The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
December 12, 2004
In
This Issue:
Remove
Your Sandals
by
David Maxson
Hanukkah
or Christmas?
by
Steve Klein
Remove Your Sandals
A shepherd was out tending his sheep when he saw an incredible thing: a bush on fire that did not burn up! As he came closer to investigate he heard a voice from the midst of the bush call him by name. The voice then said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground" (Ex. 3:5). That shepherd was Moses, and the voice from the bush was God's. In this extraordinary scene we learn a much-needed lesson about worship.
Worship is a holy occasion. When we worship God we leave the mundane and trivial to come before the one, true and living God! Indeed, when we approach the Creator, whether it be in public or private worship, we must understand the seriousness and gravity of the occasion. We are entering into holy space. We are treading on holy ground!
When Moses led his people back to the mountain where God appeared to him in the bush, the children of Israel trembled before God. When they stood at the foot of the mountain and felt it tremble, seeing the smoke ascend from it, and hearing the blast of the trumpet and the voice of God, they said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die" (Ex. 20:19).
Do we understand what it is we are doing when we worship? Do we understand that we are involved in something that is even higher and holier than what occurred at Sinai? As children of God under the new covenant, we have come to "Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all" (Heb. 12: 22-23). Considering the magnitude of these incredible facts, the Hebrew writer prayed that we might have grace, "by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:28-29).
Listen, dear readers, to what I tell you now: the Lord is not our buddy, and God is not our chum... He is God! God is God and we are nothing! We are blood-bought mortals given the privilege of approaching our Creator in worship! We are undeserving sinners given the right through our Savior's blood to stand before the King of kings and Lord of lords! We must never forget who we are and who He is when we come before His throne! So when we worship, may we get down on our knees and remove our sandals, for the place where we stand is holy ground!!!
By David Maxson
Via The Cahaba Heights church bulletin
Which Religious Holiday is Authorized in Scripture:
Hanukkah or Christmas?
According to my calendar, the Jewish holiday known as Hanukkah began December 8th this year. The dates of Hanukkah vary from year to year because it follows the Jewish calendar, which is a lunar calendar. On the Jewish calendar Hanukkah is celebrated every year beginning on the 25th of the month of Kislev.
Hanukkah means "dedication," and the holiday commemorates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after it had been liberated from Syrian control in the year 167 B.C. The Syrians had defiled the temple. When Jewish warriors under Judas Maccabeus reclaimed it, they felt the need to purify and rededicate the temple and all of its furnishings. During this process, only a small amount of oil was found to burn in the temple lamp stand, but it lasted for eight days until more oil could be acquired. The Jews regarded this as a miracle. Since that time, Hanukkah has been an annual eight-day celebration for Jews.
In John 10:22-23, the Bible records the following: "Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch." Note that Jesus walked in the Temple while the Feast of Dedication (or Hanukkah) was being celebrated there. The text does not clearly state that Jesus participated in the Hanukkah celebration, but many believe that it implies that He did so. Certainly He was smack dab in the middle of the celebration, but we cannot say for certain whether or not He actually took part.
Years later, the apostle Paul hastened to Jerusalem to "keep" an upcoming Jewish feast (Acts 18:21). This demonstrates that Jewish Christians had the right to continue to observe the feasts of their ancestors, as long as they did not bind them as law upon others (cf. Colossians 2:16). And so, it would be easy to see why a Jew who became a Christian even today might feel that he has the perfect right to continue to celebrate Hanukkah!
In contrast to Hanukkah, the religious celebration of the birth of Christ known as Christmas is nowhere mentioned in Scripture. There is no command, example or inference authorizing such a religious celebration. While certain aspects of Christmas, such as gift giving, lighted decorations and Christmas trees no longer have much religious significance, there are other aspects that are clearly religious in nature. Many churches bind Christmas as a religious holiday to be celebrated with pageant and ritual in honor of Christ's birth. To be blunt, the Jew celebrating Hanukkah has more of a leg to stand on Scripturally.
What's the point of this? Am I encouraging everyone to drop Christmas for Hanukkah? Not at all. But there are a couple of important observations to make. First, we need to learn to be cautious about condemning others when we are doing no better. Many so-called Bible-believing-Christians would not approve of the celebration of Hanukkah, but they themselves religiously celebrate Christmas -- a holiday which has no more Scriptural authority, and probably less. Romans 2:1 says, "Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things." Second, we need to get serious about going to the Scriptures for authority for everything we think, do, and teach. "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17).
by Steve Klein