Should Christians Celebrate Christmas?

            Today I read an article dissing Christmas. It is making its annual  appearance “explaining” the origins of Christmas, attributing them to pagan festivals around the world all through history. The articles also the claim that Christmas is not Biblical because it cannot be found that the disciples celebrated it, and there is no mention in the Bible of Christmas Trees, Santa Claus, holly wreaths, nor mistletoe. Furthermore there is no evidence in the Bible that Jesus was born on December 25. In fact, probably he wasn’t born then because Shepherds would not have been in the fields at that time. Christmas, it is claimed, is descended from Pagan celebrations and Christians have no business celebrating something that is not found in the Bible.  

What about it? Is all that true? As usual, there is a mixture of truth, error, misinterpretation, and misrepresentation.

1. Was Jesus born on December 25?

            It is true, the Bible does not tell us when Jesus was born. There is a 1 in 365 chance December 25 was the date. The argument about the Shepherds not being in the fields is bogus though. The sheep still have to be fed and watered. The wolves, lions, and sheep thieves are still active They don’t take the winter months off. So if the sheep are in the fields, the shepherds must have been with them. I was in Israel in December/January and there were shepherds in the fields with their flocks. Until I went to Israel in winter I assumed these naysayers knew what they were talking about.

2. Is Christmas descended from Pagan rituals? One of the tactics of Christmas debunkers is to tie the date, December 25 to all the other festivals, celebrations, and holidays around the world. Let us at least be honest. Mid December is a great time to have a celebration. My wife commented to me just yesterday (December 18) that there were only a few days left and the days would start getting longer. I am ready for longer days and I have electricity that serves to light and heat my home. I am sick of the long hours of darkness. In the most difficult times, a good celebration is a mood lifter. Is that why December 25 was chosen for Christmas? Was it because it was a time the people already celebrated something so the Church tried to change the pagan holiday to a Christian one? Who knows?

            (By the way, the same critics make the same claims about Easter and the date Christians celebrate. The date of the resurrection is much better attested, but that doesn’t keep them from claiming pagan roots.)

3. What about the pagan roots of all the Christmas traditions? Christmas trees, holly wreaths, yule logs, mistletoe, can all be traced to pagan roots. Oh really? What about eating, procreation, drinking, singing, dancing, talking, running. The pagans did all those things too. Does that mean we should avoid them? Most of our traditions have a Christian meaning. If you have never participated in a hanging of the greens service, perhaps it would be enlightening for you to know that the Christian use of those items is not Pagan.

4.   As followers of Christ, should we observe an event that is not mentioned in scripture?

            I disagree that Christmas is not mentioned in scripture. While the word Christmas may not be there, the story of Christmas is in three of the four Gospels. Mark is the only Gospel writer not to mention the birth of Jesus. He begins his story with the Baptism of Jesus. Matthew and Luke tell the physical story of the birth of Jesus and John gives the Theological implications of the Lord’s birth. John 1:14 has no meaning apart from Jesus’ birth.

            I am at a loss to explain why a person, reading the scripture and not finding Santa Claus or Christmas trees would come to the conclusion that we should not remember the Birthday of the Savior. Unless, that is, they were looking for some reason to dismiss Christmas.

5. Should Christians make a big deal of Christmas?

            For me, this one is a no brainer. God was the first to make a big deal about the birth of Christ. He sent angels to the participants to explain what was going to happen. He sent a chorus of angels to announce the birthday to shepherds in the field. He sent them to the manger where He had prepared a place for the shepherds to worship him. Can you imagine the mess if those shepherds had tried to squeeze into a room at the inn? They had the whole stable to congregate in.        

            In addition, God made the announcement of the birthday of Jesus in the heavens, so Magi from the east would know about it and come to celebrate. Sure, they might have gotten there a few years late, but they came, and they brought expensive gifts.

            God made a really big deal about the birth of Jesus. A really big deal! I don’t think we can make a bigger deal out of Christmas than God did if we tried.

