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Thanksgiving vs. Christmas

 by Denny Luker 8 comments Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

America just largely ignored its most biblical holiday: Thanksgiving.
Christmas shopping ad campaigns like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Green Tuesday—even Black Friday Month—dominated advertising and even news coverage at the end of November. But so little attention was given to Thanksgiving.
Some Christians denounce the commercializing of the religious meaning of Christmas, but sadly, they miss many vital points of truth. However, our premise with The Good News magazine is that you don’t have to miss those points!

Three reasons why Thanksgiving is more biblical than Christmas:

1. Jesus Christ did give thanks to God the Father.
When He fed the 4,000 and the 5,000 hungry men plus women and children, Jesus gave thanks and blessed the food (Matthew 15:30-39; John 6:1-14). At the end of His ministry He specifically thanked God for the unleavened bread and wine of the Passover ceremony that commemorated the sacrifice of His own life for our sins (Luke 22:14-23).
The principle of thanking God for all our physical and spiritual blessings and for life itself is woven throughout the Bible. As national holidays America’s and Canada’s Thanksgiving Days are based on honoring the blessings that God has given their people. ( Is Thanksgiving Rooted in a Biblical Festival? )
2. Jesus Christ did not command that His birthday be observed.
Part of developing Christianity decided to observe Christ’s day of birth, but “Christ-mass,” as it came to be called, was not widely observed until A.D. 354! However, Jesus, His disciples and the apostles did not observe His birthday.
Instead of His day of birth, Christ commanded His followers to observe the day of His death—the Passover (1 Corinthians 11:26). Unfortunately, Christianity long ago rejected the Passover and substituted Easter—a day named after and honoring the pagan fertility goddess Ishtar. This is something that Jesus doesn’t approve of!  ( Easter: Masking a Biblical Truth )
3. Jesus Christ was not born on December 25.
Despite the popular idea, the shepherds did not stay out at night with their flocks in mid-winter. It got too cold for that during winter near Bethlehem! Also, the Christmas-observing part of Christianity had no clear idea when He was born, so they suggested dates from all over the calendar during the early centuries after Christ.
However, had they more carefully read the details in the Bible, those early church leaders could have found that although the exact day of His birth is not revealed, Jesus of Nazareth was born in the autumn—not in the winter. ( Biblical Evidence Shows Jesus Wasn't Born on December 25 )
We want to thank you for being a reader of The Good News and encourage you to share it with your friends and family. Keep reading and learning more!

Star Wars III What Makes a Hero Go Bad?

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Star Wars III

What Makes a Hero Go Bad?

Posted on Nov 4, 2005 by John Gould Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

As the Star Wars series finally comes to a close, what lessons can we learn from its story line and characters?

Beginning with the initial offering of the saga of Star Wars in 1977, we watched with fascination as Luke Skywalker battled the evil Darth Vader. In many ways the six episodes were as suspenseful as an old-time serial melodrama. If you’re an older person, you may recall the ones they showed, 10 minutes at a time, in the local movie theater. They kept us on the edge of our seats, and we came back to the theater over and over again until we saw the end of the series.
Throughout history, people have loved epic stories with heroes. Some conquered dragons and saved maidens from sure death. Others fought the invading enemies; and even if their own lives were lost, they saved the lives of many others. Some followed complex paths of one demanding task after another, until the authorities were satisfied that the hero was really a prince in disguise, and gave him a crown.
What happens, then, when such a hero turns bad? That is the underlying theme and question behind the Star Wars saga.
To the cynic, Star Wars is either a massive effort to make money in the name of entertainment or it is a gigantic retelling of a heroic epic based on the continual struggle between good and evil.

You make the choice!

The six-part epic is based on a simple premise: We are responsible for the choices we make. Almost all literature has a theme of choosing between good and evil. This probably goes back to our original parents, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden. When they ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3), they accepted both good and evil into their lives.
Anakin Skywalker was born to a woman of lowly status, who supposedly had never had sexual relations with a man. As a child, he gains knowledge and skills far beyond his own contemporaries, and is recognized as having the potential to “bring balance to the Force.” In other words, he is perceived as a “hero” but, as yet, an untrained one.

