The Authority of the Bible

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Merry Christmas
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Christmas

• Overview
• Origin of Dates
• Origin of Christmas Name
• Saint Nicholas/Santa Claus
• Christmas Tree / House Decorations
• Christmas Cards / Gift Giving
• Christmas Carols
• Nativity Scenes
• Foods/ Candy Canes
• Celebrations

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Origin

• Focus point is Birth of Jesus Christ.
• Our Calendar is based on it.
• Became a National Holiday in 1890.
• Jesus was born in Bethlehem
• Unique person as Gods son.
• Wise Men called Magi saw him as well as
  shepherds.
• Holiday not celebrated for 1st 200 years.

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Date December 25th

• Jesus birthday unknown.
• Date started from a pagan (non-Christian)
  festival which began on December 17th.
• 274 AD Sun Holiday by Roman Emperor Auelian.
• 336 AD Emperor Constantine said Dec 25th would be
  to celebrate Christs birth.
• Eastern Orthodox changed the day to Jan 6th

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Origin of Christmas Name

• Original phrase Christes Masse
• Christ - chosen one from God
• Mass - known as Advent meaning arrival.
• Noel song or carol
• Xmas Greek letter chi (X) begins Christs name

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Saint Nicholas/Santa Claus

• Lived in 4th Century in Asia Minor (Turkey)
• Rich Christian man who used money to help
  sailors, poor/homeless, and children
• Christmas give to orphanages
• Early New York Dutch called him Saint Nicholas
  Sinsterklaas
• British calls him Father Christmas

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Saint Nicholas/Santa Claus Legend

• 1822 Clement Moore wrote a famous Poem called
  Twas the Night before Christmas
• Enters house through the chimney
• Fill long socks called stockings
• Thomas Nast drew Santa as a fat, friendly visitor
  in red clothing.
• Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

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Christmas Tree/House Decorations

• Christmas Tree Prop in German plays from 900
  1400 AD.
• Candles were put on the tree in 1710
• Star represents the Star in Bethlehem for Jesus
  birth
• Mistletoe green plant with thick leaves white
  berries. Grown in central Texas. If you go
  under it you have to kiss someone!
• Wreaths round arrangement of leaves
• Holly green plant with thick shinny leaves
• Poinsettia Star shaped with red leaves

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Christmas Cards/Gift Giving

• Started in 1843 as notes
• 1875 was 1st colored cards
• Many Cards sent each year
• Gifts Origin
• Wise men gave gifts to Jesus
• Saint Nicholas gave gifts to children

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Christmas Carols

• Sung in the 400s similar to church songs called
  hymns.
• Written in Latin common language at time
• When plays were done carolers walked home singing
  in the street
• We even do this today in the neighborhoods

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Nativity Scenes

• Has Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, shepards, wise men,
  angels and farm animals.
• Jesus bed was a manger a feeding box for
  animals.
• Custom began on Christmas Eve 1223 AD

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Wise Magi (persons) from East to see Star of
Messiah Son of God
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Manger Scene
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Foods

• Turkey, Duck, Goose, or Ham
• Dressing stuffing cooked inside a bird
• Egg Nog thick drink made of milk, eggs and
  spices.
• Side dishes mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet
  potatoes, cranberry sauce, candy and nuts, fruit
  cakes, pies and cookies.

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Candy Canes

• Explains Christmas
• White represents innocence of Jesus life
• Red stripes represent stripes on body when beaten
  by soldiers.
• Hard Candy to represent Jesus the Rock of our
  life.
• Sweetness of the candy represents how good he is
  to us.
• Curved look is for the shepherds staff Jesus
  was the Good Shepherd
• Cane held upside down J 1st letter of Jesus

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Christmas Performances

• The Messiah Traditional Christmas music
• The Nutcracker A musical/ballet of a girls
  dream that her toys come to life.
• A Christmas Carol A play where Ebenezer Scrooge
  is a selfish, lonely rich man who learns about
  caring about others through the Christmas holiday.

