Liberating you from bad ideas about God
Stop relying on pastors and Bible teachers to tell you what the Bible means.
Read this book and learn to study the Bible for yourself. Available now on Amazon.
The book discussion questions with each chapter to make it perfect for a home study group. There is also a LONG appendix on how to understand the violent passages in Scripture.
I was given a few books for Christmas. The problem is that I have long ago run out of bookshelf space. So I was shocked to recently discover the following bookshelf… I don’t know if it’s real…
I imagine this is what heaven will look like… and the best part is that I will have eternity to read them ALL!
On Christmas Eve last year, my family and I participated in two Christmas Eve services.
The first lasted about five hours. The second was only one hour.
The first required getting up at 5:30 AM. The second required us to have a rushed dinner so we could leave the house at 5:30 PM.
The first was noisy, crowded, and eventually became a little stinky, smelly, and dirty. The second had subdued lighting, padded seats, and professional-quality Christmas music.
At both we were surrounded by complete strangers (we are new to town), but in the first, many people greeted us with warm smiles and numerous greetings of “Merry Christmas!” At the second, nobody greeted us at all, except for a guy who shook our hand as we entered the building by saying, “Welcome!”
You might recognize some of the tell-tale signs of the second Christmas Eve service. Yes, it was a traditional Christmas Eve Service at a local church. They had the tree, the lights, the Christmas Carols, and about 100 people dressed up in their holiday best. Scripture passages were read. Songs were sung. It was a beautiful performance.
…And it was a performance.
At the beginning, the band entered the stage from the wings, and the lead guitar player said this, “We’re glad you are hear, and we hope you enjoy this Christmas Special we have prepared for you. All you need to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the music. Near the end of the hour, there will be a song which you will be invited to sing along with. After that, you can go home, enjoy your Christmas presents and stocking stuffers.”
Then they launched into the music, and they played wonderfully well for about an hour. Several of the song I had never heard before, but were done quite well. Then, as promised, we were invited to stand and sing the closing song, Joy to the World. The pastor then got up, and thanked us for coming, and invited any of us who were visiting to join them on Sunday morning for their church service. With that, we were dismissed.
On the way home, our girls voiced two complaints. First, the church didn’t have any candles for us to hold, and second, they didn’t even sing Silent Night. I was actually disappointed with both of those things as well. Churches, please bring back the candles that we get to hold, and sing more of the traditional Christmas songs!
But all in all, it was what many Christians around the country experience for a Christmas Eve Service.
But what about that first Christmas Eve Service we went to at 5:30 AM?
Well, it was something our neighbor told us about. We gathered with a bunch of other people from our town in the local gymnasium of the Junior High School to put together boxes of food and gift bags for over 250 needy families in our town.
I estimate that about 500 people showed up to help. I have rarely seen so many people with so much Christmas joy. There were smiles on everyone’s faces, with laughter and shouts of “Merry Christmas!” all around. One thing that surprised me most was the number of young people there. I estimate that well over half the people who were there were under twenty years old. These were high school and junior high kids who showed up at 5:30 AM on one of their days off from school to help prepare gift boxes for the needy in the community!
Wendy and the girls and I got to put together about 10-15 boxes of food and gifts, and then we went and delivered them to five different families. They were all quite needy, and when we brought the gifts to their doors, everyone said, “Merry Christmas!” and “Thank you so much!” At one house, a nine-year old girl came out and said to our oldest daughter, “I don’t know you, but I am going to hug you anyway.” And Taylor hugged her right back.
A couple of the houses we entered reeked from stale smoke, rotting food, and sick cats. The stench in one reminded me of the smell that might have accompanied the place of Jesus’ birth.
But at every place, we were greeted with Christmas cheer, and we felt the Spirit of Christmas well up in our hearts as well.
As I sat through the second Christmas Eve Service at the local church, I could not help but notice the stark contrast between the two Christmas Eve “Services” we had participated in that day.