There is a moral to the story of Anakin Skywalker: “The choices we make define our destiny.”

As he reaches the stage of young manhood, he is tempted to use his powers in a situation, that is above the law, thus becoming a law-breaker, all as a result of his anger at the death of his mother. In seeking justice, he oversteps the bounds of social responsibility, and turns to vengeance. The act is an irreversible one, in which he eventually turns away from the path of truth (including the path of protecting the weak from evil) to a life of focusing on gain and self.
In the Bible, Judas Iscariot faced a similar crisis. Judas was chosen by Jesus to become one of His closest companions. He participated in the early evangelistic tours—God’s miracles and healing went with them, and even demons were subject to their commands. He was even treasurer of the group, but the power of such responsibility turned his heart; he became a thief and eventually betrayed Jesus.
Star Wars IV follows a new hero, Luke, the son of Anakin, from a humble beginning to learning the ways of truth and the difference between right and wrong. He is the hero that his father could have been. He sticks with obedience to law and a commitment to restore right behavior in the universe. He then becomes a Jedi knight, and a champion who fights against the evil that seduced his father.
In the end, there is a battle, a contest of the will between Luke and what his father had become. It is a struggle, and there is temptation. He can either die or turn over to a lust for power, control and selfishness. This is what George Lucas has termed the “dark side of the Force.”
There is a moral to the story of Anakin Skywalker: “The choices we make define our destiny.” It is equally true regarding our human potential. God created mankind with free moral agency. He instructed the first man and woman to follow His ways and laws or face death. And today He presents us with the same choice. If we will submit to Him, and follow His plan for success, we will eventually become like God.
Behind this story, we realize Anakin was strongly influenced by his mentors. Both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had strong streaks of independence! We see this same streak of independence repeats itself—a resistance to listen to the advice of friends or to the wise opinions of the Jedi Council. Eventually, Anakin decides to allow the dark side, which is in reality his own selfishness, into his life.
This process bears a strong resemblance to what turned Lucifer from a beautiful angel of light into the devil, a process that was revealed when he decided, “I will be[come] like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14).
At the end of episode VI, Luke gains the self-control needed to become and remain a successful Jedi knight. He seems destined to become a leader of a new dynasty, a family of rulers that will serve for the greater good of all life.
It is much like the promise that God made to humanity in Revelation 19 There is a hero, Jesus the Messiah, riding in from outer space (heaven) to fight against evil and restoring good to all humanity. He then leads us toward a wonderful world tomorrow.

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Can the U.S. Consumer Save the World?

 by Mike Bennett Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Will Americans spend or save? Which should they do?

After decades of growing consumer debt that contributed to the global economic crisis, American consumers are being asked to do two contradictory things to help bring the United States and the world out of the crisis: Spend and save.

Christmas spending likely to disappoint many

MarketWatch reports that the madness of Black Friday, with all its sales and discounts, only brought in a half percent increase in retail sales. The Friday after American Thanksgiving is considered the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season, the most important period for retailers. The small increase in sales is a reminder that the American consumer, once considered the engine of the world economy, is still overstretched and cannot serve as the catalyst of another boom.
Spending was a bit stronger in the Internet world. “Analytics firm comScore said Sunday that U.S. online spending on Black Friday was the strongest it has ever been, up 11 percent over the prior year, with $595 million spent online,” reported Reuters . Still that online figure is dwarfed by the $10.66 billion spent at brick-and-mortar stores on Black Friday.
The National Retail Federation noted that consumer traffic increased over the four-day period from Nov. 26 to 29, but total sales still only rose half a percent to $41.2 billion. “The higher turnout and lower average spending were in line with expectations, the NRF said. The group is sticking to a forecast for a 1% drop in spending this holiday season,” reported BusinessWeek  .
“For investors who were looking for material topline growth and a return of the consumer, that's not in the cards for 2010,” Eric Beder, an analyst at Brean Murray Carret & Co., told Reuters . Many analysts had predicted that retail sales would improve since sales figures were so bad in 2008, at the height of recession and the credit crisis. For these analysts, this year's results are especially disappointing.
Why is this important? Because consumer spending makes up about 70 percent of the U.S. economy. Reuters says, “Economists and analysts are watching the holiday shopping season closely this year for signs consumers are willing to spend again.”

