CHRISTMAS AND CHRISTIANITY- WHICH IS THE WAY?

Once again Christmas is here. On 25th December, people normally show love to those they care because God in his infinite mercy to mankind sent his only begotten Son Jesus Christ to come and die for mankind.

The day has been set to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ by Christians all over the world.

The date, 25th December and the name Christmas didn't come into existence until 325 AD when Western Church, based in Rome, chose December 25 to celebrate the coming of Christ into the world.

But before the Christmas day that is on the Eve of Christmas, churches all over the world hold evening services as most people term it "Carol’s night" and also include a dramatization of the Biblical story of Jesus' birth.

But the question is whether Christians know the date when Jesus Christ was born?

According to the Society of World Festivals & Celebrations, the date 25th December was officially accepted on the Roman calendar where the Roman's celebrated their god Saturn.  

Their festival known as Saturnalia began in the middle of December and ended January 1st. The celebration also included masquerades on streets, big festive meals, visiting friends, and the exchange of good-luck gifts called Strenae. The date 25th was not only sacred to the Romans but also the Persians.

Christmas is a Roman Catholic word which in itself reveals who married paganism to Christianity and also is a combination of the two words "Christ" and "Mass.

The word "Mass" means death and was coined originally by the Roman Catholic Church, and belongs exclusively to the Church of Rome.

The ritual of the Mass involves the death of Christ, and the distribution of the "Host", a word taken from the Latin word "hostiall" meaning victim. It was noted by the pre-Christian Romans and other pagans, that daylight began to increase after December 22nd, when they assumed the sun god had died.

These ancients believed that the sun god rose from the dead three days later as the new-born and venerable sun. Thus, they figured that to be the reason for increasing daylight.

This was a cause for much wild excitement and celebration. Gift giving and merriment filled the temples of ancient Rome, as sacred priests of Saturn, called dendrophori, carried wreaths of evergreen boughs in procession.

And since then, the date 25th December has been celebrated all over the world by Christians and non-Christians. In celebrating this day they either decorate their homes, shops or buying gifts for loved ones or receiving gifts or hampers from friends.

The birth of Christ should not be remembered only on December 25 but every day in the heart of Christians. 

And as we celebrate it, we should celebrate it with caution so as not to sin against the holiness of the Son of God.

NOVEMBER - THE INSPIRATIONAL MONTH

Eleven as a number holds some qualities like sensitivity, endurance, righteousness, holiness among others. 

That is why it makes people who are born in the month of eleven to be knowledgeable in teaching and inspiring others. 

In the biblical aspect, the number eleven is seen as incomplete, disorder and imperfection. 

In Genesis 11, men rebelled against God and built the tower of Babel. God judged them by confusing their language, resulting in chaos. 

In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, God executed His final judgment against Judah with the complete destruction of Jerusalem and the temple and the exile of the remaining Jews to Babylon.

Johoiakim reigned eleven years when Nebuchadnezzar came up and began his disintegrating work on Jerusalem (2Kings 23:36, 24:1; 2Chronicles 36:5,6).

Zedekiah reigned eleven years when Nebuchadnezzar completed the work by putting an end to Israel's rule in Jerusalem (2Chronicles 36:11; Jeremiah 52:1), for "in the eleventh year the city was broken up" (Jeremiah 39:2).

Judges 17:2, etc., connected with the introduction of idolatry into Israel, which brought with it trouble and disintegration; added to God's order and ordinances for them; and in the end caused the ruin and loss of all government.

The apostle John also saw 11 things in connection with the final judgment (Revelation 20:12-14). These sayings amongst others in the bible signify the imperfection of the number eleven.

Originally the month of November was the ninth month in the Roman calendar which had it name as "novem" from the Latin word until when the Gregorian calendar was accepted by the catholic countries.

There is no exception to the month of November when it comes to birthstones and birth flowers.

For the month of November, its birthstone is Topaz which is known as the stone of wealth and is believed to promote joy and be useful against depression. Its symbolism is optimism, energetic, health, prosperity and loyalty.

With the birth flower it is the Chrysanthemum meaning love and Happiness.  

There is no month without any activities. Some of the activities experienced within the month of November are ; Veterans Day, World Diabetes Day, Thanksgiving Day, American Indian Heritage Month, Good Nutrition Month, Aviation Month, American Diabetes Awareness Month, National Peanut Butter Lover's Month just to mention but few.

One of America’s greatest heroes, Abraham Lincoln (Civil Rights Activist and Lawyer) became the 16th President of the United States, on November 1860.

Did you also know that, this America born son was also a wrestler. In 300 matches he was defeated only once and he is enshrined in the wrestling Hall of Fame. 

It was on this same month that Abraham Lincoln married his wife Mary Todd in Springfield, Illinois.

On November 6, 1860, Henry VI was crowned King of England at age eight. He had acceded to the throne at the age of nine months following the death of Charles VI.