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Celebrations

• Open Gifts (Christmas Eve or Day)
• All at once or one at a time
• Birthday Cake for Jesus
• Sing Christmas Carols
• Share Christmas stories or family projects
• Some are depressed
• Work Parties White Elephant gift party, pot
  luck, dinner paid by company, bonus.
• Spend too much money eat too much

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The True Story of Christmas
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God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of
Nazareth in Galilee (Northern Israel) with a
message for a virgin named Mary. She was engaged
to Joseph, from the family of King David.
The angel greeted Mary and said, You are truly
blessed! The Lord is with you.
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• Mary was confused by the angels words and
  wondered what they meant.

Then the angel told Mary, Dont be afraid! God
is pleased with you and you will have a son. His
name will be Jesus
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• He will be great and will be called the Son of
  God Most High. The Lord God will make him king,
  as his ancestor David was. He will rule the
  people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will
  never end.

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• Mary asked the angel,
• How can this happen? I am not married!

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The angel answered,The Holy Spirit will come
down to you, and Gods power will come over you.
So your child will be called the holy Son of God
Nothing is impossible with God.
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• Mary said,
• I am the Lords servant! Let it happen as you
  have said.

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• Joseph was a good man and did not want to
  embarrass Mary in front of everyone. So he
  decided to quietly call off the wedding.

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While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel
from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel
said,
Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the
Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her. Then after
her baby is born, name him Jesus, because he will
save his people from their sins
After Joseph woke up, he and Mary were soon
married, just as the Lords angel had told him to
do.
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About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for
the names of all the people to be listed in
record books.
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Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be
listed. So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in
Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea.
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Mary traveled with him to Bethlehem. She was
soon going to have a baby and while they were
there, she gave birth to her first-born son.
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She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a
bed of hay because there was no room for them in
the inn.
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That night in the fields near Bethlehem some
shepherds were guarding their sheep.
All at once an angel came down to them from the
Lord and the brightness of the Lords glory
flashed around them.
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But the angel said, Dont be afraid! I have
good news for you, which will make everyone
happy! This very day in King Davids hometown a
Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord.
You will know who he is, because you will find
him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of
hay.
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the shepherds said to each other, Lets go to
Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us
about.
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They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and
they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay.
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When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his
parents what the angel had said about him.
Everyone listened and was surprised.
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But Mary kept thinking about all this and
wondering what it meant.
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When Jesus was born, Herod was king. During this
time some wise men from the east came to
Jerusalem and said,
Where is the child born to be king of the Jews?
We saw his star in the east and have come to
worship him.
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When King Herod heard about this he was worried,
andbrought together the chief priests and the
teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them,
Where will the Messiah (the one promised by God)
be born?
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They told him, He will be born in Bethlehem,
just as the prophet wrote,
Bethlehem in the land of Judea, you are very
important from your town will come a leader, who
will be like a shepherd to my people Israel
Bethlehem
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(Jealous of this potential new king and wanting
to kill him,) Herod secretly called in the wise
men andtold them,
Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the
child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I
want to go and worship him too.
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The wise men listened to what the king said and
then left.
And the star they had seenwent on ahead of them
until it stopped over the place where the child
was. They were thrilled and excited to see the
star.
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When the men went into the house and saw the
child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and
worshipped him.
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They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense
and myrrh and gave them to him.
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Frankincense

• Used as Perfume
• Represents how great the aroma of God

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Myrrh ??

• A spice as well for perfume.
• In Chinese medicine, myrrh is classified as
  bitter, spicy, neutral in temperature and
  affecting the heart, liver, and spleen meridians.
  