Only one of them actually had any service. The other was a performance.
One of them was full of Christmas cheer, joy, love, and generosity. The other was… well… I saw some smiles and handshakes, but overall, the attitude was fairly hushed and “holy.”
One of them helped the poor, hungry, and needy in our community in a tangible way. The other helped some church musicians put on a mini concert. I am sure it lifted some spirits, but everyone sure rushed out of there pretty quickly afterwards…
Which Christmas Eve service looks more like Jesus? Which one looks more like what the church is supposed to be and do as we follow Jesus? Which one better represents the Kingdom of God in this world?
As we drove home after the second service, I asked the girls that if they could only do one or the other next year, which one would it be?
The decision was unanimous: they wanted to help the people in the community.
I always have to work Christmas Day, and so our family has “Christmas” on December 26th, which makes December 25th our “Christmas Eve.” So on that night, we had our third Christmas Eve Service in our living room with just the five of us.
Among other things, we talked about the birth of Jesus and prayed about other ways we can share His love with people in our community this year.
We also lit candles and sang Silent Night.
What are your Christmas Eve and Christmas Day traditions? Do any of them help you share the love of Jesus to those around you?
I hope you are having a wonderful, joy-filled Christmas season.
In an attempt to add to your joy, I wanted to share a video which someone shared with me.
Earlier this year, I asked “What if Church was like a Flashmob?” Here is another video along the same theme, which shows the joy that can be brought into the lives of others with a little creativity and courage.
I am not saying churches and Christians should go sing in malls. Instead, Christians should be sources of spontaneous joy and delight in the lives of people we come into contact with.
Interestingly, I think that flashmobs are a great example of redemption. They were originally “invented” by some guy named Bill in 2006 to get people involved in “random acts of silliness.” But some saw that flashmobs would also be a great way to commit crimes. If hundreds of people in one area all of a sudden looted from all the stores on one street, there wouldn’t be enough police around to stop them. But some groups, such as the one in the video above, are trying to get flash mobs back to their original purpose and intent – of bringing unexpected joy, surprise, and laughter into the lives of others.
So what can you do this Christmas season–or in the year ahead–to show unexpected love to someone else?
This is a Christmas gift for the #1 fan and reader of this blog: my wife, Wendy. She is the best wife and mother anyone could have!
This present combines three of the things Wendy loves most: her daughters, music, and Christmas.
Her three daughters sang several Christmas carols for her, and I recorded them and am posting them here for her enjoyment!
We love you, Wendy! We love you, Mommy! All you have to do is click the play button for the audio player above. Enjoy!
Although the gift is for Wendy, the rest of you are free to enjoy it as well… Merry Christmas!
As a child I often remember running outside to play, leaving the door wide open behind me, only to have my mother call after me, “Come back and shut the door! You weren’t born in a barn!”
I have often wondered if Mary ever called after Jesus in such a way. If so, maybe Jesus could have answered, “Yes, I was!”
But was He really? Was Jesus born in a barn? Or a stable? Or a cave?
No, probably not. We get this idea from Christmas carols, artwork, and other stories, but the Gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus do not indicate that He was born in a stable, a barn, or a cave. Instead, Jesus was most likely born in a house.
In my book, Christmas Redemption, I briefly look at the wording in Luke 2:7 which says that when Jesus was born, Mary laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. I suggest in that the word “inn” is most likely a mistranslation, and the word really should be “tent” or “tabernacle.” The word refers to a “temporary shelter” which can be erected and taken down quickly, not to “temporary lodging” at a place like an inn.
Most likely, Bethlehem did not even have an “inn.” The town had less than 1000 people at the time, and it was culturally unacceptable to stay at inns. When most people traveled they depended upon the Middle-Eastern value of hospitality for their food and lodging needs.
But it doesn’t make any sense for Mary to lay Jesus in a manger because there was no room in the tent, does it? What could that possibly refer to?