            The Christmas story,

            “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; (The Message)    

Practice, Practice, Practice

The telehandler came on Tuesday. On Thursday while we were purchasing forms and rebar our Log supplier called and is sending half our logs on a truck tomorrow. So today, I decided I better practice running the Telehandler. When I was in High School I drove a forklift for the Aztec Lumber Yard. This is a lot like a forklift except it has a telescoping boom, big wheels that can be set several ways to move in different directions and it has been 45 years. I moved the rebar out of the trailer. I unloaded the plywood forms. I moved trees the same length as the ones we have coming tomorrow. I think I am ready for the lumber truck. The concern I have relates to the ability of the truck to make the turn into our property. If he can't make it we will have to take some fence down. Then if he still can't make it, I guess we will unload him on the road and move the logs onto the property one or two at a time. Stay tuned.

FALLING BEHIND

Here They Are

We had a productive week, but we don't work fast enough. On Monday our logs came. Or at least half of them came. We thought we were getting logs that were 17 inches in diameter at the big end, and 14 or 15 on the small end. That was the dimensions in the pile of logs I looked at in January when I made the purchase. Well when they came, they were 17 inches on the small end and up to 30 inches on the big end. After we gulped hard, we decided we are going to have really big logs in our house. 

Backing In

The Truck got here about 11 and it took me until 5 to get them unloaded. I was learning to use the Telehandler as I went. I think I can unload the next truck a little faster. It is coming Thursday July 5 or the 6th.

Getting the first Log off the Truck

Little more than half done

one fifth of the footings formed up

The rest of the week we spent getting started on the foundation. The number of rocks in the soil made for very sloppy ditches so we are having to form up the footings. It took us a while to get the right materials and method together to get going. Our calendar was to have the foundation ready to start stacking logs when we got back from our Class Reunion next week. Obviously we aren't going to make it. So we are a couple of weeks behind, at least.

Our attitude is good. Jen keeps saying how happy she is and how much she loves me. I hope she isn't just trying to convince herself of either one. We have a few arguments about how to do things, but in the end we get it accomplished. It is somewhat inspiring to know, "We are building our own Log House!" Our bodies are taking a beating. They say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I hope I am getting stronger, I sure am getting tired by the end of each day. I am glad for this weekend, we are taking a few days off. We have a 45th high school class reunion to attend, I hope to play some golf with my dad,and I am preaching in Vallecito, Colorado on Sunday. Three days without lifting that sledge hammer will be a nice respite.

Starting At The Bottom

Flint and Jubilee construction is underway. It has taken a while to get to this place and I intended to keep you all up to date. But too much going on and no internet at the RV made it near impossible. The last week in May and the First week in June I was teaching in California. Jen ended her time with Primary Children's Hospital the end of May and joined me in California. During May I was able to get 35 Ponderosa pine trees, cut down and stacked out of the way. I hired two men, one with a John Deere Excavator the other with a Bobcat to level us a building pad. We were able to get water and electricity hooked up, but no internet. Then the two weeks in California. Since we have been back we have installed the septic tank, took a weekend out to celebrate with Derek and Amy at their reception in Salt Lake City, and now we are working on the foundation. We had the footers dug on Tuesday and today we started getting ready to form them up. I am going to post a few pictures, I will attempt to find a place to upload all the pictures for everyone who is interested to see. This is our log lifter. It weighs 20,000 pounds and will lift 6000 pounds 33 feet. It is an old one, 1982, but I think we got a good deal on it. I have already had one person show some interest in buying it when we are done with it. These are pictures of our house pad. The chair is for Jennifer to sit in while she supervises my work. Ha! any of you who know her knows she doesn't sit down while work is going on. She goes out at night and watches the stars. That is the best place because I cut down the trees. Finally, for tonight anyway, this is one of the piles of rocks we have collected as we have dug utility lines and leveled the house pad.

A Really Long Bike Ride

I met a real biker today. I was returning to the highway from one of the many RV parks I visited today and he and Max were stopping for a drink and a rest. They are trying to ride through every state in one year, David’s 51st year, from his 50th birthday to his 51st.

