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CHRISTMAS UNDERCOVER
by Chris Callahan
Special thanks to my
Lord and Savior for His revelations of Truth and giving me the understanding
and wisdom to write this book.
“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried
in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest
be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint
thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”
Jesus the Christ -Revelation 3:18
PREFACE
There is currently a left
wing agenda in the United States that is working to remove every mention of
God and Jesus Christ from Christmas. Nativity scenes, and gospel hymns
about Christ’s birth have been attacked at all levels. Those who desire to
purge our schools, government buildings, and church lawns of all signs of
Christianity are doing so not because of Christmas but because of their
hostility toward anything that resembles or sounds like Christianity. Their
point is to eradicate any mention of Jesus Christ from public life. This
assault is a clear violation of the Constitutional rights Christians have to
worship the way they desire. It is a God given right and should be
protected as such. Those who decide to participate in the Christmas season
should do so without animosity from those who choose not to participate.
The same should be said for those who practice Christmas as well. Those who
decide not to observe Christmas should not be persecuted by those who do.
Every Christian needs to respect the vast differences between the many
different Christian faiths. Jesus Christ will soon settle this matter for
good at His glorious return. And if discussed it should be done in
gentleness and respect toward our fellow man whether Jew, Christian, Muslim
or any other ethnic group.
What many don’t realize is
that the United States of America was founded upon Christianity by those who
were escaping the persecution of the Roman Church in the Middle Ages. Many
of those who came to America were not celebrating a Christmas season. In
today’s Christian culture Christmas has surged to be the most influential
Christian season of the year. It provides an economic surge to our economy
before the Roman New Year and brings joy to many people from cultures around
the globe. But there is a flip side to this. The Christmas season brings
many to depression, anxiety, hurt, suicide, loneliness, and the stress to
conform to worldly standards. But there is a better way that God provides
for His people to rejoice in. The Holy Days of Jesus Christ picture His
redemptive work for the salvation of mankind and provides a festive
atmosphere for those that choose to observe them in different locations
around the world. These Holy Days can be found in the 23rd
chapter of Leviticus and have a continuous flow throughout the tapestry of
the Bible. Jesus observed them because He created them for us to rejoice
in.
Since Christmas will continue
to be the choice for Christians worldwide to celebrate the birth of Christ
this book will examine the true roots of the most celebrated Christian
holiday of the year. This book is not an attempt to take away Christmas,
neither is it a book to endorse Christmas. It was written to reveal the
truth about Christmas and what the Word of God says about it. In this book
you will be challenged at many levels of your faith in Christmas. I, the
author, believe in absolute Truth. My agenda is to shed light on what many
Christians have been blinded to about the Christmas holiday. The choice is
still between the Christian and the Maker. Did the apostles celebrate this
holiday? Is it commanded in the Bible? Where did some of the popular
traditions of Christmas come from? What does the Word of God say about this
tradition? Is there an accurate date for the birth of Jesus? In this study
I provide variety of sources to give insight on the truth of the most
popular Christian tradition in our modern world. It is important that the
reader prayerfully has an open mind and to verify the scriptures and the
text of sources that are used in this book to ensure validity. This study
is based on allowing the Bible to speak and history to be revealed. This
book uses the King James Version Bible unless otherwise noted. I
pray that you will grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ
as you endeavor “Christmas Undercover”.
CHAPTER 1
What is Christmas?
What does “Christmas” mean to
you? For most of people in the western world it conjures up thoughts of
snow covered fields, Old Saint Nick, beautiful lights, and neatly wrapped
gifts under the tree, Nativity scenes, and beautiful hymns sung by heavenly
choirs. But just what does the word mean? Does it supposedly encompass all
the things that come to your mind? Lets look at how the word “Christmas”
came to be and what it means.
Christmas and its Cycle – The celebration of Christ’s birth on December
25. The name is derived from the Old English Cristes Maesse or
Cristes-messe, meaning the Mass of Christ. New Catholic
Encyclopedia, book #3, P.655
Christmas (from Old English Cristes maesse, “Christ’s mass”). Christian
festival celebrated on December 25, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ
and also a popular secular holiday. Encyclopedia Britannica,
P.283
The word Christmas entered the English language sometime around 1050 as
the Old English phrase Christes maesse, meaning “festival of Christ.”
Scholars believe the frequently used shortened form of Christmas—Xmas—may
have come into use in the 13th century. The X stands for the Greek letter
chi, an abbreviation of Khristos (Christ), and also represents the cross on
which Jesus was crucified. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000 –
Christmas
Christmas, The Englsih name for the Feast of the Nativity (Middle English
Cristes masse, ‘the festival mass of Christ’). There is no scriptural
warrant for the celebration of the birth of Jesus on 25 December, nor is
there any precise indication of the day in the birth narratives in the
Gospels of Luke and Matthew. Dictionary of Christian Lore
and Legend, by JCJ Metford, P. 67
From these resources we see
that “Christmas” is a shortened word for the “Mass (or festival) of
Christ”. According to some sources it entered the English language around
the year 1050. The word “Christmas” cannot be found anywhere in the Bible.
So how did this “Mass (or festival) of Christ” become instituted as a
celebration on December 25th into our mainstream Christian
world? We will discover that in the proceeding chapters.
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