to.
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And so, yes, when the world
stops to think about Christ,
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it really is a
cause for celebration.
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And I don't know about you,
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but this year I'm going to
take advantage of the holidays
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to show that same kind
of love for somebody else.
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Just like Jesus put my
wellbeing ahead of his own,
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maybe it's time for
all of us to, once again,
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esteem others as
better than ourselves.
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You know, you've got to wonder
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how much
different would life become
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if we really took the
birth of Christ to heart.
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From all of us at
the Voice of Prophecy,
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Merry Christmas, peace on Earth
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and Goodwill to all of you
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and may the spirit of
Christ permeate your homes.
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I'm Shawn Boonstra.
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Thanks for watching.
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[festive music]
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