Pope John XXIII who became the 261st Pope of the Roman Catholic Church in 1958 was born on November 25, 1881, in Sotto il Monte, Italy. During his reign, he convened the Second Vatican Council which modernized the mass and increased openness to other religions and denominations.

Did you know that, the one who invented the game of basketball, James Naismith was also born on November 1861 in Almonte, Ontario, Canada.

Quote for the month of November

“November comes

And November goes,

With the last red berries

And the first white snows.

With night coming early,

And dawn coming late,

And ice in the bucket

And frost by the gate.

The fires burn

And the kettles sing,

And earth sinks to rest

Until next spring.”

Clyde Watson

THE PERFECTION MONTH- OCTOBER

The meaning of the number ten (10) biblically is a very significant and important number: It literally means perfection of divine order, completeness, lacking nothing, everything in a proper order and a start of a whole new order. 

It brings an overwhelming sense of joy and peace to mankind after experiencing a month full of twinge and anguish. 

 

With the spiritually significance of the number 10, the Lord gave the ten commandments to Moses, the lord’s prayer is in ten clauses, the tithe of 10% represents the whole of what was due to God from man, fire coming down from heaven ten times with many other sayings.     

As you can see, the number 10 represents something that is profoundly great with deep meanings for the past, present, and future. God uses symbolism, parables, and meanings to bring truth and insight into His true character as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

The number 10 brings all sorts of new changes into your life, and there seems to be an element of luck within those energies.  Through this vibration you have the insight to recognize and understand the needs of humanity, and the ability to bring peace and harmony to all.

The month of October was originally the eight month on the Roman calendar until 153 BCE when King Numa Pompilius reformed the Julian and Gregorian calendar and added the months of January and February to it changing October to be the tenth month having a length of 31 days.

October starts on the same day of the week as January in common years, but it does not start on the same day of the week as any other month in leap years. October ends on the same day of the week as February every year.

As every month comes with its birth flower and birthstone so does October also has a birth flower and birthstone. 

The birth flower for October is Calendula which means sorrow or sympathy and its birthstone is Opal.

There is no month without any happenings. With the month of October, its happenings are National Hispanic Heritage Month , Italian American Heritage Month, Polish American Heritage Month, National Breast Cancer Month, National Pizza Month, National Dessert Month, Country Music Month, National Book Fair Month among others.

On October 1, 1908 a universal car designed by Henry Ford for masses came to the market.

Some of the countries that had their independence in the month of October are Iraq which gained its independence on October 3, 1932 and Belgium on October 4, 1830 after having been a part of the Netherlands since 1815.

Paraguay and Brazil also gained independence on October 12, 1811 and October 12, 1822 respectively while on October 9, 1962 Uganda also achieved its independence

On October 24, 1945 the United Nations was founded.

The first lady of United State of America from the year 1993-200, Hillary Rodham Clinton was born in Park Ridge, Illinois on October 26, 1947 as well as the founder of the Microsoft, Bill Gate was also born in Seattle on October 28, 1955.

Quote for the month of October

"Be a self-starter.

Welcome the dawn of each new day with a smile,

grateful to your Creator for another opportunity to

 improve on yesterday’s performance.

By Og Mandino   

SEPTEMBER-THE MONTH OF PAIN

 When a woman conceives a child in her womb, she is expected to deliver in the next nine month. Before her delivery, she goes through twinge and anguish just to bring forth a human being to this world to fulfill the promise of God.

Mostly when the year draws near like this, expectations become high as people are eager to accomplish their aspirations.

The name September comes from the old Roman word 'septem' which means seven.

Originally, it was known to be the seventh month in the Roman calendar, but later, when the month of January and February were added to the Roman calendar, September became the ninth month.
                                           
The Romans believed that the month of September was looked after by the god, “Vulcan”. As the god of fire, they therefore expected September to be associated with fires, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

The Anglo-Saxons called it Gerst monath (Barley month) or Haefest monath ( Harvest month) because it was during that time that they had their favourite drink "barley brew" made from their barleys.

 Within every month, there is some birth flowers associated with it. The month of September is of no exceptional. The birth flower for September is Aster which symbolizes love, Faith and Wisdom whilst its birthstone is Sapphire.

Whenever September gets closer, people begin to feel vexed and cheerless because of what happened on 11th of September, 2001 which became one of the biggest events in recent history that sparked a mass awakening across the world.

There are some events observed within the month of September. Among these events are Labor Day, Constitution Day, National Hispanic Heritage Day, National Potato Month, National Chicken Month, National Piano Month, and National Biscuit Month.

Quote for the month of September
“Perhaps not everything has to be measured. I’d argue, that this is especially true when it comes to matters of heart, matters of beauty, and matters of the soul.
It is nice to know where we stand, but let us not become so obsessed with where we stand that we lose all sight of what we really stand for.” Pete Jutras