A
merry churchmas?
While growing up in the OAC, Christmas was viewed as a celebration
by the “world”. The definition of “the world” in OAC terms refers to
non-believers, i.e. non-OAC members irrespective of
whether they are Christian or not. I remember how a “Priest” would preach that on Christmas day, the shopkeepers
would gather their families around the table and they would start counting all
their money. While counting all their money they would be singing “what
a friend we have in Jesus”. Back then we believed that every day of the year
should be regarded as Christmas because Christ was “born in us” daily.
Nowhere does the Bible say that Christ gets born in us daily. Christ does not get born in us
daily, He was born as the Messiah only once (Matthew 1:16-25)
and it is us that must get born again (John 3:1-8, 1 Peter 1:18-25).
Our old man that served sin (previous
sinful way of life) is crucified with Christ so that sin won’t reign
in our mortal bodies (Romans 6:6-14). When we are dead to sin then
we become alive to God through Jesus Christ. If you don’t obey the
sinful lusts of your body, you are a new man wherein the word of Christ dwells richly and the old
man (old sinful way of life) is crucified (Galatians 5:24). The new man we put on is
created in righteousness and true holiness, renewed in knowledge after the
image of him that created him (Ephesians 4:20-32, Colossians 3:1-17). If you
return to your old sinful way of life then you crucify to yourself the Son of
God afresh (Hebrews
6:4-6).
- Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread (Matthew 6:11, Luke 11:3)
- Jesus taught us to deny ourselves daily, pick up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23-26)
- Jesus doesn’t need to offer up sacrifices daily like the priests, because Jesus did this only once when He offered up Himself (Hebrews 7:22-28, Hebrews 10:1-18)
In recent years the OAC’s stance on Christmas has changed slightly, and
there are still varying opinions regarding Christmas. Many members believe Christmas is actually the day they
were “sealed”.
An OAC “Elder” wrote: “...I tell the world that Christmas is special because I
commemorate the birth of the child Christ in my life. This is why we
call it the day of the covenant in our Church...”
OAC Home Tuition Calendar (19 December 2016): “...On Christmas day we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ
as the Messiah and the fulfilment of the covenant God made with man. God was
made flesh, even for us today, and the kingdom of God came within our
reach, as He proclaimed it so by the words: “Repent, for the kingdom of God is
at hand.” [GAL 4:4-5; JOH 1:14; MAT 4:17]...”
OAC Home Tuition Calendar (22 December 2016): “...God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son
to save whoever believes in Him [JOH 3:16]. Christmas is the time when we
think of our own beginning in
Christ, the Church. We became members, individually, in the body of
Christ. We are in Him who is true and this is the true God and eternal life.
[1 COR 12:27; 1 JOH
5:20]...”
OAC Current Teaching (25 December 2017): “...Today is a very special day and we will attend the
Christmas services. So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into
heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to
Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made
known to us." [LUK 2:15] How do we respond to the wonder of Christmas? We
need to revisit the day we made a covenant with the living God – the beginning
of our lives in Christ,
the Church – our rebirth through water and the Spirit. [1 PET 1:23]...”
See how the focus is shifted from Christ to the OAC (“...in Christ, the Church...”)?
Christ is not a Church, He is
the head of the church (1 Corinthians 11:3, Ephesians 5:22-32, Colossians 1:18)?
Coincidentally, the founding father
of the OAC, Carl
(Karl) George Klibbe
was born on December
25th, 1852. Nowadays the OAC celebrates the day of the
covenant on his birthday.
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| "Father" Klibbe |
An OAC “Priest” wrote the following:
“...Jesus is supposed to be the most famous human
to walk the earth naturally. If so why was his actual birth date not recorded ?
No dates of birth of ANY biblical figure is recorded simply because they were
never born physically...”
An OAC “Underdeacon” wrote the following:
“...Those who said jesus was human being, let them
give me the verse that says he was born on the 25th December?...”
These statements by myopic OAC officers are blatantly ignorant
and atheistic. There is archaeological evidence of biblical figures and they were not
figments of the imagination. When I mentioned the arguments of these OAC officers to my wife, she laughed
and said that if none of the biblical figures ever existed, then the persons
who wrote the Bible must have had a very good imagination. My wife, still
laughing, asked me if these OAC officers had been smoking
something. Unfortunately this is no laughing matter and terribly tragic, the OAC officers mentioned above are serving
a
god of imagination.
Very little is written in the Bible regarding
birthdays, and what we do read is not very positive. We read the following in
the Bible:
- On the Pharaoh’s birthday, the chief baker was hanged (Genesis 40:20-22)
- Job cursed the day he was born (Job 3:1-5)
- Jeremiah cursed the day he was born (Jeremiah 20:14-18)
- On Herod the tetrarch’s birthday, John the Baptist was beheaded (Matthew 14:6-11, Mark 6:21-28)
Ecclesiastes
7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of
death than the day of one’s birth.
The celebration of birthdays was regarded
as a tradition that justified the flesh, which is why early Jews and Christians
did not celebrate birthdays as these were pagan customs.
