Thursday December 21, 2006 Shalom Brethren, I pray that Yahweh through Messiah Yahshua has blessed your family exceedingly well. This time of the year there is an onslaught against our faith through the worldly holidays and the damaging effects that these holidays foster. Yahweh has provided a refuge in the three appointed times every year which we are to fellowship before him. I would guess that over the last few weeks you may have heard "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas" but as one brother use to say, "No matter how attractive you make a pig look it will never be kosher." The brother many times used the analogy of lipstick on a pig meaning that if something comes from a corrupt source it will always be polluted because it is still an amalgamation of unlike foundations. In retrospect, what would a congregation expect from a figure like Constantine calling together the Council of Nicaea to establish "Christianity". Roman culture was violent, corrupt, and ineffective in many aspects but the acceptance of "Christianity" was nothing more than a political move to keep the Roman empire intact. The "Christianity" of today is really a culmination of many religions. Sun worship became son worship and since well the pagans were already gathering (mass) on the winter solstice for worship of the sun why not sanctify it as a holy day. The simplicity of counterfeiting a time that is not specific in Scripture such as the savior's birth for a pagan holiday allowed integration of pagans and their beliefs. The failure of Constantine though has to be that his empire eventually failed and his influence has guided so many to reject "Christianity" because it is extremely contradictory to Scripture. The contradiction of blending paganism and truth is that Scripture unravels the falsity if it is allowed to guide worship. Therefore, brethren are called with knowledge of truth because the Scripture has been before them most of their lives. It is rare that other faiths such as Islamic believers ever grasp on to the Hebrew Scripture but this is all possible as Yahweh calls. I see many trying to secularize the symbols of Christmas such as calling an evergreen a holiday tree. Today we know where those symbols come from but as time goes on the origins of symbols become blurry. We cannot allow the whitewashing of symbols to deter us in the fight against evil. We must educate our children as long as these symbols are worshipped because they are not of Yahweh. There is an example in Jeremiah of a idol (symbol) that sounds similar to a "secular" item in many homes today. Jer 10:1 Hear what Yahweh says to you, O house of Israel. 2 This is what Yahweh says: "Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. 3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. 4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. 5 Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good." There are a number of similarities between the Christmas tree and what Yahweh is teaching through the example of the idol. They may not be exactly the same but the idol may have been the precursor to the Christmas tree. Note that Yahweh says, "do not be terrified by signs in the sky"; it was because of the worship of the sun that the winter solstice was deemed a holiday. The pagans feared that without a sacrifice that the sun would not return. It sounds completely illogical today but the ancients had to feel that they were in control and when the days gradually became shorter they didn't want to loose the sun. Yahweh is in control through the laws that he has established and we do not have to worry about such things as the sun not returning. Let us put our faith in Yahweh and His son Yahshua the Messiah and forsake the pagan influence in our worship. It is easier said than done but we really cannot compromise our faith as the ancient "church" did led by a pagan. How do we discover where we are wrong? On a knee in prayer we ask for Yahweh's guidance, we ask for Yahweh's healing, and we open Yahweh's inspired word and test each and everything we believe. Related LiteratureArticle: The Christmas Fable
Question and Answer: Is it all right to celebrate Chr-stmas with my family? I have been doing it for my whole life and I don't want to alienate my family. Unaffiliated but Great ArticlesDecember 25- Birthday of the Sun by Yahweh's Restoration Ministry
The Real Story of CHRISTMAS by Yahweh's Assembly in Messiah New MoonIt is amazing how fast time seems to fade away; we are only a few new moons from the beginning of the Scriptural year. The tenth new moon was impossible to see yesterday but today it should be visible in clear areas around the globe. Please take time to look (December 21, 2006) this evening for the new moon. It may be remotely possible that the new moon will be seen in Jerusalem tonight but is more likely to be seen there tomorrow. The following are graphics from MoonCalc that illustrate the possibliity of sighting the new moon. Submit a New Report 
MoonCalc 6.0: December 20, 2006
MoonCalc 6.0: December 21, 2006
Yahweh bless,
James A. Meyer | 
