Do you believe in the Virgin Birth of Christ?

Most Christians believe and most Christian denominations teach – “Can a person reject the Virgin Birth and still be a Christian? The answer is no. The Virgin Birth was never meant to stand alone. It is not a random truth plucked from thin air. God never says, "Pick and choose what you want to believe." The story of Jesus is a seamless garment woven by the Holy Spirit. Take out his miraculous birth and you have ripped the whole garment to shreds. (I guess that means if Jesus Christ was not born of a virgin then Jesus Christ cannot have divinity and to me that limits the power of God the Father.}

Christianity is not just a collection of random truths, any one of which could be dropped with little harm. It is true, and truth is a whole. Consequently, a diminution at any point inevitably affects the rest, given enough time. When we begin to drop this doctrine or that doctrine, even though we cannot see at the time how it will affect the rest, it nevertheless does affect the rest.

History teaches us that when men begin to doubt the Virgin Birth, they do not stop there. One doubt leads to another until the Jesus they believe in is not the Jesus of the Bible. In truth, the Virgin Birth is no more miraculous than the Resurrection. They stand or fall together. (I think God expects us to question, Thomas did!)

Do I understand it? No.

Do I believe it? Yes.

Why? Because the Bible teaches it and because it makes perfect sense. (Does it really make perfect sense if so then why do we Christians claim there are many things that we will not truly understand on earth?}

Can we still believe in the Virgin Birth? We can and we must.”

Joseph doubted Mary’s story about the birth of Christ. It is true that the Bible says he believed Mary after an angel appeared to him in a dream, but initially he doubted. Does doubt alone about the Virgin Birth make it impossible for you to be a Christian? I am sorry, but I do not think so!

Do I think it is enough to doubt the Virgin Birth because We have no eyewitness accounts, no doctor confirmations, no DNA samples. This may sound ridiculous, but many use this as an argument to not believe in the Virgin Birth.

The fact that Paul, the earliest New Testament author, never mentions the Virgin Birth gives credence to some for not believing. We do rely on Paul rely for much of Christian theology, it is a bit strange he did not mention it. Paul refers to Jesus’ birth twice (Rom 1:3; Gal 4:4) and never says he was born of a virgin or of different means than anyone else. You would think that would be important. Did Paul think that Jesus birth was natural and conventional?

Between 49 and 55 CE, Paul recorded the first known written reference to Jesus' birth. In Galatians 4:4, he writes: "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law." If he knew that Jesus had been conceived by a virgin, the information would have been of importance. Paul would have undoubtedly replaced "woman" with "virgin", or made some other change to show that the birth was miraculous. This passage was written some 45 years before the gospels of Matthew and Luke were written, and 55 to 62 years after Jesus' birth.  Can you blame some Christians for having doubts about the Virgin Birth?

Again, In about 57 CE, Paul wrote his only other reference to Jesus' birth. In Romans 1:1-3 he writes: "I Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and separated onto the gospel of God...concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh."

The phrase "of the seed of David" strongly indicates that Paul believed Jesus to be the son of Joseph, because Matthew traces Jesus' genealogy from David to Joseph. The phrase "according to the flesh" seems to imply a natural, normal conception and birth.

Paul does not write anything about Jesus' family in any of his Epistles except for a single reference in Galatians 1 to James, the head of the Jewish Christian church in Jerusalem. Paul called James "the Lord's brother" -- an individual with whom he had many disagreements.  I know conservative scholars claim Christians called everyone brother/sisters then.

The virgin birth is also not in Mark, the earliest gospel, or in John, the only other gospel not based on Mark. Why is such an important story left out of all the early sources? This certainly causes some to doubt the Virgin Birth.

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

Some scholars say “virgin” was a mistranslation in the Septuagint (the Greek translation the gospel writers used), and should have been translated “young woman.” That means the story might have been based on a mistranslation! Again a cause for some to question the Virgin Birth.

Was the Virgin Birth story an honest mistake: Most liberal theologians and biblical historians believe that the authors of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke copied the belief in a virgin conception from a Greek mistranslation in Isaiah 7:14 The Hebrew word "almah" (young woman) was translated in error to the Greek word for virgin? This is perhaps the most commonly accepted explanation among skeptics, secularists, and religious liberals.

It is true there were others that claim to be born of a virgin with divine fathers before Jesus. Jesus was not the first said to be born of a virgin. Mut-em-ua, the virgin Queen of Egypt, supposedly gave birth to Pharaoh Amenkept III through a god holding a cross to her mouth.

Ra, the Egyptian sun god, was said to be born of a virgin. So was Perseus, Romulus, Mithras, Genghis Khan, Krishna, Horus, Melanippe, Auge and Antiope.

In the ancient world, great men were born of divine fathers and human mothers. Alexander the Great and the Roman emperor Augustus were great men and said to have divine fathers. Jesus was also a great man, so he too must have a divine father.

The virgin birth may have been copied from a Roman fable: Livy, a famous Roman historian, had written a very popular book on the history of Rome that was widely circulated in the first decades of the 1st century CE.  In it, he explained that Mars, the Roman God of war, fathered twins Romulus and Remus, the original mythical founders of the city of Rome. Their mother was Silvia, a Vestal Virgin. Some Christian groups may have slightly modified this fable and adopted it as their own, in an attempt to show that Jesus was a person of very great importance -- an individual at least as important as the founders of Rome.

