As a child, only once, did I question the honesty and integrity of my maternal Grandma. Even then, when I reflected on all the facts, Grandma was absolved. I remember the incident as clear as if it were this morning.
I was playing in the front room (living room) and our German neighbor, Mrs. Raymond, came up on the enclosed porch. The front door was open, so she just hollered in for my Grandma. Grandma was tall and stout, but moved at a brisk pace to meet her neighbor. Mrs. Raymond gave my Grandma a large pot of spaghetti. Grandma smiled, received the pot, and thanked her profusely for such a nice gesture. Mrs. Raymond turned around to go back across the street and Grandma stepped back in the house, closed the door, went straight to the back door without stopping, and gave the spaghetti to the dog!!
I was confused and in my mind I was about to accuse Grandma of fakery! THEN the facts all stumbled into my head. THE MONKEY! THE MONKEY!
Mrs. Raymond had a pet monkey that had free range of her home and THE KITCHEN. I had seen its open cage sitting in the kitchen while it played all over the table and counters. I liked the monkey, but I understood Grandma was not going to eat from a kitchen where the monkey ruled. (I never understood the movie Ratatouille, where the rats were the cooks!! Ugh!)
Ok, back to the point, I trusted Grandma. When she celebrated and honored Little Baby Jesus and did the gift giving and all the rest of the merry making, I trusted her. I believed that was what I was supposed to do. It had to be in the Bible, after all, Grandma was the mother of her Primitive Baptist Church. She would know if it wasn’t. Christmas was a part of my life that I never ever questioned. (Other than the Santa bit when I got older!)
Traditions and deceptions are passed down through loving and well-meaning people. That is why inherited lies are so hard to extract from people’s lives.
Christmas is one of the holidays that people make excuses to continue to celebrate even when they know it is pagan.
I’m not pointing a finger. I did it. I had all kinds of “good” reasons:
• Jesus is the reason for the season.
• Christmas is a time for family and giving.
• It may be pagan, but I am celebrating the real God.
• I told my children Santa was make-believe, so we can do the rest of Christmas.
• I love the lights and the songs; they make me feel so warm and good inside.
Only when I came into Hebrew Roots did I have an attitude change, or renewing of my mind. I faced the truth and nothing but the truth. I came to realize that all my actions are my “fruit”. I cannot be an Ambassador of the Most High and then dabble a little in the parties; show up for the dinners, but not eat the ham; “accidentally on purpose” ride through the holiday light displays; or hum very low the holiday songs in the stores during the season.
YeHoVaH (God’s Hebrew name) commands that we keep the Holy Days in Scripture. NOWHERE in Scripture did Yeshua (Jesus’ Hebrew name) or His disciples celebrate Christmas or even refer to Christmas.
We will be held accountable for how we lived this life according to the Almighty’s Law!
The reason for the season is that we all have inherited LIES.