Savings rate disappoints the rest

On the other side of the ledger are the realists who note that no society can continue indefinitely to borrow more than it saves. As the Bible says, “The borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7).
America, as the world's superpower with what has been the world's easiest currency to trade, has seemingly had a free pass. We have received the benefit of the doubt, though that benefit appears to be coming to an end. Up to this point, countries like China have sold us far more than they have purchased from us. And they have turned around and loaned trillions of dollars to the U.S. government to finance its debt.
A smaller, less powerful country that did not control the world's reserve currency would have been forced to shape up long ago. Government spending would have been curtailed, and taxes raised. Household debt, which grew as much, relative to income, from 2000 to 2007 as it had in the previous 25 years, would have been restricted. Personal savings, which reached a low of -0.7 percent in 2005, would have been encouraged.
As it is, the recession has forced many consumers to reduce their debt, and fears of unemployment have caused some to increase their savings. But the rate is still very low compared to most countries.
In fact, the only sustainable economic approach would be for Americans to save more and spend less. But this tough medicine has its dangers. We're in so deep, the prudent thing in the long run can be foolish in the short run.
Research from the McKinsey Global Institute shows that “each percentage point increase in the savings rate would reduce spending by more than $100 billion—a serious drag on any recovery.”
And so we see economists and government leaders playing this precarious balancing act of encouraging people to spend, but not too much, and encouraging people to save, but not too much of that either.
On the microeconomic level of your own family, what are the prudent steps to take? The Bible contains a great deal of advice about the wise use of money, and we have collected much of it in a free resource called Managing Your Finances . Read it online or download your own copy.

Treasures of Thankfulness

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Treasures of Thankfulness

 by Dan Dowd 2 comments Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Reflecting on the Sabbath, the lessons of the week, and God’s Word.

freeimages.com/mjamesno

VT Sabbath Focus: Treasures of Thankfulness

Thursday of next week is Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S.A. Originally established to thank God for the blessings received in this country, yet as a nation we seem to have forgotten the meaning of Thanksgiving Day. Consequently it has morphed into the opening bell for the Christmas buying season. Retailers have been feeling the economic pinch in recent years, and so have become even more aggressive in luring potential customers into their stores on Thanksgiving or even before that day.
Some years ago I was interested in getting a new computer for my wife and decided that I would go out early on Black Friday hoping to get a great deal. I arrived at the computer store shortly before 5 a.m. and witnessed a mob of people already there. Literally, standing room only. The line for the checkout stretched half-way around the interior of the store. Needless to say, the computer bargain I was looking for was long gone. This scenario has not improved over the years. People now camp out in front of retail stores days before Thanksgiving so that they can be one of the first in the store on Black Friday.
Remembering my experience, some questions come to my mind:
- Are we as zealous for what God has given us? What does Christ tell us to set as our priority in Matthew 6:33? God wants us to desire His way actively, not passively – desiring what God desires should come first in our lives. Do we value the calling God has given to us now, more than all of those shoppers giving up their sleep on a day off from work in order to get the greatest bargains?
- If you had to purchase the truth of God, what would you be willing to pay? What if you had the treasure in your back yard to purchase such a truth and didn’t even know it? Read Matthew 13:44-46.
Do we value the truth God gives us that much? Are we deeply thankful for the calling God has given to us now – to be part of the firstfruits? Are we thankful to have the hope of His Kingdom – to know that there are solutions to the problems mankind has created in this world? Are we thankful to be called to serve, and be able to practice that in this lifetime and see the blessings that come from living God’s way of life?
- Perhaps on this Sabbath day, before the holiday of Thanksgiving you could make a personal list of what you are thankful for – both physical and spiritually – that God has given to you.
It’s easy to see what the world values during this time of year. Very few celebrate Thanksgiving with true thankfulness. Few are seeking something bigger than the latest gadget in their life. And few are willing to invest in changing themselves so that they can be part of changing the world for the better.
Having been called out of that world, we need to constantly remind ourselves what God has given us to value. Let us be thankful for the physical and spiritual blessings of God. And let’s remember to be thankful for the knowledge that our God is loving, merciful, patient, and giving.