These stories may cause those that know history and legends to doubt the Virgin Birth.

The report of a Virgin Birth didn’t appear until over 50 years after it supposedly happened. Why? If ancient history is recorded by word of mouth and there was recorded history before the Virgin Birth appeared why did he take so long to record it?  How do you answer that to remove ones doubt about the Virgin Birth without adding your own personal opinion? There are no facts to stand on.

Would we believe a similar story if it happened in 2016?  Most of the people today would never, ever, believe it.

Imagine if a teenage girl in your neighborhood claimed that her pregnancy was due to God impregnating her and that she was still a virgin. Would you believe her? Or would you think she was lying or mentally ill?

Why then are some Christians so judgmental, bias and claim without any doubt that if you do not believe in the Virgin Birth you cannot be a Christian and you are destine for Hell?

Most liberal theologians do not believe in the doctrine of the virgin birth.  Skepticism about the virgin birth is not a recent development, as evidenced by a 1823 quote by Thomas Jefferson: "The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus by the Supreme Being as his father, in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter." the membership of mainline and liberal denominations like the United Church of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church, USA, etc. tend to be significantly more conservative than their ministers and theologians. Belief in the virgin birth is much higher among the laity than the clergy in these denominations.  

The Virgin Birth may have been copied from another religion.  History records that various religions claimed virgin births: Buddha was born of the virgin Maya after the Holy Ghost descended upon her. The Egyptian God Horus was born of the virgin Isis; as an infant, he was visited by three kings. In Phrygia, Attis was born of the virgin Nama. A Roman savior Quirrnus was born of a virgin. In Tibet, Indra was born of a virgin. He ascended into heaven after his death. Greek deity Adonis was born of the virgin Myrrha, many centuries before the birth of Jesus. He was born "at Bethlehem, in the same sacred cave that Christians later claimed as the birthplace of Jesus." In Persia, the god Mithra was born of a virgin on DEC-25. An alternative myth is that he emerged from a rock. Also in Persia, Zoroaster was born of a virgin. In India, there are two main stories of the birth of Krishna, one of the incarnations of Vishnu, and the second person within the Hindu Trinity. In one story, Krishna was said to have been born to his mother Devaki while she was still a virgin. In the other, he had a normal conception and birth. Is it really fair for Christians to judge non-believers of the Virgin Birth as lunatics.

Why was the Virgin Birth story delayed in being told.  Some say no respectable Jew would have ever condescended to buy into a Greek/Babylonian mythological base for an account dealing with the birth of the Messiah." This may explain why the story of the virgin birth first appeared in the Gospel of Matthew. It was written circa 80 CE at a time when most Christians were converts from Paganism who had been taught about virgin births in their former religions.

The Virgin Birth story was inspired by the Hebrew Scriptures: Throughout the Old Testament, we hear of the very unusual births of Ishmael, Isaac, Samson and Samuel. Usually prior to the birth, an angel appears to the parent-to-be; the latter is afraid; the message of an upcoming birth is given; objections are raised; and a sign is given. Matthew and Luke could have replicated the essence of these stories, and added a Virgin Birth as proof that Jesus' birth was beyond simply unusual; it was a miracle. This would establish Jesus at a much higher status than the four famous figures from the Hebrew Scriptures. Without a miraculous birth, Jesus might have been considered to be only equal in stature to those heroes.

Only the Gospels of Matthew and Luke contain references to the Virgin Birth.  In John 1:45 they refer to Jesus specifically as "the son of Joseph" and in 6:42 the townspeople ask, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?" If the author(s) of John believed in the miracle of the Virgin Birth, why would it not have been mentioned somewhere in the gospel of John, and why was Joseph allowed to stand as Jesus' father on two occasions and no attempt to clarify the statement was made.

Do I believe the Virgin Birth was possible – YES!  Do I believe you must believe it in order to be a Christian – NO!  Until I am shown in the Bible that you must believe in the Virgin Birth in order to have your sins forgiven, receive salvation or spend eternity with God I will continue to believe it is not necessary to believe in the Virgin Birth.

Random Thoughts - Christmas

Well it is about time for all of us Christian to celebrate another pagan holiday. I have no problem celebrating Christ birthday, but if we are going to do so then why not do it at a more appropriate time.

Most people know that Christ was not born in December.  It snows in the mountains of Israel in December and no Shepherd would be carrying his sheep to the fields to graze.

There was a priest named Augustine, not Saint Augustine. He was sent on a mission trip and had tried to get Catholic Christians to stop celebrating the pagan holiday that came around December 25th.  He contacted Pope Gregory and said no matter how hard I try I cannot stop them from celebrating the pagan holiday. Pope Gregory replied basically, "If you cannot beat them then join them".

Guess what? A Christian holiday came to be at the same time as the pagan holiday and it was Christ-Mass (get it) Christmas. Now the Christians could celebrate the pagan holiday and it would be a Christian holiday. I am sure they thought they had it all figured out.