Jesus was not born in December though;
December in the Northern Hemisphere is winter.
During winter the shepherds kept their
flocks in stables or indoors at night, the shepherds wouldn't have been abiding
in the fields at night to keep watch over their flocks during winter. Besides,
what would their flocks have been grazing on anyway in the middle of winter out
in the fields?
First century homes in Judea had an
upper level that served as a guest chamber, and a lower level that served as
the living and dining rooms. Vulnerable animals would also be brought in to the
lower level at night to protect them from the cold.
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| Jerusalem in winter |
December to February is winter in
Israel, which means temperatures of between 5º-18º Celsius in Tel Aviv. It may
get colder around Jerusalem and the Ramat Hagolan mountains down to a level of
0º Celsius at night.
Luke
2:8-11 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the
field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the
Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they
were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring
you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is
born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
The flocks were out in the field at
night because it wasn’t winter, thus Mary likely gave birth to Jesus where some of the animals
would’ve been brought in during the winter. Bear in mind that a manger is a
container (usually in a barn or stable) from which cattle or horses feed; a
feeding trough.
Luke
2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him
in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no
room for them in the inn.
According to
Strong’s, the word “manger” is translated from the Greek word phatnē and is defined as:
(to eat); a crib (for
fodder): - manger, stall.
The birth of Jesus was a BIG deal, not a daily occurrence! His
birth was announced by means of a star to wise men in the east
that came to worship Him (Matthew 2:1-2). His birth caused an angel, a
multitude of heavenly host and shepherds to glorify and praise God (Luke 2:8-21).
The Bible is littered with verses that alluded to the great day that Jesus was born although the
exact date was erased from history in order to protect Him from Herod who wanted to kill Him.
The birth of Jesus is part of the foundation
of Christianity; namely His birth, His death and His resurrection. Times and
dates are of no consequence but the birth of Jesus was important, because
it’s important to know and understand that God became man and paid the highest
sacrifice for us on the cross of Calvary, rose from the dead and ascended into
heaven. This would not have been possible if Jesus was never physically born.
Christmas was unknown in the early church,
Christmas as a celebration was only
introduced sometime after 300. However, during the time of Jesus there was another feast
that took place in winter. Although this festival is not mentioned in the Old
Testament, its origins occurred between the last book of the Old Testament and
the first book of the New Testament.
John
10:22-23 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and
it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.
The feast of the dedication is known
as Chanukah (Hanukkah) or the festival
of lights and remembers the dedication of the Temple by Judah Maccabee after he
had conquered the armies of the Syrian oppressor, Antiochus Epiphanes, who had
polluted the Temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar.
The events took place over 2,300
years ago in the land of Judea, now known as Israel. It begins in the reign of
Alexander the Great, who conquered Syria, Egypt, and Israel, but allowed the
lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a
certain degree of autonomy. More than 100 years after Alexander, Antiochus IV
rose to power in the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a
Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of
the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of
pigs on the altar. One of the groups which opposed Antiochus was led by
Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee.
This small band of pious Jews led
guerrilla warfare against the Syrian army. Antiochus sent thousands of well-armed
troops to crush the rebellion, but the Maccabees succeeded in driving the
foreigners from their land. When Jewish fighters entered Jerusalem, the Temple
was in shambles, defiled and desecrated by foreign soldiers.
The Maccabees cleansed the Temple and
re-dedicated it on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar, a day which typically
falls in November or December. When it came time to re-light the Menorah, they searched the entire Temple,
but only one small jar of oil bearing the pure seal of the High Priest could be
found. Miraculously, the small jar of oil burned for eight days, until a new
supply of oil could be brought.
From then on these days were
appointed as an annual festival with prayers of praise and thanksgiving. This
festival is observed for eight days in honor of this historic victory and the
miracle of the oil. The observance features the lighting of a special lamp
stand with eight branches plus a helper candle, adding one new candle each
night with prayers of thanksgiving.
The Afrikaans word kersfees seems to be an apt description of
the festival of lights (kers
= candle, fees = festival).
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| "kersfees" |
During this great season of
remembering miracles, Jesus pointed out to His
listeners that the miracles He had done authenticated His claim that He was,
indeed, the long-awaited Jewish Messiah (John 10:37-38). His works and His true
character clearly demonstrated who He was. The Lord Jesus gives all of us the light
of life. The light He gives us is meant to be shared.
Matthew
5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Jesus became the incarnate,
physical expression of our Heavenly Father's presence, the light of the world,
who came to dwell among us and give us the eternal light.
Jesus told us that whoever
follows Him will not have darkness, but the light of life. What a wonderful
time of the year to remember and commemorate the great miracle that our Father
has done for us, by giving us new light and new life. We can celebrate by
rededicating our lives to Christ and acknowledge Him as
the perfect and true light of this world. The temple belongs to God (1 Corinthians
3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, Ephesians
2:19-22).
At this time, and every day
thereafter, let us remember that Jesus is the light of the
world. Let us not worship our Father in allegories and lies, but in spirit and
truth (John
4:22-24).
John
8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light
of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have
the light of life.