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Don't Forget to Give Thanks

Thanksgiving Day in America has expanded to include other activities. What is at the heart of the day's observance?

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[Darris McNeely] What will you be doing on Thanksgiving Day? In a few days in America, this is going to be America's day of Thanksgiving. The fourth Thursday of every November, wonderful holiday that we have here. I've been noticing a trend in recent years, and it really seemed to accelerate last year in that we have always had what they call "Black Friday", the day after Thanksgiving shopping frenzy that takes place, to open up the winter shopping season of American retailing industry. But last year they began to open on Thanksgiving Day, in many of the major retailers in America. Now there's a bit of a backlash this year, because while many will still be open on Thanksgiving Day, several have made a point of saying that they will not be open on Thanksgiving Day to give their employees time to be with their families and to keep Thanksgiving as they choose, which is being met with a great deal of applause by some, in that we don't want to make this day so overly commercialized. And so, that's going to be playing itself out. I guess people will have a choice.
There's another trend that I noticed in an article that people are doing more and more on Thanksgiving – believe it or not, they're exercising. 5k runs, walks, extreme events that are taking place on Thanksgiving Day in many parts of the world, and especially picking up in the United States, to get out and do things. Interestingly, I guess, you can work off a lot of calories before you sit down at the table and eat your turkey and dressing and put those calories back on.
 

I don't know what you'll be doing, but whatever it is – shopping, exercising, watching football, gathering with family – I hope that whatever you do, you will indeed stop and offer a prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving to God for the blessings that you have, whatever they may be, in front of you on that Thanksgiving Day. It is a traditional holiday with religious overtones, it is certainly one that is secular in a sense that it has been sanctioned by the United States government, and a day set aside on the calendar for it. But being thankful is a spiritual matter. And it doesn't hurt any of us to make sure that that is a part of what we do on that day. Gratitude, giving thanks on a day of thanksgiving, is a very important matter to do. Whatever you do, be sure you put that first.
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The Wal-Mart Employee Tragedy

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The Wal-Mart Employee Tragedy


A commentary by Melvin Rhodes


The trampled Wal-Mart employee incident says a great deal about the age in which we live! Clearly, money is still the nation's number one god. As long as it is, we will continue to experience mounting economic and social problems!



The trampled Wal-Mart employee incident says a great deal about the age in which we live!



The morning after Thanksgiving has been known for many years as "Black Friday"—the busiest shopping day of the year. Stores in the United States traditionally try to entice customers to their retail outlets on this day with bargains that are usually not repeated.



Every year the store openings get earlier. Shoppers line up well before dawn, ready to rush in as soon as the doors open to be among the first to get limited sales items.



Perhaps it was inevitable that in the midst of such frenzy a tragedy would occur. And it did—on November 28, 2008 at a Wal-Mart store in the state of New York.



When the doors opened, crowds surged in and trampled to death a 34-year-old store employee who was 6'5" tall and weighed 270 pounds.



In effect, the young man died so that those who arrived first could save a few dollars on the latest electronic gadget! To put it bluntly, a human life was worth less than things!