The Christmas tree is a carry over from the pagan holiday. They would cut down a large tree and burn the stump and have a bond fire.  The office party is a carry over from the pagan holiday. The people could drink alcohol during that time as much as they wanted. The mistletoe and holly is a carry over from the pagan holiday. During the  time of that pagan holiday they were allowed to have casual sex.

I first really became annoyed about how we celebrate Christmas when I moved to Davao, Philippine. On Christmas morning a priest and some altar boys came carrying a cross and crib with the baby Jesus in it (DOLL). I went to the gate and one of the young boys lifted the baby Jesus (DOLL) out of the crib so delicately and put it right in front of me. He said, "Father, you can kiss baby Jesus and you will be bless next year."  I gave them the donation they came for, but I did not kiss a DOLL!

The Catholic Church teaches against superstition, but out of cultural tradition it is allowed even if it goes against the Bible. Jesus Christ is no longer a baby He was 33 years old when He was crucified. I do not dress up like a baby on my birthday and I doubt if you do. No one pretends I am a baby on my birthday.  Many homes and businesses in the Philippines has statues of they baby Jesus in them and often have a candle burning by it. Folks that is not Jesus in 2016.

The nativity scene we Christians have is not even accurate according to scripture.

By the way the doll they brought to my house on Christmas morning had BLUE eyes and pale, pale skin that is not how Jesus would have looked - He was a Jew.


I have no objection to celebrating a holiday on December 25th. If families want to gather, have a meal, pray, and exchange gifts that is fine with me. I enjoy it myself. But, I think it is time we take CHRIST out of a pagan holiday that has been commercialized.

Reconciliation is more important than gifts at Christmas

This Christmas was difficult for me. I posted a blog a few days ago about “toxic friendships” and said there were two friendships that I must end before 2016. I still intend to end those relationships, but in my heart I feel a tugging by God that it is not the “Christian” thing to do.

The thought of walking away and not attempting to reconcile, one more time, has brought me lots of pain. I cannot help recall that Jesus Christ suffered, and died in order that I could be reconciled with God the Father.

I know if I even attempted to reconcile they would say they did not intend to make me feel as I do and that I misunderstood their actions. That is what they have said many times before. They will give an insincere apology that does not come with change. I have traveled that road many times over the past eight years with them and I just do not want to travel it again. I do not want to pretend any longer that we have a relationship that we do not have.

I debated all Christmas day if I should take the long road back or just take another path in 2016.  Reconciliation with them would not be comfortable and honestly seems pointless.

But, I feel I need to try to reconcile not for my relationship with them, but for my relationship with God.  Reconciliation is so much a part of our Christian faith.

“Peace on earth and mercy mild God and sinners reconcile” – it is easy to sing about, but when it comes to sinner and sinner reconciling that is not always so easy to do. I can think of many reasons not to reconcile with them, but then I recall all the things I have done that God could use as reasons not to reconcile with me. 

I know the Bible and that makes it even more difficult because I know the scriptures that point out my sins. I know when I mistreat someone God loves I mistreat God. When I am unreconciled with one that God loves I am unreconciled with Him. I believe Christ in many ways said we cannot be reconciled with God if we are not reconciled with our brothers and sisters. God loves them as He loves me!

“If you come to my altar to offer your sacrifice and you remember you are not reconciled with a brother or sister leave your gift and go reconcile with them and then return and offer your gift to me.” God makes it difficult to not be at peace with others, but how can you be at peace with others when peace means nothing to them if they are not getting exactly what they want from you. What about tough love?

The true meaning of Christmas is the baby Jesus who is our reconciliation with God. But, I am sure they have never thought about that so why should I – I know that is secular response and not the Christian response.

I am praying for help from the Holy Spirit, because on my own, I cannot sweep past hurt under the rug any longer.

If God and sinner can be reconciled then how can Christians withhold the offer of reconciliation to others even if they do not accept it or simply do not care? I want to challenge you to do the right thing today – to do what God would want you to do – not what I am presently doing. If you are thinking of someone that you are at odds with right now at least consider reconciling with them. I can testify to the fact that if you are a Christian being unreconciled with others does bring pain!  I want to do what Christ did for me, but at the moment I just cannot bring myself to do it – the dysfunction is just too great.

“The pursued of peace without the promise of peace is never a waste of time.”  Knowing the right thing to do (reconciling) and doing it is difficult sometimes even for ministers. Keep that in mind in 2016 if you ever feel your minister has failed you – he or she is human just like you - they may think you failed them. 

You can make Christmas happy or sad for others.

Christmas can be one of the happiest times of the year and it can be the unhappiest. Christmas brings back memories of the past and those memories can be good or bad. Christmas can be a time when people come together with family and friends or a time when people find themselves alone. This is especially true for the elderly, but it is also true for the young and middle age.  

Early in my ministry I got acquainted with nursing home ministry. I discovered a world that I did not know existed. I was shocked to discover elderly people being warehoused in nursing homes simply because their families did not want to be bothered with them. The elderly person had served their purpose, born them, and supported them through their childhood with clothes, medical needs, transportation, education, love, shelter and companionship. The young had no need for the elderly any longer because the young were not intellectual enough to realize the elderly had wisdom to share with them that only comes through experience. 

