How do you prayerfully attend to a season of waiting, when your world is so rushed? How do you come to fully appreciate the birth of Christ while focusing on material things? Christmas is such a decadent holiday, it seems to be the culmination of everything that's wrong with Christianity. How do you make it right between you and God?
2007-12-05 14:22:07 · 14 answers · asked by rozefyre86 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Paul says, "Whether you eat, drink or whatever, do it in the name of Christ." Enjoy Jesus, your friends and family in spite of how the world celebrates Christmas. Honor God with what you do don't get caught up in everything else.
Blessings
2007-12-05 14:54:21 · answer #1 · answered by PHIL B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, you can start by taking control of your surroundings and setting your priorities the way you want them in order to live out your faith as you are expressing. You can celebrate Advent (waiting) by having an Advent wreath in your home and lighting the candles even if only on Saturday evening and Sunday evening (if you are busy working during the week.) Then you could try to attend more Church services during this Advent season as well as having more quiet time set aside for prayer and reflection. There are good books and reading materials in religious stores to assist one during Advent. Also, I heard a few years ago, that families are starting to decorate their Christmas trees with only religious, cultural symbols such as a star, angel, nativity objects, "Merry Christmas" decorations in different languages and the list goes on according to what you can afford and find. If you surround yourself with these holy and inspirational ideas, you will eventually shut out more of the materialism you don't like. God Bless and have a wonderful blessed and holy Christmas!
2007-12-05 14:38:37 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't really feel the need to block out much of the Christmas season. All of the extra meals, shopping, preparation, mailing cards, just reminds me that I am preparing for the most important holiday there is. Just like I would never pass up all the extra stuff I do to celebrate my son's birthday, I wouldn't change anything about celebrating God sending his son. To me, there is nothing in the world that is more deserving of a huge celebration than that.
2007-12-05 14:29:37 · answer #3 · answered by Lamborama 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, we as Christians have become guilty of complacency, which is having an effect on the society in which we live. Christian traditions and holidays are becoming progressively secular because of our habit of complacency. We need courage to apply our convictions. Spiritual deafness keeps us from hearing and responding to God's call for us.
It is sometimes hard not to be impatient , with a desire for instant results. Yet change in society can take time. We need persistence, the ability to work through resistance. We must remember to pray and seek God's will in this matter with a receptive attitude, remembering that to pray as a Christian is to believe in the power of the name of Jesus.
It is easy to try to solve this problem on our own power. We need to switch from always expecting to get answers and understand everything and to relinquish the control to God.We know that God has the power to change people's hearts and transform their lives.
Of course, with humility we must examine ourselves to ascertain that we are not guilty of the same things that we would admonish others to avoid. Insufficient discipline may cause us to deny our limitations and "celebrate" to the point of exhaustion. If we relax and gently let go of our frenzied desire to prove our self-worth through outward displays, we might have some true spiritual experiences as we seek to celebrate our Savior.
Moving beyond self-absorption, and acting our way into thinking and feeling, we can begin by changing some small actions. As we allow God to transform us, we in turn may transform the world . Not that we ourselves will transform society, relying solely on our intellect and analysis, but rather that God will use us as channels of his grace to reach a broken world. Maybe then we may celebrate Christmas in spirit and in truth.
2007-12-05 15:46:51 · answer #4 · answered by Cher 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I still go out celebrating, just like a gathering with friends and family... but I go to church whereby I'm reminded once again the meaning of Christmas...
2007-12-05 14:30:20 · answer #5 · answered by schongal 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because with all the hussel and bussel ,at our house
we make time to show what Christmas is all about
the story of Christ,s birth is read and we talk about
what a wonderful Savior he is.
2007-12-05 14:29:40 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I see Jesus in everything. I see Him in my Christmas tree, but I don't get caught up in the gift giving. I am just thankful that He has blessed me and think of Him every day. It is how I am feeling in my heart and I don't judge those that celebrate Christmas because of santa and all.
2007-12-05 14:27:49 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
i've got not got a challenge with people celebrating whether they choose, as long as i'm allowed to rejoice as I wish. which comprise making a music Christian carols if i've got faith like it, having a nativity scene in my city, and asserting Merry Christmas as a replace of purely "satisfied holiday journeys".
2016-10-19 08:37:59 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I made it right with me and God by believing what His Son did 2000 years ago on the cross. Christmas is what you make of it so make yours as immaterialistic as you can if that is what you like.
2007-12-05 14:25:58 · answer #9 · answered by Ryan H 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I haven't celebrated the pagan holiday in about 25 years. It doesn't phase me at all. It turns out the relatives stop trying to give you things to get you involved after the first time of rejecting their gifts.
LEARN NOT THE WAY OF THE HEATHEN.
2007-12-05 14:29:10 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