For “Scripture Sunday”:
Thanksgiving, Purim and Hanukkah
“Since so many holidays have pagan origins, some have wondered, is there anything wrong with national holidays like Thanksgiving, Purim and Hanukkah?
Since so many religious holidays have pagan roots, some have wondered if all modern holidays are suspect. What about national holidays such as Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada, and the Jewish national holidays of Purim and Hanukkah?
Purim and Hanukkah mentioned in the Bible
Though Purim and Hanukkah are not commanded feasts of the Lord, they are mentioned in the Bible. The book of Esther describes the events that led to the establishment of the festival of Purim, as God saved the Jews from destruction by evil Haman. Hanukkah was also called the Feast of Dedication, mentioned in John 10:22-23. It celebrates the rededication of the temple after it had been defiled by Antiochus Epiphanes.
Days for giving thanks
Both of these holidays were established to give thanks to God, just as the American and Canadian Thanksgiving days are. Though some modern customs of these days may not be pleasing to God, they are not rooted in paganism and do not subvert any of the truths presented in the festivals of God.” From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/holy-days-vs-holidays/thanksgiving/
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When Was Jesus Born?
Luke 1:5
“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
The Bible does not tell us exactly when Jesus Christ was born. The closest hint, found in this verse, seems to point to Christ’s birth in the fall of the year.
What’s the connection? Verse 36 shows that Jesus Christ was born about six months after John the Baptist was born. And John the Baptist would have been conceived nine months earlier (15 months before Christ’s birth), shortly after his father Zacharias had received a message from an angel while serving at the temple.
When did Zacharias serve at the temple? One source says he probably served one-week stints around mid-May and mid-November. (E.W. Bullinger uses the dates June 13-19.) King David had divided the priests into 24 courses, of which the division of Abijah was the eighth (1 Chronicles 24:10). These divisions each served a week at a time, so that each division served two weeks at the temple each year according to the sacred calendar, in addition to the festivals.
A number of commentators lean toward a May or June date for Zacharias’ meeting with Gabriel. Adding 15 months to that would put Jesus Christ’s birth in perhaps August or September. (If Zacharias met Gabriel around November or December, Christ’s birth would have been in perhaps February or March.)
Either way would not support a Dec. 25 birth date.” From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/when-was-jesus-born-part-1/
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When Was Jesus Born? Part 2
Luke 2:1“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
The vast Roman Empire was a structured and expensive government, and this census was “organized to facilitate the collection of taxes” (NKJV Study Bible). In an agrarian society, both tithes and taxes were collected shortly after the fall harvest when the farmer would have sold his crop. Collecting taxes in the winter or any other time is not very effective.
Also, since such a census required people like Joseph to travel back to their ancestral home, it is unlikely the census would have been conducted in the winter time when travel was difficult. This is but one more hint in the text that Jesus Christ’s birth did not occur on Dec. 25. Though the Bible does not give an exact date for His birth, it seems clear that it could not have been in the winter.” From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/when-was-jesus-born-part-2/?
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Luke 2:8
“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
One commentary states, “As these shepherds had not yet brought home their flocks, it is a presumptive argument that October had not yet commenced, and that, consequently, our Lord was not born on the 25th of December, when no flocks were out in the fields. On this very ground the nativity in December should be given up” (Adam Clarke’s Commentary,note on Luke 2:8).
The Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary agrees: “These humble pastoral folk are out in the field at night with their flock—a feature of the story which would argue against the birth (of Christ) occurring on Dec. 25 since the weather would not have permitted it” (1971, note on Luke 2:4-7).” From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/when-was-jesus-born-part-3/
For more about why Jesus Christ’s birth could not have been Dec. 25 and how it came to be celebrated that day, see our article “Christmas: Should Christians Celebrate It?”
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Update
Not much seems to have happened this week, but I have been busy every day. The pastor didn’t show up for the Sunday afternoon Bible study, so we just sat there and talked. The pastor had told one person that he had a family emergency, but they hadn’t passed it on.
Took a neighbor to Huntsville (TX) just so that I could go to a larger food store to get a few more veggies. That seemed like a long dreary trip, and not much to look at.
Then on Wednesday drove to Bryan again to the Social Security office and to take Joe, a neighbor, for their driving test. Social Security said that they would write to me with their findings. So we went back into College Station to my daughter’s house and she drew me a map of how to get to a certain used furniture store because I am looking for an armoire type thing, a closet with big drawers underneath. We found the place, but they didn’t have what I needed, so we went to Walmart, and that store in College Station is B-I-G. Joe found the tires he needs to get, and they were cheaper than some used ones he had been looking at. I went in the other direction to the Pharmacy to try to find Cod Liver Oil softgels. Everybody has Fish Oil Capsules, but not just Cod. I will have to order them online again. One really needs an electric chair to get around in that enormous store, I must have done my 10,000 steps that day!
Leaving Walmart, that’s when everything went haywire. We had plenty of time to get to the driving test, if we had only known how to get there! Joe insisted that Business 6 and Highway 6 were the same thing, so we stopped, started and crawled through dozens of traffics lights in College Station and then Bryan. I said that we needed to be on Highway 6, but Joe insisted they were the same thing. By the time we found Highway 6, we went the wrong way and didn’t arrive at the DPS until way after his appointment. Now he has to look at a video online to get another appointment.
This Sabbath, my neighbor Cherry and I decided to go to a different church, one in Willis. It was a long drive, but worth it. She enjoyed the change, especially the music. This week they were playing Bible Jeopardy instead of the usual Bible study, and that is always interesting. The sermon was about Nehemiah and how he resisted the temptations offered him, and how we should, too.
I had made Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes for the church potluck and was told several times that it was very tasty. I admitted that as I didn’t have the required 2 cups of milk to make it that I had substituted one cup of vegetable broth, maybe that’s what made it a hit.
We didn’t know how long we would be, so we took Cherry’s West Highland White, (Westie dog), “Travis” with us. He traveled in his big wire cage and when we got there we left the van windows open for him and took him walkies a couple of times. Thankfully it was a nice, not to hot, not too cold day.
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