I have mentioned this to children that were neglecting their elderly parents and have been told, “I did not ask to be born”, “They only did what parents are expected to do”, “I cannot help they did not prepare for old age”, “I have my own life and children”, I am just too busy trying to survive”, etc.

I must also add there are situation when nursing home facilities serve a real need and provide care that can not be provided at home. If children decide on nursing home care because it is in the best interest of the parent and do not neglect them the children should not feel guilty for making the decision to do so.

One of the nursing homes I visited weekly in Houston had many elderly that were there for the right reasons, but there were some there for the wrong reasons. One Greek man who had founded a restaurant in Houston and passed it on to his son had no visitors for years. The son, daughter-in-law and grandson lived within blocks of the nursing home in the elderly man’s elegant home.  The man was neglected by the nursing home staff because they knew no one ever visited him.

On Christmas Eve 1978 I carried Communion to the nursing home and found him tied in a wheelchair, soaked in urine and complained to the staff. The staff showed little interest so on the way back to the parish I stopped at the elderly man’s home where the son was now living. I knocked and the college age grandson came to the door. I ask for his father and was told his dad and mother was on holiday in Paris, France. I ask the young man if he had visited his grandfather in the nursing home and he said, “No, did you come to tell me he is dead.” The grandson showed no emotion whatsoever. I saw no one cared about the elderly man. I left a Christmas gift with the grandson for his father, a business card with this notation, “Check on your father regularly or I will go to the newspaper”, Fr. Tom.

When they returned from their holiday in Paris I got the response I expected, threats of a lawsuit.  I stood my grounds and they started checking on the elderly man and later sent me a letter thanking me for bringing to their attention that the nursing home was not giving the care they were paying for.  Not one word that they were in anyway responsible. I suppose their lawyer advised them that would be the best thing to do.

I could give many more examples of elderly being neglected by their families in nursing homes and in their own homes. What most Americans do not know is that studies reveal the wealthy are less likely than others to look after their elderly parents. The wealthy visit their elderly parents less and call them less than others. Research found twice as many well-off individuals were ignoring their elderly relatives than those earning ordinary or below average pay. This research makes clear money is not the primary issue in not caring for elderly parents.

A YouGov poll of 1,008 children, 45 to 60 year olds, with elderly parents, found 500 parents over 65, felt neglected by their children. This poll also revealed that the children with the lowest incomes did more for their parents.

Many psychiatrists believe loneliness is one of the largest contributors to psychiatric illnesses in young and old.  God created us to connect to other humans and when we are disconnected; our souls shatter into a thousand little pieces.

I have heard it said a thousand times that crazy people prefer to live on the streets and be homeless. I do not agree with that. I think loneliness and homelessness is what makes people on the street crazy.

People in solitary confinement, deprived of interaction with other people, begin to doubt everything, including their own existence. The same is true of the elderly robbed of interaction with other human being. Americans tend to think of ourselves as self-sufficient, self-made individuals. But that’s not really true. God called us into existence and at the same time called us to be in relationships with other people. Other human beings play an important role in us keeping our sense of identity intact. Many do not realize how important hearing our name spoken by others is to maintaining our sense of identity.

We all have or had parents and we all came into this world completely helpless and needy. Many often forget that fact as they grow into adulthood and begin to make their own decisions and creating their own lives.  It is contributing to a sense of peculiar loneliness in modern societies. Modern societies have begun to want their own personal space and it results in isolation.

The rise of social media and digital communications cannot end loneliness. We can be lonely in a crowd and especially now in a digital crowd. A lot of modern technology encourages individual isolation. The other night I watched a group of adults in a restaurant. There were six people and all had their cell phones out playing games while waiting for their food. People are finding it more and more difficult to carry on conversations and technology is being used to keep them from having to.

Have you ever stopped to think that prior to newspapers people got their news at the local pub from each other? Newspapers came along and they began to get their news alone at home. They did not even have to leave home to get the newspaper it was tossed at their front door in the morning or night.  Many of us did not see the face of our dad at breakfast because he was hid behind the newspaper making conversation with him impossible. In our home my mother was an enabler by telling us when we arrived at the table, “Now you know your father is trying to read the newspaper before he has to go to work”.

Prior to air condition we sat out on our porches trying to get cool in the evenings. We engaged in conversation with those on the porch with us and the neighbors that walked by. Sometimes the houses were so close we conversed with the neighbors on the next porch. Prior to central heat the family sat around the fire place to keep warm and the close proximity brought on conversation. Technology has had good and bad effects on modern society often without us realizing it. We do not want to give up modern conveniences, but we need to take intentional actions to correct the negative effects they may have upon us.

Have you ever thought how television taught us not to look face to face with friends and family? As we gather around the television we are all looking at a screen and not looking at one another. We need to set aside time for games, prayer, and conversation without modern technology interrupting.

We must recognize the positive side of communication technology. It allows us to connect in ways that we’ve never before been able to be connected. We can have friends, even good friends, in every part of the country, even every part of the world. We can keep in touch with distant family members. I have a good friend that I have not seen in ten years, but we stay in touch weekly. Our friendship is as solid today as it was when I left the United States January 1, 2005 thanks to modern technology.

