Christmas Pageant

Post 140

I really miss the traditional Christmas pageant put on by nearly every church in America not long ago.
In that pageant there was usually a narrator reading prominent parts of the nativity story out of the bible as the actors, dressed in great homemade costumes, acted out the scenes.

…“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed… and all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.”… (Luke 2:1-5)

We watch the pageant, so familiar to us, and it warms our heart to be reminded of the events that brought about the baby Jesus, the Savior of the world.

It pains me to put a mar in such a production by hitting the pause button to make an uncomfortable statement, but by bonding with the story so emotionally, we have left behind the reality of it all. Now it has become just that, a story.
What we have done is simplified the details into a one hour production no different than the Cliffs Notes of the Grapes of Wrath. *1
Cliffs Notes are fine… for their purpose, but not to the avoidance of the novel.

So why make a big deal about it here? Now? This is Christmas!

Because what has happened at least in America, is that Christianity has become a story, just like the movies. We all feel a great emotional bond to the story, but that does not mean we think it belongs in reality. And what was once true faith, is now just so much religion. Religion is based on illusion, A movie, A story.

Take the above passage as an example:
We hear the narrator actually quote the actual text from the scripture, but all we get from it, is that Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem, where Jesus was then born in a manger. This is all we need to know if it is just a great story.
But what happens when the truth of the story is questioned? Just because you choose to believe it, does not make it real.
So is your faith based on reality, or emotion?
I contend most American Christians’ faith is based wholly on religious emotion.
I would go further to say, they could not verify their faith based in any kind of reality.
This unverifiable faith, is really nothing more than religion, and religion is not enough to save your soul even if you believe in the baby Jesus!
The story is not what saves you, and neither does your belief in the story!
What saves you is your faith in Jesus, by understanding who Jesus is.
The above narrative is chock full of details that verify the truth of what it is telling us, showing us the actual point in History when this took place and the locations, but more than that, it shows us the historical details that brought about the FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY.
The Prophecy is the fingerprint of God.
THIS is the proof that Jesus is the Son of God. Without this fulfillment of prophecy, Jesus might just have been one more illegitimate child of an unwed mother.
But what do you know about the prophecy? Can you validate your faith by identifying the prophecies this nativity story fulfills? If not, what more is your faith than faith in faith?

The Islamists have faith, and are willing to die for it, but is their faith based on truth?
We criticize them for being so blindly ignorant of the truth, but who are we who cannot verify our own faith?
We judge the Jews for rejecting the Messiah, but we accept the Messiah on what facts or proofs?

So who is the greater fool? He who does not believe the proofs, or he who does not know the proofs?

God is not a fairy tale.
But those who choose to reject the Christian faith do it because it does not seem real or true, it is a religion to them.
I contend it is also a religion to most Christians as well.

Do we have to know all these details in order to be saved?
Of course not. “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” Acts 16:31, see also Acts 15:11
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9
But how much belief can you have without knowledge?

Up till now, our undisputed, simple faith has carried us. But although it has brought basic salvation to us, it is very weak and unable to produce much faith in others. Our forefathers and grandparents had great faith, not because they were more “spiritual” but because they had more knowledge. Their faith was real, which caused them to want to learn and know more, which made the roots of their faith grow deep. Our tiny light that we Christians have today at the fall of America, is as the Church of Sardis in Revelation 3:1-6
v.1b-2 “…I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.”

v.3 “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent.
If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.”

This is one of Jesus’ Churches. That means these are believers, but Jesus says they are dead even though they appear to be alive and faithful.
Without getting into a sidetrack, this 6th Church is the Church in time just prior to the rapture.
Since we know that we are in the last days as prophesied, we believers are in this 6th Church. This warning is to US!

v.4 “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
v.5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment: and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”

You see, God does not play with sin, and all those who take pleasure in sin under the blanket of grace have a serious misunderstanding of grace and their standing with God.
This passage clearly identifies this as a legitimate church, but the text indicates that most of this church will actually miss the rapture!
And even more startling, this passage clearly states that Jesus himself will blot out names of those in this church from the book of life if you are found in the end to be defiled!

It is easy for us to be blessed by the preaching of those great spiritual men, and so believe because we are blessed, all is fine with us. This passage brings us back to reality, that each of us, in the way God made us, has our own responsibility to be one of those great spiritual men who bless others. You do not do this by determination of will or the gaining of a great education, you do this by getting to know your God!

If you have a deep and meaningful relationship with God according to knowledge *2 then the Christmas pageant is a wonderful recap and memorial.
But I know by experience, doing a book review of the Cliffs Notes of The Grapes of Wrath will not get you a very good grade!

* * * * * * *

*1 Cliff Notes - CliffsNotes (formerly Cliffs Notes, originally Cliff’s Notes and often, erroneously, CliffNotes) are a series of student study guides available primarily in the United States. The guides present and explain literary and other works in pamphlet form or online. Detractors of the study guides claim they let students bypass reading the assigned literature. In contrast, the company claims to promote the reading of the original work, and does not view the study guides as a substitute to the reading.
CliffsNotes was started by a Nebraska native named Cliff Hillegass in 1958. He was working at Nebraska Book Co. of Lincoln, Nebraska, when he met Jack Cole, the co-owner of Coles, a Toronto book business. Coles was also the publisher of a series of Canadian study guides called Coles Notes. Jack Cole offered the American rights to Hillegass.
Hillegass and his wife, Catherine, started the business in their basement at 511 Eastridge Drive, with sixteen William Shakespeare titles. CliffsNotes now exist on hundreds of works. The term CliffsNotes has now come into modern usage, as a noun for notes of a similar nature to the original CliffsNotes books.
IDG Books purchased CliffsNotes in 1998. John Wiley & Sons acquired IDG Books (renamed Hungry Minds) in 2001. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CliffsNotes

*2 “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:…” II Peter 1:2-3