He is riding a Mountain style bike and pulling a baby trailer modified for Max when he isn’t running. Then he has another trailer attached to that one that has his gear. It is a pretty impressive rig.

They are in Colorado, their 18th state. He will be crossing the US 4 times. There has to be a shorter way to touch all 50 states than that. He will be flying to Alaska and Hawaii to ride.

Here is his website. It is a little behind, but you can see him and Max. http://www.bike50at50.com/go/index.php or just click on the Title of This post.

RV Moving Day

Today our temporary home arrived. My plan, to get it set up and begin tomorrow to get water and electricity to it. There were lots of questions that needed answers. Could the RV make the turn through the gate? Yes, no problem. Could it make the second turn so quickly after the first one? Yes, no problem. It was solved. Now just down the old ranch road, between the trees to the spot we had picked for our temporary residence. At ground level there was at least a foot of clearance on all sides. Yea!

Just a word of wisdom from experience. When you are moving a fifth wheel between trees, don’t forget how tall the RV is. It wouldn’t go under the lowest limbs of the tree. Out came the chain saw and a ladder. Long story short; The RV is still 50 feet short of its final resting place. It is lonesome out in the woods alone while I am again at the Econo Lodge in Cortez.

Tomorrow I have appointments with the Water Company, the Electrician, and an excavator anyway. Maybe things will go some smoother.

One of my new neighbors came by, he made me smile.

On Oscars, Slam Dunks, and Evil

Still reading Bonhoeffer. This morning in the chapter on "Killing Hitler" I read his reflections on the ethics of assassination. Even though Adolf Hitler was the vilest of dictators, Bonhoeffer went through a process of opposition eventually deciding that the evil of one murder was less than the evil of multiple murders on the Nazi's part.

It was not an easy decision and it cost him his life. His concern however, was how active should a Christian be? More than a devotional Christianity, true Christianity contains a level of activism. It was a challenging chapter. It is a challenging book, our 21st century Christianity does not fare well.

Time for breakfast. I turned on Fox News, the source of much of our national and international news and there was an interview with a young Oscar reviewer. Two things he said struck me. One, he said he was proud of the fact he had seen all the movies nominated for best picture before the nominations were made public. Really? That is something to be proud of? Two, he said his role models in life were Regis Philbin and Roger Ebert. I had heard all from him I wished to hear.

So I flipped over to ESPN where the report was the slam dunk contest last night. And the vehemence with which two sides went at it. Did the winner deserve to win? Some thought yes, some thought it a travesty.

I am coming to the conclusion that our culture is the travesty. Bonhoeffer, Niemoller, Bethage, Muller, and others debated Christian living in an sinful world. Perhaps we should be debating Christian living in a sinful world as well. Instead we debate movies and movie stars, sports and athletes, taxes and laws, and never concern ourselves with the deeper theological issues involved.

By we, I mean me included.

To Blog or Not to Blog

One of the uses of Pastor Rodger’s Neighborhood is to keep in touch. Over the last few years, Facebook has mostly met that need. Since this summer when we returned from Ragbrai I have only posted to the blog one time. I am now at a decision point. Do I return to blogging, or do I take the blog down?

Blogging enough to get an audience takes a commitment to writing; it is not as simple as just allowing the blog to remain. In the heyday of the neighborhood I was receiving over 40 readers per day. I was writing several times a week.

I am not out of ideas. I have written about our adventures, books I have read, church and theological topics, living the Christian life, and other sundry topics. I have mostly avoided politics and Mormonism even though my college major was political science and I am a Baptist pastor/professor living in a neighborhood, city, and state dominated by Mormons.

We are in the beginning stages of our newest and biggest adventure to date. I think you will be interested in knowing about 2012 in the lives of the Russells. If you have questions or issues you might like to see me address, give me a holler. I don't promise to address them all, but I might.

I guess you have guessed, I plan to reinvigorate Pastor Rodger’s Neighborhood. Look for the latest posts.

Happy Trails,
Flint, AKA Rodger