The key is to be aware of the downside of technology and to take steps to minimize the damage and counteract it. We certainly should be teaching our kids by our own examples how to use technology correctly and not lose face to face communication skills, not become isolated and the proper times to and not to use modern technology.

There are emotions revealed by physical expressions that emails and telephone calls with words will never be able to correctly demonstrate. We should keep this in mind when sensitive subjects are to be discussed and we can meet with the other party face to face. Humans will never thrive without physical contact we were not created by God to do so.

Our mega churches today often contribute to loneliness. They are just too large for us to build personal relationship with one another. Gone are the days of church ice cream socials, dinner on the ground, pot luck dinners, etc. When a congregation gets larger than 300 it begins to lose the family gathering place atmosphere and begins to take on an entertainment gathering place atmosphere. Some mega churches stress small groups to try and overcome that problem.

Pastors of mega churches generally are not the ones to visit the sick, unless they are large contributors to the church. The man or woman that delivers the message has staff of ministers that visit the sick and does the counseling. The pastor is the church celebrity that the admirers only get to listen to and see from a distance.

When a minister on staff visits the sick they generally have to introduce themselves to the person that is ill and to his or her family. They may have never seen that particular minister before. There is no personal relationship with the person from the church when you need it the most. But, most people choose mega churches for the entertainment value and they do not want personal relationships with anyone at church.  We are becoming a society that chooses isolation and then we wonder why we are having so many societal problems.

If you have not visited a loved one that lives close by, especially the elderly, this is the season of the year to do it. Perhaps if we begin in January 2016 to try and develop communication skills, face to face contact and break our addiction to modern technology Christmas 2016 will not be as lonely for some.

Keep in mind loneliness/isolation is tied to hardening of the arteries, which leads to high blood pressure, inflammation in the body, and even problems with learning and memory. Loneliness/isolation damages the immune system. Loneliness/isolation doesn't just make people feel unhappy; it actually makes them feel unsafe, mentally and physically. Social isolation and loneliness appears to be associated with a greater risk of dying, but isolation is more damaging to ones health than just loneliness. If you are neglecting a loved one, especially an elderly love one, you are doing more harm to them than you may realize!

Looking for signs that God can still use me!

My health has deteriorated drastically over the last two years. My mind wants to do the things I once did, but my body will not allow it. I try to continue to go to church on Sundays because I have a strong desire to do so and go to the mall coffee shop a few times a week to satisfy friends. Each and every time I do I wonder if it is really worth it? Personally, it is too much of a struggle and drains me of every ounce of energy that I have, not to mention the chest pain and shortness of breath.

Lately something small always happens that causes me to make negative comments. Things that once would not have bothered me now drive me nuts. Little things like people eating with their hands in nice restaurants instead of using utensils, unattended children in the coffee shop splashing your coffee as they run and hit your table, people who see you walking to get in a taxi and know you are walking with a cane and assistance from someone else, but will run and get the taxi ahead of you.  I spiral downward and seem to be unable not to make nasty comments.

I then regret going out of the house. I begin to think I gave my life to Christ wanting to be used by Him, but I expected to serve out of my strength and not my weakness. It is hard to serve when you no longer feel adequate to do so.

As usual for this time of year I began to study the Christmas story. It hit me yesterday how Mary must have felt. I did a piece sometime back that I did not understand why people think the birth of Christ was a walk in the park for Mary.

How many friends and neighbors do you think really believed Mary was a virgin?  Her pregnancy must have been a scandal and the focal point of gossipers. Her family must have felt disgraced. Joseph at first did not even believe God had called Mary to give birth to Christ.

I wonder if Mary at times thought I did not sign on for this public humiliation. Did she ever say, ‘you are God why can’t you handle this better?’ Do you think Mary ever ask God will this one day get better? After all Mary was mortal, not a god.

I just do not believe Mary was totally jubilant as she struggled, pregnant, the last eighty miles to Bethlehem. She may have said some unkind words at times. She had no one to make the trip easier except Joseph. I know we vision her riding upon a donkey because that is what we see in pictures, but the Bible says nothing about a donkey. I believe Mary walked the eighty miles. How many pregnant women about to give birth do you know that would or could go on an eighty mile hike?

Why was Joseph’s family not traveling with them? They were required to go to Bethlehem for the census just as Joseph was. Do you think the family may not have wanted to be seen with them because they were ashamed of Mary’s pregnancy? All we really know is there was no prearranged place for them to stay. Joseph must have had family that lived in Bethlehem. No one seems to have felt an obligation to give up their bed for a pregnant woman.   

Did Mary not wonder why God had not intervened to make things easier for her? Scripture does not record that this birth was anything other than ordinary. It appears to me to have been a bloody and painful birth as all births are.  She gave birth and the baby was placed in swaddling cloth as all babies were at the time. It seems to have been a normal human birthing.

It would have been normal for family to have been present for the birth. The Bible records Mary and Joseph were alone. It makes no mention of family. Why did the family choose to stay away? Do you not think this would have made the situation even more difficult for a new mother?

I am not a woman, but I have counsel with lots of pregnant women. I have never met a woman about to give birth or has just given birth that her body chemistry was normal. All sorts of things must have gone through Mary’s mind – is this place safe, is this place clean, where do I lay the baby, God is this what you really planned for us and is this really the Son of God?