This has long been a materialistic age, especially in the western world and most especially in the United States, where many stores open 24 hours a day and seven days a week in intense competition to get business. Employees have had their family lives almost destroyed as they work long hours for minimal wages, neglecting spouses and children at home.



There is no thought for a day of rest, giving people an opportunity to worship the God who has given them everything. Ironically, the only time most stores think about religion is when they can make money on it during the annual holiday season which began the day after Thanksgiving!



It is perhaps appropriate that amidst all this greed, our economy seems to be collapsing. Every day the news gets worse. The stock market has been in turmoil for months, affecting the retirement funds of millions. House prices keep falling; unemployment is increasing; and business is down. These worrisome events are now worldwide problems, as nations economically implode.



Tens of millions of people who have neglected God for years in a mad pursuit for wealth are now losing everything.



Perhaps this is what Jesus Christ had in mind when He said: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21 [19] Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

[20] But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

[21] For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.





See All...).



No society can prosper indefinitely if it is built on wrong values; and greed is most assuredly wrong. When a lawyer asked Jesus what was most important in life, His response was quite simple: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39 [37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

[38] This is the first and great commandment.

[39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.





See All...).



In other words, true and lasting happiness is built on a solid foundation of putting God first in our lives and through our relationships with people, beginning with family.



When people care more about people than they do about material goods, tragedies like the one at Wal-Mart will not happen. Even Black Friday would be a thing of the past!



Some stores this year tried to beat the rush by beginning sales a day earlier, on Thanksgiving Day itself. A day set aside by the Pilgrims almost four centuries ago as an annual day giving thanks to the Almighty for His blessings seems set to become yet another sales day as gratitude has been replaced by greed.



Clearly, money is still the nation's number one god. As long as it is, we will continue to experience mounting economic and social problems!



Long ago the apostle Paul warned: "You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them!" (2 Timothy 3:1-5 [1] This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

[2] For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

[3] Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

[4] Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

[5] Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.





See All..., New Revised Standard Version).

.

Thanksgiving vs. Christmas

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

Thanksgiving vs. Christmas

 by Dennis Luker


America just largely ignored its most biblical holiday: Thanksgiving.



Christmas shopping ad campaigns like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Green Tuesday—even Black Friday Month—dominated advertising and even news coverage at the end of November. But so little attention was given to Thanksgiving.



Some Christians denounce the commercializing of the religious meaning of Christmas, but sadly, they miss many vital points of truth. However, our premise with The Good News magazine is that you don’t have to miss those points!



Three reasons why Thanksgiving is more biblical than Christmas:

1. Jesus Christ did give thanks to God the Father.



When He fed the 4,000 and the 5,000 hungry men plus women and children, Jesus gave thanks and blessed the food (Matthew 15:30-39 [30] And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them:

[31] Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

[32] Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

[33] And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?

[34] And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

[35] And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

[36] And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

[37] And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.

[38] And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.

[39] And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.





See All...; John 6:1-14 [1] After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

[2] And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

[3] And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

[4] And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

[5] When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

[6] And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

[7] Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

[8] One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,

[9] There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

[10] And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

[11] And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

[12] When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

[13] Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

[14] Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.





See All...). At the end of His ministry He specifically thanked God for the unleavened bread and wine of the Passover ceremony that commemorated the sacrifice of His own life for our sins (Luke 22:14-23 [14] And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.

[15] And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

[16] For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

[17] And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:

[18] For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.

[19] And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

[20] Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

[21] But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.

[22] And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!

[23] And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.





See All...).



The principle of thanking God for all our physical and spiritual blessings and for life itself is woven throughout the Bible. As national holidays America’s and Canada’s Thanksgiving Days are based on honoring the blessings that God has given their people. ( Is Thanksgiving Rooted in a Biblical Festival? )



2. Jesus Christ did not command that His birthday be observed.



Part of developing Christianity decided to observe Christ’s day of birth, but "Christ-mass," as it came to be called, was not widely observed until A.D. 354! However, Jesus, His disciples and the apostles did not observe His birthday.