Here is another place where knowing the historical-cultural Jewish background of the Scriptures really helps understand what is going on. I suggest in Christmas Redemption that the “tent” refers to the temporary structures erected by Jewish people during the Feast of Tabernacles. Jewish men were supposed to travel to Jerusalem for this feast, and since Bethlehem was only a few miles away from Jerusalem, many people stayed in Bethlehem during this festival. But the little make-shift structure in which they were to sleep and eat their meals was so cramped, Mary could not gift birth inside. So instead, she had to find somewhere else.
But where?
Well, she probably went into the house, right next door to the makeshift tabernacle, and gave birth there. After all, it was now empty since everyone was outside in the sukkoth, the booth or tabernacle.
But what is a manger (an animal feeding trough) doing inside a house? Well, archaeologists say that many homes at this time had two levels. The upper level was for the family, and the lower level was for the animals. This helped keep the animals safe at night from wandering off, getting eaten by predators, or from getting stolen, and also helped keep the family in the upper room above (If memory serves me right, Kenneth Bailey writes about this in Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels).
Whether Mary gave birth in the upper part of the house or the lower, we don’t know, but apparently she used the manger from the lower part of the house as a place to lay Jesus after He was born. (My wife, Wendy, likes to emphasize that Mary probably held Jesus in her arms most of the time. What mother wouldn’t?)
So if Mary gave birth in the lower part of the house, which effectively was a barn, then I guess we could say that Jesus was born in a barn after all.
One objection to this whole idea is that Luke 2:1-7 says that Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem for the census. Except for the possible reference in Luke 2:7, nothing is mentioned about the Feast of Tabernacles. The solution seems to lie in Luke 2:6. It says that “while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.”
Again, while many Christmas carols and stories seem to indicate that Joseph and Mary entered Bethlehem late at night while she is in the middle of birth pains, and he frantically knocks on doors seeking a place to stay, the text says nothing like this. It makes for a great story, but is not exactly drawn from the text.
Instead, it seems likely that the census of Caesar Augustus caused Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem to be registered. Once there, and with the Feast of Tabernacles approaching quickly, they probably decided to remain in Bethlehem for a few more days (or maybe weeks) until the days were completed for her to give birth.
With her pregnant, it made no sense to travel to Bethlehem for the census, then travel back to Nazareth, only to turn around and travel to Jerusalem for the Feast. So they stayed! It is not as if Joseph had a job to get back to. Following Jewish law, it is certain that he was taking a year off from work so he could take care of his new wife (cf. Deut 24:5).
So the picture that emerges from Luke 2:7 is a bit different than tradition tells. Jesus was born in humble conditions, but it was probably inside a house, and if it was in the lower part of the house, then there may have been a few goats around and maybe a donkey or a cow. The reason they were there was because there was no room for them outside in the tent.
One other objection to this idea is that the Feast of Tabernacles is typically in late September. Wasn’t Jesus born on December 25th? Ah, well, maybe we have given Jesus the wrong birthday! But for more on that, you will have to read Christmas Redemption. Among other things, It shows when Jesus was likely born and also why the Feast of Tabernacles is significant for our celebration of Christmas today.
If you want a copy of this book for your e-reader, it is available on Amazon, or through the publisher, at RedeemingPress.com
So someone left a one-star review of Christmas Redemption on Amazon.
My books certainly seem to attract negative reviews. Someone left a one-star review of Finding Church before they had even read the book! She claims she doesn’t need to read it, because the title tells her everything she needed to know. So her one-star review was because she didn’t like the title… sigh.
Anyway, regarding the one-star review of Christmas Redemption, the man said that with this book, I am leading people into idol worship. He equated me with Aaron building a Golden Calf for the Israelites and telling them that it was their God. He says he is writing a full-length rebuttal, but wanted to put a short warning up on Amazon.
I appreciate his honesty, and look forward to reading his rebuttal, if he sends me a copy.