• In western pharmacy, Myrrh is used as an
  antiseptic (???) and is most often used in
  mouthwashes, gargles and toothpastes for
  prevention and treatment of gum disease.
• Also used at Jesus Crucifixion

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Later they were warned in a dream not to return
to Herod, and they went back home by another
road.
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Mary and Josephtook Jesus to the temple in
Jerusalem and presented him to the Lord.
At this time a man named Simeon was living in
Jerusalem. Simeon was a good man. He loved God
and was waiting for God to save the people of
Israel.
Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms and
praised God
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Lord, I am your servant, and now I can die in
peace, because you have kept your promise to me
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With my own eyes I have seen what you have done
to save your people and foreign nations will also
see this
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Your mighty power is a light for all nations,
and it will bring honor to your people Israel.
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Joseph and Mary returned home to Nazareth in
Galilee. The child Jesus grew. He became strong
and wise and God blessed him.
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Johns Narrative chapter 1 verse 14
And the Word became flesh and dwelled among us,
and we saw his glory, glory as of the only
begotten from the Father, full of grace and
truth.
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Born of the Seed of Woman
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Born of a Virgin
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Born at Bethlehem
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Presented with Gifts
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Children killed
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He Shall Be called Immanuel (God with Us)
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He Shall Be called Lord
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Question

• What do you think about Jesus fulfilling these
  prophecies?
• Where he was born?
• What his name was?
• What his ancestors would be?
• Born of a virgin?
• Given gifts from a King?
• Be the result of a tragic event of children dying.

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Ill describe something relating to
Christmas, and you tell me what it is BTW
This will be much easier than any
GRE, GMAT, or TOEFL test!
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Ill give you some hints, then you tell me
what it is Im describing that relates to
what you see at Christmas time. Here we go
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These were first used back in the 1500s. Last
year In the U.S.A. about 35 million were
taken home in cars or trucks. The real ones last
about 3-4 weeks. The fake ones are made of
plastic or aluminum and can be used for many
years. Martin Luther had one for his kids it
had candles on it to represent the stars at
night...
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Christmas Tree

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The country of Britain first had them in the
1840s. Originally, they were all religious in
nature. In an average year 2,700,000,000 are
used (thats two billion, seven hundred
million). They dont go anywhere without a 41
cent stamp...
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CHRISTMAS CARDS

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It officially begins the day after
Thanksgiving. It ends January 1st. Stores
do 25-30 of their annual business at this
time. It often results in big-time credit card
debt in January!
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CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

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The first ones were red, white, and blue. They
were first used in New York City. They were
made by Edward Johnson in 1882, a fellow
who worked with Thomas Edison. They were first
used on a rotating Christmas tree...
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CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

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You could hear these for the first time back
around 1200 AD. They were made popular by
traveling mystery plays which performed biblical
stories. Now, you only hear them around
Christmas time
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CHRISTMAS CAROLS (SONGS)
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This persons ancestor lived in the 4th
century AD. He was from the city of Myra, in
what is now the country of Turkey. He liked to
give things to poor people without them knowing
who it came from. His English name comes from
the Dutch Sinter Klass...
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SANTA CLAUS

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This day first began to be celebrated back around
385 AD. This specific date is not even mentioned
in the Bible. Some people celebrate this day on
January 6. Its just before December 26...
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Christmas/December 25th

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You purchase Christmas gifts for several
people. Other people also buy gifts for
you. Everyone opens each others gifts. As the
gifts are opened, people say to each
other Wow, thanks! I cant believe
you got this for me! Where in the world did
you find this, anyway? How did you know I
needed this? Ive been looking all over the
place for this!
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GIFT EXCHANGE