Instead of His day of birth, Christ commanded His followers to observe the day of His death—the Passover (1 Corinthians 11:26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.



See All...). Unfortunately, Christianity long ago rejected the Passover and substituted Easter—a day named after and honoring the pagan fertility goddess Ishtar. This is something that Jesus doesn’t approve of! ( Easter: Masking a Biblical Truth )



3. Jesus Christ was not born on December 25.



Despite the popular idea, the shepherds did not stay out at night with their flocks in mid-winter. It got too cold for that during winter near Bethlehem! Also, the Christmas-observing part of Christianity had no clear idea when He was born, so they suggested dates from all over the calendar during the early centuries after Christ.



However, had they more carefully read the details in the Bible, those early church leaders could have found that although the exact day of His birth is not revealed, Jesus of Nazareth was born in the autumn—not in the winter. ( Biblical Evidence Shows Jesus Wasn't Born on December 25 )



We want to thank you for being a reader of The Good News and encourage you to share it with your friends and family. Keep reading and learning more!

Thanksgiving vs. Christmas

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

Thanksgiving vs. Christmas


 by Dennis Luker


America just largely ignored its most biblical holiday: Thanksgiving.



Christmas shopping ad campaigns like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Green Tuesday—even Black Friday Month—dominated advertising and even news coverage at the end of November. But so little attention was given to Thanksgiving.



Some Christians denounce the commercializing of the religious meaning of Christmas, but sadly, they miss many vital points of truth. However, our premise with The Good News magazine is that you don’t have to miss those points!



Three reasons why Thanksgiving is more biblical than Christmas:

1. Jesus Christ did give thanks to God the Father.



When He fed the 4,000 and the 5,000 hungry men plus women and children, Jesus gave thanks and blessed the food (Matthew 15:30-39 [30] And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them:

[31] Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

[32] Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

[33] And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?

[34] And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

[35] And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

[36] And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

[37] And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.

[38] And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.

[39] And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.





See All...; John 6:1-14 [1] After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

[2] And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

[3] And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

[4] And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

[5] When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

[6] And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

[7] Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

[8] One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,

[9] There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

[10] And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

[11] And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

[12] When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

[13] Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

[14] Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.





See All...). At the end of His ministry He specifically thanked God for the unleavened bread and wine of the Passover ceremony that commemorated the sacrifice of His own life for our sins (Luke 22:14-23 [14] And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.

[15] And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

[16] For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

[17] And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:

[18] For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.

[19] And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

[20] Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

[21] But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.

[22] And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!

[23] And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.





See All...).



The principle of thanking God for all our physical and spiritual blessings and for life itself is woven throughout the Bible. As national holidays America’s and Canada’s Thanksgiving Days are based on honoring the blessings that God has given their people. ( Is Thanksgiving Rooted in a Biblical Festival? )



2. Jesus Christ did not command that His birthday be observed.



Part of developing Christianity decided to observe Christ’s day of birth, but "Christ-mass," as it came to be called, was not widely observed until A.D. 354! However, Jesus, His disciples and the apostles did not observe His birthday.



Instead of His day of birth, Christ commanded His followers to observe the day of His death—the Passover (1 Corinthians 11:26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.



See All...). Unfortunately, Christianity long ago rejected the Passover and substituted Easter—a day named after and honoring the pagan fertility goddess Ishtar. This is something that Jesus doesn’t approve of! ( Easter: Masking a Biblical Truth )



3. Jesus Christ was not born on December 25.



Despite the popular idea, the shepherds did not stay out at night with their flocks in mid-winter. It got too cold for that during winter near Bethlehem! Also, the Christmas-observing part of Christianity had no clear idea when He was born, so they suggested dates from all over the calendar during the early centuries after Christ.



However, had they more carefully read the details in the Bible, those early church leaders could have found that although the exact day of His birth is not revealed, Jesus of Nazareth was born in the autumn—not in the winter. ( Biblical Evidence Shows Jesus Wasn't Born on December 25 )



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