But here is the thing, Aaron and the Israelites did the exact opposite of what I am encouraging Christians to do. God led the Israelites out of Egypt, and delivered them through the Red Sea, and then at the foot of Mount Sinai, Aaron built a golden calf and called it Yahweh, and said that this was the god that rescued and delivered them from Egypt. When Moses found out, he became enraged, destroyed the calf, and called people back to giving glory to God alone for what He had done.
I am not calling people to take the things of God and then construct idols for our worship and call them “God.” That is what Aaron did, but not what I am doing. No, I am doing the exact opposite. I encourage people to take the things of the world, which used to give credit and glory to pagan idols, and calling on people to give the credit and glory to Whom it really belongs, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! It is He who is the light of the world, the giver of all good things, and the true Spirit of generosity and grace.
This is what Christianity has done with most of our history and traditions (church buildings, Easter, paid clergy, etc), and what Moses himself did with much of his writing. Many Christians do not realize it, but Genesis 1-2 is mostly borrowed from Egyptian Creation Myths. So also, the “contract” between God and the Israelites in Deuteronomy is based off a Mesopotamian Suzerain-Vassal treaty, which often used pagan deities to guarantee the terms of the treaties. But Moses, who was trained in the Egyptian courts, took these documents, and changed the names and a few of the details so that stories and treaties which used to give glory to pagan gods, now directed people’s worship, honor, and glory to the One True God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Even most (maybe all) of the Jewish holidays and festivals were borrowed in one way or another from Egyptian and Canaanite festivals at the time.
This does not mean that Genesis 1-2 is myth, or that God didn’t really say the things He said in Deuteronomy, or that the Jewish feasts have no significance or meaning.
Quite to the contrary! If anything, God told Moses to write these things, telling him that He was redeeming this stories and treaties and festivals to Himself. Though the Egyptian Creation Myths gave glory to pagan deities, Genesis 1-2 now gives glory to God alone. The redemption of the Suzerain-Vassal treaty shows how God behaves fairly with His people. The redemption of the festivals shows that God can redeem holidays and rituals for His own honor and glory, and that even as His people, He still wants us to enjoy life with parties, laughter, and celebrations. God is not a kill-joy; He’s a joy amplifier.
We could go on and on like through most of the Old Testament and find numerous other examples of writers taking pagan ideas, stories, practices, and customs, and reworking them so that they no longer give glory to idols, but bring honor and worship to the God of Israel. This is what redemption is all about!
And this is what I tried to show in Christmas Redemption. There are many pagan practices which used to give glory to pagan deities, but the church can take some of these practices and symbols and point them to the One who really deserves the glory and honor of bringing light into this dark world – not Saturn, but Jesus Christ. I am doing the exact opposite of what Aaron did. He took the things of God and gave credit to a golden calf. I am taking the things of Saturn and giving credit to Whom they really belong – Jesus Christ.
Anyway, I am not really trying to convince this person who left the one-star review. There are many Christians who will always see things differently. You don’t need to go argue with him. That is not why I am posting this. Of course, maybe you want to post a one-star review of your own… Ha!
As for me, I am convinced that redemption is a key theme in the Bible, and if we don’t really understand redemption, we will not understand Scripture, God, Jesus Christ, ourselves, or our task in this world as followers of Jesus Christ.
I probably should have done a little more research on book titles for my recent eBook, Christmas Redemption.
Apparently, there is another book with the same name on Amazon. But it is about a guy who gets out of prison after doing time for bank robbery, and falls in love with the daughter of a man who was accidentally killed in the bank robbery. …Or something like that. According to some reviews on Amazon, the couple goes to church and then engages in premarital sex.
So no, that is not the book you are looking for. Christmas Redemption is not a romance novel.
My version of Christmas Redemption is about how Christians can (and should) celebrate what used to be the pagan holiday of Saturnalia. It is no longer Saturnalia, however, because the holiday has been redeemed by Jesus Christ. So feel free to put up lights, give out gifts, decorate Christmas trees, and even teach your kids about Santa Claus.
