Christmas, whatever its true date, is when God became one of us, so that when the time came, he could demonstrate, by dying for us, that he loves us despite our works, whether they are good or sin–…demonstrate that his unconditional love motivates choosing good works over sin, rather than the other way around: good works motivating unconditional love (which would be a contradiction). This took a while to sink in for his original disciples (hence, Paul), and most the world–even many claiming to be Christians–still don’t get it…even though Christ did not arrive, live, or die unannounced. He is the summing up of the Old Testament, all of which foreshadowed his coming…and his return. The world thinks this is crazy, and it is. But it’s crazy good.
In fact, Christmas is the only reason ‘good’ can possibly describe anything in reality. In order for goodness to be “true” it must describe a being that IS goodness. If there is no God who actually demonstrates that he always is and does Golden Rule love (which is what he did by becoming one of us and switching perspectives on the cross)–then there is no always-good being in reality to which “good” can correspond (be true). God did that, because his goodness is real.
^Bill, are you still sharing pics of you on Black Friday? :0)
But, yeah…you just showed excellent contrast in less than a thousand words. I wonder how many discussions could be had that way? And yet children would just not get them. Thanks for making the effort to express yourself, Bill.
So you think Jesus was God? I would think the purpose of Christmas is to encourage the act of giving and thus loving. Or at least that is what it should be about.
Hello, Abstract. I do think Jesus is God. It’s good to give, sure, but that’s true always, and if you think it puts you “in God’s good graces” you’ve missed the point of Christmas :0)
One man had a magic book of words that he thought were True. Anyone who disagreed, he killed.
Some of the disagreeable people celebrated a grand festival of SOL INVICTUS, in profound reverence, each year connecting and reconnecting themselves with the workings of the heavens. This annoyed the man with the Book, so he pretended it was to do with something from his Book, and celebrated too, whilst killing the disagreeable ones.
It is the birth of Christ from the Book, said the man, and all the world understands it wrongly. Christ from the Book gave his life to show how much he loves me.
The poor man! He did not know what is True, nor what is Christ, nor when it was born, nor why it died, and the poor man never, ever read the book of Truth to understand what it said, but opened it only to celebrate his own good fortune of being in its possession.
Merry Christmas, James :0) Yes, absolutely the point of the post is that Christmas is a demonstration that God is love. I understood what you meant after you clarified things. It’s a Christmas miracle! :-p
Ierrellus…thanks for the cryptic aphorism. Care to unpack?
Abstract, do you think givers are more valuable, significant, worthy, accepted, purposeful and secure in who they are, than receivers, based only on the fact that they are givers? Do they cease to have value, et cetera, if they fail to measure up to your standard of giving? What is your standard of giving? Do you know anyone who meets it perfectly? Does it describe anyone in reality, all the time? Do you know anyone that is the very picture of your idea of a valuable, significant, worthy, et cetera, giver? Do they not have any vices at all?
Ierrellus…still hoping you unpack and stay a while.
Did you guys hear about the shooting in Connecticut? :'0(
The true meaning of Christmas is the winter solstice celebration of the pagans. Almost all the symbolism of Christmas comes from this, including the name Yule. Trees decorated, big family dinner, and a bearded deity flying though the sky on a sleigh pulled by reindeers, distributing presents (originally the god Woden), all comes from pre-Christian traditions. Getting back to the real meaning of Christmas would actually, therefore, entail removing all the Christian elements that have been grafted onto it.
Yeah, and His foreskin (left behind when He ascended to heaven) was God skin too.
Right on Abstract. But sadly it’s become so much about consumerism that people are trampling each other to get cheap DVD players.
And what Christmas is all about is time/generation sensitive. Back when life consisted of farming, it was the celebration, not only of the birth of Jesus, but of the season change from short days to the beginning of longer days, and the coming of spring, and the growing season.
It was the birth of the sun/son. Why do you think Jesus is born at the winter solstice?
Uncoditional love is best described in 1 Cor.:13.Where it applies to God–John 3:16. When I asked my AmNative friends why the pierced their bodies (the sundance) for purification, they replied that we have nothing we can offer a god but ourselves. The greatist gift one can give another is love without conditions. I firmly believe this is the love god has for us.
As for Bill’s twist on this, it’s old hat. Hustler mag, years ago, did a send up of Easter with a cover of a crucified rabbit.
Do we chose to love? Or does love compel us? To create a being capable of chosing freely to love, would one not need to negate foreknowledge of whether that choice is in fact made? Or is it scripted, perhaps a morality play? God would have to choose to be ignorant, imho, to create a loving being. God would have to chose to cease being God. Now that would be a truly and most ultimately unconditional act of love, yes?