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Up to now, everything I have mentioned
concerning Christmas deals with what people do
for other people giving gifts, sending
Christmas cards, setting up trees, lights,
singing Christmas carols, etc.
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Plus, everything mentioned so far had its
origin in what we call the West, that is, in
places such as Europe, North America, etc.
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However, the original meaning of Christmas
begins in what we today call the Middle
East. So, now, well move on to Part II!
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The original meaning of Christmas (Part II)
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Long before Christmas trees, Christmas cards,
Christmas shopping, Christmas lights,
Christmas carols, Santa Claus, December 25th,
and the Gift Exchange came along
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The original meaning of Christmas involved
the relationship between God and humankind.
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The original meaning of Christmas involves
basically 3 things. The first thing is
something we ALL like to talk about
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Gods love Its easy to see Gods love for
humankind in the Bible. Gods love is
referred to dozens of times in the Bible.
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The second thing the original meaning of
Christmas involves is something we dont like
to talk about as much
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Gods holiness This refers to God being
totally perfect. He has never done anything
wrong. He is holy. No one can accuse Him of doing
anything bad.
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The third thing the original meaning of
Christmas involves is something we dont like to
talk about at all (especially at Christmas time,
which is supposed to be a happy time!)
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Our sin What does sin mean?
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Sin simply means missing the mark or
missing the target. This refers to the fact
that we human beings miss (cannot hit
or reach) Gods level of holiness and
perfection.
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Sin can be Something we do that God doesnt
like. Something we think or say that God doesnt
like. Something good we should do, but dont
do. Or just an attitude of pride or rebellion
against God.
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Being people who are not holy and perfect
people who miss the mark of Gods
perfection and holiness
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-does not mean we are criminals. -does not
mean we are as bad as we could be (perhaps you
know other people worse than you). -does not
mean that we never do good things for other
people.
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However, being people who miss the
mark and fall short of Gods
perfection does mean this
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Were not good enough and we cannot, on our
own effort, by ourselves, be good enough to earn
Gods love or favor or work our way to heaven.
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This is BAD news (!) for some people because
some people think they are able to to earn
Gods love,
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to work their way to heaven, and to impress God
enough with their good works (pass the
test) in order to earn Gods love and
forgiveness.
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Many people think God has a test like a TOEFL
test, GMAT test, or GRE test and getting into
heaven is just like getting into college.
All we have to do is pass one of these tests
and were in on Gods good side.
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Or, we think if we can just do better than
other people around us who take the same test,
we think this will impress God big-time and
make him happy.
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However, God already has given humanity a 10
point test, and everyone (except one person)
has failed this 10 point test.
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We call this 10 point test the TEN
COMMANDMENTS, and no human being (except one)
has ever passed this simple 10 point test.
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And actually, God gave us these Ten
Commandments and many others in the Old
Testament to show us that we are not perfect and
we need forgiveness.
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So heres the situation that the original
meaning of Christmas addresses God loves
you. Because of this love He wants to have a
personal relationship with everyone in
this room.
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However, Gods holiness and our
sin do not mix very well at all and keep
us separate from each other.
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God still loves us, but cannot have a
relationship with us because of this
separation caused by our missing the mark.
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A few moments ago, we talked about Christmas
trees Christmas cards Christmas lights Christmas
carols Santa Claus December 25, and Gift
Exchange
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One of these modern-day Christmas
activities actually does help explain what the
original meaning of Christmas really is all
about.
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The Gift Exchange Lets take both of these
words Gift Exchange
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A Gift Something voluntarily
transferred by one person to
another person without payment.
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EXCHANGE Giving or taking one thing in
return for another (trade) The act or
process of substituting one thing for
another.
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We celebrate Christmas because of Jesus
birth however, the main reason he was born
was to die (about 30 years after his
birth) for us in our place as
our substitute.
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So, what is Christmas?
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Christmas is when God set the stage for a
great EXCHANGE to take place.
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God exchanged (traded) our sins, placed them
on Jesus, while He was dying on the cross as our
substitute.
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Then He exchanges and places Jesus
righteousness (goodness, perfection) on to
us when we individually accept Jesus as our
sacrifice and substitute.
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This results in a meaningful and abundant
relationship with God for the rest of this life
and into eternity
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based not on what we earned, but based on the
GIFT God gives to us (forgiveness,
righteousness) because of the EXCHANGE that took
place.