If this idea sounds surprising, well, make sure you get and read the book. It is available on Amazon, so if you have not gotten a copy yet, don’t delay, go download it now!
And for those of you who have already downloaded Christmas Redemption, thank you! It was the Number 1 book on the Amazon “Christmas” list for a while:
If you have already read Christmas Redemption, let me know what you think by posting a review of the book on Amazon. Thanks!
It’s the end of the world today!
I never thought this day would arrive.
Wow.
Well… now that that’s over, I guess we’ll see you tomorrow…
…Maybe I have just had my head in the sand, but I have seen surprisingly little hype about this day.
Remember the big media hoopla over previous predictions about the end of the world? Oooh, right. Those end of the world predictions were from Christians. This one was just from the Mayans.
Lots of Christians have noticed that the authors of the New Testament place great emphasis on the Jewish festivals and holidays and the fact that Jesus fulfilled many of the rituals and traditions of these holidays in His birth, life, death, and resurrection.
But what about Hanukkah? Did Jesus fulfill this holiday also?
The immediate objection to even asking the question, however, is that Hanukkah is not a “biblical” holiday. That is, it is not one of the seven feasts which Moses wrote about in the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures. So why, it might be asked, would Jesus fulfill it?
It is true.
Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures. It did not begin to be celebrated until the mid second century BC when some Jewish rebels defeated their Roman captors and set out rededicate the temple to God. To do this, they needed to light the oil lamps in the temple, but most of the oil had been contaminated, and it would take eight days to make more.
However, they found one container of oil which was still sealed and uncontaminated, but it was only enough for one day. So they lit the lamps in the oil to begin the purification process in the temple, and miraculously, the lamp stayed burning for eight full days.
But did you know that Hanukkah, while not mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, is mentioned in the New Testament?
In John 10:22, we read that Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication, which is Hanukkah. And there are various indications in John 10, as well as in the surrounding context of John 8–11 that Jesus identified Himself with the lights of Hanukkah and especially the central light of the Hanukkah Menorah, the Shamash, or “Servant” light.
It seems that though Hanukkah is not a biblical holiday, Jesus still fulfilled it, that He took the symbolism and significance of this holiday and pointed it to Himself.
Which raises the question, if Jesus could do this with a non-biblical Jewish holiday, can He also do this with non-biblical non-Jewish holidays? How about, for example, the ancient holiday to the fertility sex-goddess Ishtar? Or maybe some of the ancient celebrations about Mithras? Or maybe the ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia which takes place at this time of year?
Yes, I believe Jesus can (and does) take these holidays and point them to Himself. It is called redemption. Just as He redeems humanity, Jesus also redeems the things that make us human. Along with redeeming humanity, Jesus redeems the things in our culture and calendars that make life meaningful and enjoyable.
Want to learn more about this? I write a lot more about it in my eBook, Christmas Redemption.
In Christmas Redemption, I admit that Christmas is a pagan holiday, and go into some of the history and origins of Christmas.
Christmas Redemption then looks at the date of Jesus’ birth and how Jesus fulfilled many of the biblical Jewish holidays in His birth, life, and ministry.
Following this, the book takes a brief look at one of the non-biblical Jewish holidays that Jesus also fulfilled, and ask the question that if Jesus could fulfill a non-biblical Jewish holiday, why can He not also fulfill any other non-biblical holiday?
I believe He can… and He does.
Christmas Redemption ends with looking at some of the symbolism and traditions of Christmas, including gifts, the Christmas tree, and even Santa Claus and showing how all of these can be celebrated and enjoyed by Christians as a true and accurate reflection of the Gospel.
Jesus is in the business of redemption, and just as Jesus has redeemed you and I, He redeems the cultural elements and traditions that surround us, including pagan holidays.
To see how, get Christmas Redemption today.
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