Hi Christine,

I just stumbled across your blog and randomly choose a post to read. And I’m glad I did.

I know well the verse you reference. I believe it is safe to say that the issue of celebrating/not celebrating Christmas all stems down to one thing: traditions. Do you agree? You site Jeremiah 10:1-4, but have not included the first two verses. I have done that here.

1 Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel.
2 Thus says the LORD, “Do not learn the way of the nations, And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens Although the nations are terrified by them;

(3 For the customs of the peoples are delusion;
Because it is wood cut from the forest,
The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
4 “They decorate it with silver and with gold;
They fasten it with nails and with hammers
So that it will not totter.)
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I encourage you to read Matthew 15 (I’ve included it below):

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1Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
2″Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

3And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

4″For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’

5″But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,”

6he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.

7″You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:
8′THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
9′BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’”

10After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand.

11″It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

12Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?”

13But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted.

14″Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

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There comes a point where we stop saying what WE think and start doing what GOD says. Everyone must decide for themselves at some point how sovereign they will allow God to be. Of course we know and He knows that He is sovereign over all things, but we scarcely allow Him to be King over our money, let alone our entire lives.

The Bible is very clear about how we are to live as a “little Christ”; we are to constantly die to self (no more Denise), and love the Lord our God (“if you love me you will keep my commandments” – john 14:15)

What glory it would bring to our Heavenly Father if we simply asked ourselves, “what does God’s Word SAY?” Not MEAN, not HOW DO I FEEL ABOUT IT, not WHAT”S THE HIDDEN MESSAGE. Just “what does He say?”

Once we learn to do what He says, as He’s given us His Living Word, I would expect we wouldn’t worry what other’s think of us. It would only matter what God thinks. I’ll leave you with this (and please feel free to read the whole chapter for context sake) Matthew 7:21,

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”

Food for thought.