Should Christmas be celebrated or rejected according to the word of God?

[Anne2]

2 minutes ago, farouk said:

By faith we are in principle united - as one has said - with those who are in "a greater light, and upon another shore, whose hope was in the Word made flesh".

 The Gospel of John

Jn 1: 1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2  The same was in the beginning with God.
3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Jn 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
 

[farouk]

2 minutes ago, Anne2 said:

 The Gospel of John

Jn 1: 1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2  The same was in the beginning with God.
3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Jn 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
 

@Anne2 Wonderfully sublime passage! In some churches at Christmas, the custom was even for the congregation to stand when that passage was read.

[Anne2]

Just now, farouk said:

@Anne2 Wonderfully sublime passage! In some churches at Christmas, the custom was even for the congregation to stand when that passage was read.

I did not know that. Nice to know as Christmas for me is a very special time. Not in the way some celebrate however. I think there is something very special about going to evening services to contemplate it. I haven't anyplace where the service is at midnight which to me is super special. But a 9:00 pm service will still do. Just personal I quess.

[farouk]

Just now, Anne2 said:

I did not know that. Nice to know as Christmas for me is a very special time. Not in the way some celebrate however. I think there is something very special about going to evening services to contemplate it. I haven't anyplace where the service is at midnight which to me is super special. But a 9:00 pm service will still do. Just personal I quess.

@Anne2 Luke 2 is another great passage to read, very suitable for Christmas. It may be that the weather will prevent my wife and me from going to church tomorrow morning but then we can read some great passages instead.....

[Vine Abider]

2 hours ago, Your closest friendnt said:

For sure I do not like what I read "Happy Incarnation Day". If it was not said at Christmas and by someone who studies the scriptures, I would think this was spoken by someone who selebrates a religious day, of some far east ancient religion. 

What are your thoughts when you use this greeting "Happy Incarnation Day"? That makes me question that it is possible those words which are not anywhere spoken by the disciples of Jesus and are not in the bible. And by default those words are not spoken by Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Please your thoughts which compel you to post "Happy Incarnation Day".

What is the definition of "incarnation"?  According to Oxford: "a person who embodies in the flesh a deity, spirit, or abstract quality"  It is when God took on human flesh.  The word may seem odd to you, but I don't think it is an inaccurate word portraying what happened when the Son of God became 100% human, born of a virgin, lived a human life and then died to set us free.  I think it helps people realize that God did indeed lovingly set aside His grand majesty to stoop to our decrepit level and thereby become our Savior.

Is there another term we might use you think is more appropriate?

[farouk]

30 minutes ago, Vine Abider said:

What is the definition of "incarnation"?  According to Oxford: "a person who embodies in the flesh a deity, spirit, or abstract quality"  It is when God took on human flesh.  The word may seem odd to you, but I don't think it is an inaccurate word portraying what happened when the Son of God became 100% human, born of a virgin, lived a human life and then died to set us free.  I think it helps people realize that God did indeed lovingly set aside His grand majesty to stoop to our decrepit level and thereby become our Savior.

 

There's plenty of Scripture for the glorious truth of the Incarnation.........

Also, good to remember that the Lord Jesus, Who became flesh, 'suffered for us in the flesh' (1 Peter 4.1): He was born to die in order to redeem a people for Himself.

'Born that man no more might die,

Born to raise the sons of earth,

Born to give them second birth'.

[Your closest friendnt]

1 hour ago, Vine Abider said:

What is the definition of "incarnation"?  According to Oxford: "a person who embodies in the flesh a deity, spirit, or abstract quality"  It is when God took on human flesh.  The word may seem odd to you, but I don't think it is an inaccurate word portraying what happened when the Son of God became 100% human, born of a virgin, lived a human life and then died to set us free.  I think it helps people realize that God did indeed lovingly set aside His grand majesty to stoop to our decrepit level and thereby become our Savior.

Is there another term we might use you think is more appropriate?

I strongly disagree. 

There is a lot in your post and the call is to take up one issue at a time. 

[Your closest friendnt]

7 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

What is the definition of "incarnation"?  According to Oxford: "a person who embodies in the flesh a deity, spirit, or abstract quality"  It is when God took on human flesh.  The word may seem odd to you, but I don't think it is an inaccurate word portraying what happened when the Son of God became 100% human, born of a virgin, lived a human life and then died to set us free.  I think it helps people realize that God did indeed lovingly set aside His grand majesty to stoop to our decrepit level and thereby become our Savior.

Is there another term we might use you think is more appropriate?

I read in the scriptures that Jesus was conceived which it tells that he started like us from the very beginning of the human life. We understand what John is telling us in John 1: and he is not telling anything contrary to that and he is telling about the Creator of all who was from God and towards God that when the appointed time came he left behind everything, and he was found as the man born from Mary. He did not bring with him anything he had before he started his earthly life from the beginning without cheating in the same way anyone of us does. The annoying from God was upon him he was not the Son of any man the Life of the Creator was in him. This is why we cannot have both the Creator and him co-existing at the same time this is why Jesus never called upon the name of the Creator and he only called upon the Heavenly Father. And he received the commands of the Heavenly Father and he also received of his holy spirit at the time of his baptism.  And after his resurrection he continues to live his life in his own body. This is every thing the disciples did they did in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus staying in Heaven till the time he came back in the earth and appeared to John the Last disciple to be alive at that time. And in his own body.john gives a good account about who Jesus Christ was when he said he was the light of the world and Jesus said I am the light of the world I am that light saying to people something about himself and he also said I am the Life and the light of the world.  

The Incarnation in Pagan religions is referring to a man born from his Father and when as a king at the apointed time he becomes the host of a spiritual power that is manifesting through him. This is the case about Nabuhodenezar who demanded at the appointed time to be worship as God.

Herod said about Jesus that John the Baptist has come back to live his life in Jesus.  

That was very common in the Pagan religions. Their Gods were manifested in People. The Pagans said about Paul and the other disciples who was with him that Apolo and Hermes two of their Gods has come to visit us and they were about to sacrifice a bull to them. Believing that their God Apolo who one time lived as a man has manifested himself in Paul, that his Spirit lived in Paul or he was incarnated in Paul because he was in the Spirit and without a body and he enter Paul and did things through Paul. 

This cannot be said for Jesus Christ the comparison cannot be made to fit Jesus Christ. It is impossible to be made to fit Jesus Christ. This is why the prophets and the disciples never used this word for Jesus and the Holy Spirit never asked them to use this word never. 

Edited December 24, 2023 by Your closest friendnt

[Your closest friendnt]

@Vine Abider , I am sorry it has nothing to do with you, and it never had to do anything with you from the beginning but I have some siblings who talk about that like they are very proud and I have tried to make them use the words used in the bible when specifically are talking about Jesus and when they give to people the scripture they are referring to they can find those words in the scriptures and all is good. This is one of the things I wanted to bring forwards. And the other is that some lately are substituting words from the dictionary to bring forth another meaning than the meaning the author of the scripture intended to. My apologies you are a well respected and beloved brother and you always will be. I have nothing to say about this anymore only is better far better if we used the bless words found in the scriptures. 

 

Edited December 24, 2023 by Your closest friendnt

[Sower]

9 hours ago, Anne2 said:

I haven't anyplace where the service is at midnight which to me is super special. But a 9:00 pm service will still do. Just personal I quess.

Another one is at Easter or as some instead now call it Resurrection Sunday.  It is the sunrise service. At our church we would get up at O dark thirty to be ahead of the sunrise about seven. A member has a farm on a hill and a huge flat rock we would use to watch the sun come up while having a time of praise singing. Really neat.