A thought on celebrating the day.

Baby Jesus isn’t a baby anymore and he will soon return to judge the world in righteousness. The Religio-cultural holiday calendar is an attempt of the world to domesticate time but God in Christ has judged the world system and its authority and found it wanting. Its pretensions are in vain. The world system perpetuates the lie that creation’s  crown jewel  –mankind can not only exist but  even enjoy creation in the position of ruler and steward…enjoying it without first and foremost enjoying communion with the Creator.  Every Christian, however, is bequeathed an instrument by which he or she can strip away from the soul all clouding elements but the one essential –communion with the God. The cross is the instrument by which the world judges God and God judges the world and the follower of God judges the remaining worldliness in his own heart.

The Cycles of the world’s calendar do very little to control time. The world system can do little to make time or any other created thing its ally in the final effort against the word of God. God has judged the world and its calendar-making-authority. The cycles will not overcome the linear advance toward the great and terrible day of the LORD. Really the only day coming that is of substance on God’s timetable is the day and hour of Jesus Christ, when he will  come with the holy angels in fiery judgment burning away the chaff so that all will know our fidelity to God was the one thing. With this truth in view, every gathering of believers in the fellowship of their communal meal is a proclamation of his death until he comes again. Why “his death”? His death is a declaration of judgment. You see our systems of religious and civil power presumed to put Jesus under their judgment. In their act of judging Jesus as unworthy of life, God was judging them. They have been made small in remaining usefulness. In remembering the Lord’s death we remember that the world and its authority, even its calendar-making-authority have already been judged.  So, follower of Jesus, continue a little longer in the world but know in your heart you are not of it.  happy sunday and merry christmas.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. (Matthew 16:24-27 NASB)

 But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none; and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess; and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:29-31 NASB)

But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.(Galatians 4:9-11 NASB)

'He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. 'But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. 'Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.' (Daniel 7:25-27 NASB)

 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

(1 Corinthians 11:26 NASB)