Signs in the Bible were significant. Can you imagine how relieved Mary must have been when the shepherds came and told Mary and Joseph all that had happened? Angels had proclaimed their child’s birth. The shepherds were Mary’s confirmation that her baby was the Son of God.

The Shepherd’s needed a sign to let them know they were in the right place. They were told: “…you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” The messy, dirty, smelly feeding trough was the sign that God used to show the shepherds where the Savior lay.

Mary needed a sign, the shepherds needed a sign and we sometimes need a sign in order to know that we are still in God’s will. That God is still with us and we are still being used by God. I just posted a piece on Mother Teresa and she had been looking for a sign before her death.

But what if the confirmation or sign from God is that things will continue to get more difficult and more humbling than we expected? The opposite of what we wanted? What if the confirmation or sign is that God is with us in our lonely/hard places, but things will remain hard and lonely? What if the confirmation or sign is our manger?

When our plans are falling apart, our lives feel unimportant and we are hoping for something better/easier, perhaps we are exactly where God wants us to be. That is what I have to accept and Mother Teresa had to accept, but it is sometimes difficult to accept that God knows best, but we must.

So as I grief over my weakness and disappointments, I recall the manger. My suffering is not pretty. It’s painful and humbling, but with the Holy Spirit's help I can still glorify God.

God can use our pain and humiliation to bring him the greatest glory. God’s kingdom does not operate as our earthly kingdom does: “The last shall be first, the weak shall be strong, and the foolish shall shame the wise.” Those are strange principles for humans, but strange or not that is what Christians are called to accept as a way of life.  

I am called with the help of the Holy Spirit to show strength to others in this time of weakness. I am called to show that I can maintain faith in these times of trials. I am called to demonstrate that I still have hope. I am called to allow God to use me in spite of my circumstances the same as Mary and Mother Teresa.

Losing my temper, replying with unkind words, being impatient does not help me or others and it certainly prevents God from using me. So, this Christmas season and every day that follows I will try harder than I have in recent months to be what God wants me to be while continuing to look for a sign that God still has a use for me.

Christians can celebrate Halloween!

Halloween or All Hallows Eve was stolen from Christians.  What started as a day to prepare for All Saints’ Day (November 1st), Halloween became a spooky, evil, and candy filled observance. The term “Halloween” from its beginnings, had nothing to do with any pagan or evil beliefs. The Christian festival “All Hallows Eve” morphed into our current term Halloween.

The term Halloween comes from the sense of what is “hallowed” or “holy”. In the Lord’s Prayer, Christians pray, “Our Father, in heaven, hallowed be your name…”  In the fourth century the Eastern Church celebrated a festival in honor of all saints who died. In the seventh and eighth centuries, Christians celebrated “All Saints’ Day” formally.

How did Halloween become associated with evil spirits?  The Druids, in what is now Britain and France, observed the end of summer with sacrifices to their gods. It was the beginning of the Celtic year, and they believed Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits to attack humans, who could escape only by wearing disguises and looking like evil spirits themselves.

The Christian observance of Halloween began with a religious focus and Christians should take back Halloween. The argument of religious leaders that it is a sin to celebrate Halloween is not valid if we are going to celebrate Christmas and Easter when we do. Christmas and Easter in Europe had pagan connections.  We do not abandon Christmas and Easter and should not abandon All Hallows Eve. No one really knows what happened during the pagan festival of Samhain. There is not one shred of evidence of what actually took place.

Gregory III (731–741) and Gregory IV (827–844) moved the Christian holiday All Saints’ Day from May 13 to November 1 to replace the pagan rituals on October 31 and November 1.  Gregory III instructed people to dress up as saints.

Most Christians may not understand that Christmas was selected for a December observance because of the Nordic holiday of Yule. Scholars believe Jesus Christ was born during a warmer month than December.  Many scholars believe that Jesus’ birthday was in fact during a warmer month. The ancient pagans, in the beginning of the winter solstice, when the days became shorter and the weather became colder celebrated Yule.  As a pagan observance, the Scandinavian cultures would keep a fire going with a giant tree or log and the people often made sacrifices before an oak tree for a period of 12 days…is this a connection with the 12 days of Christmas?  Not to mention the Christmas tree. Pagans would burn or use evergreens in their festivals.

The observance of Easter is the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. However, the modern English word “Easter “can be traced to an older English word Ēastre or Ēostre or Eoaster, which refers to Eostur-monath, a month that the Germanic peoples named after the goddess Ēostre. If the word Easter has connections to pagan rituals of celebrating spring time, does that devalue Easter?

Understanding that early Christians contextualized early pagan holidays into Christian holidays helps us to see that we do not have to compromise our beliefs with pagan ones.

Halloween does not have to be a holiday filled with Dracula’s, bloody masks, or witches. There was a time when children dressed up, but their costumes were not sinister. During the Great Depression, children often disguised themselves as hobos, burglars, pirates… in other words, as economic and social outcasts, symbolic of the troubles from which their parents were struggling to escape. Those children were trying to make light of their situation. Halloween in the 19th century was devoid of scary masks and monsters.

