To the Editor:
John and Irene Jorgensen brought up interesting points about Christmas and Sunday worship.
John (“Every day made holy by Christ”, Dec. 23 Advance, page 7) pointed out that “Jesus was under the Jewish law until his death, so the timing had not arrived for a Sunday equal to Saturday while he was on Earth.”
But, John, after the resurrection, Jesus walked the earth with his disciples for 40 days. If Sunday was to replace the Sabbath, wouldn’t he instruct them to do so and put it into the New Covenant in writing?
John also claims “There is no Sabbath in heaven. Why limit us and glorify one day as holy here on Earth?”
By the same logic, there won’t be Sunday in heaven. Then why bother with Sunday at all?
Sunday was a Catholic invention established by Constantine in 321 A.D., some 300 years after Christ, enforced by the emperor’s decree. Where is that love of Christ in all of this? Romans worshiped Sunday as the day of the sun and collected taxes on that day. Hardly a sacred, holy, solemn day, can we agree?
Notable is that the law of Moses (ceremonial law) was temporary. The Ten Commandments were, are and will be God’s eternal law. Can you imagine someone telling you that you can kill, steal, commit adultery because Jesus did away with the law, nailing it to the cross?
Which of the Ten Commandments starts with “remember”? The Sabbath day. You know why? Because God knew which commandment will be attacked by Satan and replaced with a phony “holy” day. Why did God not say “Remember not to steal”, “Remember not to kill” or “Remember not to commit adultery”? Because Satan knew it would never fly with any sane man, woman or child.
All those who “worship” on Sunday are under the pope because it was the Roman Catholic Church that changed the Sabbath to Sunday and officially claim it has the right to do so.
Irene (“Christmas is a time for celebration”, Dec. 23 Advance, page 7) states regarding Christmas that “churches that teach against using Christmas trees and celebrating Jesus’ birth at that time of the year are wrong.” She implies that those who teach using Christmas trees and celebrating Jesus’ birth at that time of the year are right, doesn’t she?
Christmas started as a pagan holiday celebrating birth of wicked Tammuz and a winter solstice. A green tree was incorporated. Ironically, the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 17:2) warned centuries before it fully spread. Why do we need one day a year to select for this occasion? Why attack those who do not put up with Christmas on Dec. 25? Why don’t we sing birthday songs for Jesus year round? Why do we go with tradition, nullifying the power of God’s word?
God gave us free will. We are to decide for ourselves what to believe in. I personally subscribe to neither Christmas nor Sunday. Those who view it otherwise I inform only. It is their personal choice, privilege and responsibility. I will give an account to Jesus one day, and so will they. Replacing the biblical Sabbath with the un-Biblical Sunday, installing the un-Biblical Christmas and blasting those who expose it is not in the spirit of love, is it?
Vladimir Certik
West Creston