If you still think Halloween is an evil day, then maybe you should see All Hallows Eve as a time when Christians can laugh and even mock evil. Martin Luther said, “The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn.” Thomas More said, “The devil … the proud spirit cannot endure to be mocked.”

The one thing Satan cannot bear is to be a source of laughter. His pride is undermined by his own knowledge that his infernal rebellion against God is in reality an absurd farce. Hating laughter, he demands to be taken seriously. I would say that those Christians who spend the night of October 31st filled with concern over what evils might be taking place are doing the very thing Lucifer wants them to do. By giving him this respect, such believers are giving his authority credence.

Christians should instead celebrate Halloween with enthusiasm. If we follow the traditional formula of having a good time at his expense, Satan should flee. By laughing and mocking evil by goofy costumes we can take a posture of triumph with Christ.

Christians should focus and teach the concept of celebrating All Saint’s Day, November 1st in churches.

The term “saint” is used over 60 times in the New Testament. Protestants use the word saints to describe the Christians living and dead.  We can also honor our loved ones who have given us Christ, such as our parents, grandparents, etc.…  We can thank God for them and pray for the living “saints”.  Churches can use All Saints Day to light candles as an act of prayer for thanking God for the special people (“saints”) in our lives.

Protestants can learn from the saints of the church for the last 2,000 years. Protestants have often been fearful of honoring and learning from the Church saints for fear that they are venerating them as Catholics do.

When Jesus confronted evil demons in the New Testament they were fearful and obeyed the commands of Jesus to leave the people they possessed.  Much of the outcry concerning Halloween comes from the fear of evil or welcoming evil into their homes or lives.  No one should go out and look for spiritual warfare, but we should take comfort in knowing that Christ has given us the tools to fend away evil through faith in God, scripture, the power of Christ, the Holy Spirit, fasting, and prayer.

Why should Christians allow others to claim Halloween as their own? We should take back “All Hallows Eve” by embracing “All Saints Day” and remembering our “saints” by separating “All Hallows Eve” from the pre-Christian practices.

Christians can take comfort in understanding the historical Christian remembrance that is associated with “All Hallows Eve” and “All Saints Day”.  Children can collect donations for UNICEF or for a local cause. We Christians can also view Halloween as a fun event for children by having events in churches or in our communities where children and their parents can dress up, play games, and share some treats in a safe place.

If celebrating Halloween is a sin, it is a man-made sin and not a sin defined by God! To give you an example of this I will tell you a true story. A friend of mind decided to give the children of the community an opportunity to celebrate Halloween in the fashion he did as a child. We all know it is no longer safe in all neighborhoods to allow children to go door to door asking for treats. He decided, along with his parish council, to have a Halloween party in their fellowship hall. The community was invited. They requested no scary costumes. Prizes were given for the best homemade costume, best angel costume and most original costume. They had a large piñata shaped like a cloud. When the children broke the piñata open candy fell to the floor along with ‘Bible scriptures written on colorful paper’. There was a ‘pin the wings on an angel’ game.  The men of the church dressed like Biblical characters. There was absolutely nothing about this party that would make one think of evil spirits or the devil.

The Southern Baptist minister in the community attacked my friend and his church unmerciful. He even gave an interview to the local newspaper accusing the church of being an occult. On the following Sunday in his pulpit he told his people that the church was practicing witchcraft and devil worshipping. He said my friend and the members of his church would be, “fried, boiled and stewed in hell”.

The following week he discovered some of his members had taken their children to the party. That Sunday he called out the names of those people and asks them to leave his church and never return. I will leave it up to you who do you think committed the sin my friend or the narrow minded Southern Baptist minister.

I have one more question for you - do you still wonder why the younger generation is leaving organized religion when we practice such bigotry in our churches.

Southern Baptist Convention in recent years has decreased in membership every year; although the number of small churches opened were over 200 last year. Last year they had fewer baptisms than ever, which mean less people are joining the religious organization. They also did not meet last year’s financial goal they claim they need to maintain their outreach programs. 

Please know I am not being critical of Southern Baptist Church members or all Southern Baptist ministers. I am speaking of only one Southern Baptist minister. I also am not saying only the Southern Baptist Convention is getting smaller most, if not all, organized religious organizations are growing smaller.

Was the birth of Jesus as we have been taught?

“Silent night, holy night, all is calm; all is bright round yon virgin mother and child.  Holy infant, so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.”

Giving birth to my knowledge has never been easy, soothing, peaceful and without pain.  Why do we think Mary would have experience birth any differently?  Why do we think Joseph would not have been concerned about their being complications with the birth of his child as daddy’s are today. 

Caesar Augustus, emperor of Rome, decreed that a census be taken and that everyone return to the ancestral village of the head of the household.  Joseph was from Bethlehem which meant they would have to travel approximately ten days walking from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  The Bible does not say Mary rode on a donkey, although many have come to believe that was the mode of her transportation.  Do not forget Mary was nine months pregnant.  I would think that the journey included pain, fear and tears. 

They had no reservations in Bethlehem and I doubt if there was an inn in Bethlehem.  Bethlehem was a very small town.  They must have been concerned about where they would stay.  Like most people in that time they would have wanted to stay with relatives.  Joseph had relatives in Bethlehem.  No innkeeper is actually mentioned in the Biblical record of Christ’s birth.  There would have been a problem finding a place to stay, everyone was crowding into Bethlehem for the census and his relatives may not have had any room.

They arrived and Luke tells us there was no room, but he does not tell us that Mary and Joseph were in a barn with sheep’s and goats.  Luke does tell us there was a feeding trough for animals.  Someone may have removed the animals so Mary and Joseph could use the room. 

They were most likely in a room at the back of a relative’s house.   At that time people brought their animals in at night to protect them.  “Away in a manger the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.”  Although this is part of a beautiful song, we cannot be sure that Jesus did not cry.  The Bible does not report this.  I don’t think it was a silent night, but it was a holy night!

Did Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem the night she gave birth?  The Bible does not suggest this. They could have arrived weeks earlier.  God’s Word simply states, “While they were there in Bethlehem, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered,” (Luke 2:6).  Arriving in town well before her due date would make more sense.

We have all seen the pictures of three wise men, Magi, Kings or important men from Parthia in the manger worshipping Jesus.  Don’t let tradition, folklore, and custom become your truth.  These depictions are well intended, but I think they only add confusion to the story. 

The Bible does not state how many wise men there was it only states there were three gifts.  Men assumed there were three men, but no one knows.   There were at least two because the word for Magi used is plural.  Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem that we know from scripture and the wise men, maybe twelve, did end up at a house in Bethlehem, not a manger.  When the wise men arrived Jesus was not a baby, but a child.  The wise men probably did not come until quite a while after the shepherds. 

The 1913 Catholic Encyclopaedia, in an article about who visited Jesus, admits that Matthew and the rest of the New Testament completely omits the number of high-ranking important men that came more than 1,000 miles to worship the true King of all Kings.  According to this reference, not only is there no certain tradition regarding this question, but some Catholic church Fathers speak of three Magi. They are very likely influenced by the number of gifts.  In the Orient, tradition favours twelve wise men.

There are many differences in the telling of the birth of Christ in Matthew and Luke and they really have little in common.  Mark writes nothing of the birth of Jesus and John alluded to it in a different way than Matthew and Luke. 

Jesus wasn't born in winter we know this because Luke chapter 2 verse 8 tells us, “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night."   Was Jesus born in December?  It is not impossible, but probably not so.  December would more likely be the month of conception.

The common practice of shepherds was to keep their flocks in the open fields from April to October, but in the cold and wet winter months they took their flocks back home and sheltered them.  On Dec. 25^th the weather would not have permitted the shepherds to be watching over their flocks in the fields at night.  Some scholars say the writings in Luke lead them to believe Jesus was born in September.

Others say God would not have allowed Jesus to be born on the pagan feast of Saturnalia which is December 25^th.   If we accept the premise that God did cause the birth of Jesus to happen on a Biblical feast day, then which festival would that have been? 

For many years I have heard and I believe that Jesus was really born during the Feast of Tabernacles.  The Feast of Tabernacles, also called Booths or Shelters, comes on the fifteenth of Tishri (September-October), the seventh month according to the Jewish biblical calendar. 

Zachariah the father of John the Baptist was performing his priestly service in the Temple in Jerusalem.  The angel Gabriel tells the Virgin Mary, “Your relative Elizabeth (wife of Zachariah) has also conceived a son in her old age and she who was called barren, is in her sixth month.” This establishes the fact that John the Baptist is six months older than Jesus.  Zechariah completed his Temple service on the third Sabbath of the Jewish month of Sivan (May-June).  Zechariah then returned home and conceived his son. 

An average gestation term is 40 weeks then go forward to the middle of the first Jewish month of Nisan, which coincides with the Feast of Passover.  Since John was born around the middle of the first Jewish month of Nisan, and he is six months older than Jesus; then the likely date for the birth of Jesus would be the middle of the seventh Jewish month of Tishri (September-October). This is when the Feast of Tabernacles begins. 

This festival celebrates the time when God led His people through the wilderness after delivering them from Egyptian bondage.  When Jesus came, He fulfilled that feast by completing God’s plan of redemption and thus was able to lead God’s people away from the bondage to sin and death.

The Feast of Tabernacles is a mandatory attendance feast, which meant that all Jewish men were required to come to Jerusalem to celebrate it in the Temple. As a result of that there was no room for Mary and Joseph as found in Luke 2:7. 

Other dates claimed to be the dates of Jesus birth are November 18th and March 28th.  Although it is difficult to determine the first time anyone celebrated December 25^th  as Christmas Day, historians are in general agreement that it was sometime during the fourth century.  Christmas was not observed in Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire, until about 300 years after Christ's death. 

Does it really matter the month that Christ was born?  I think using December 25^th when scholars know that it is not the right date can cause confusion among sceptics.  It would affect the church calendar if December 25^th was not used.  At this point in time the date will never be changed, but we should know the truth.  It does not affect my faith one way or the other which day we celebrate and it should not affect yours.

Jesus told us to celebrate his death in 1^st Corinthians 11:23-26.  “… ‘This is my body, which is given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.  In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant between God and you, sealed by the shedding of my blood.  Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it’ … you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.”