Is Jesus The Reason For The Season?

So Christmas was celebrate long before it was claimed it as the Holy Day to celebrate the memory of the birth of Jesus. Like Easter, Christmas celebrations have there roots in pagan religion. So if your asking what Jesus Christ has to do with Santa Claus, I am one Christian whose happy to admit the two entities have nothing to do with each other.

There are a small group of "Christians" who stop saying Merry Christ and now say Happy Birthday to Jesus, nothing gets under my skin more! The fact that Jesus Christ the 'Son of God', was not born on the 25th December seems to escape these people. (Wikipedia)

Christmas day was founded on the celebration of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti which translate in to "the birthday of the unconquered sun. (Wikipedia) Which is "sun" not "Son" or Jesus Christ which is perhaps where some confusion has arisen from. There's certain no bibical conection as Christmas was not celebrated by the New Testament Church.

For biblical accounts the best estimation is sometime in September Jesus came to earth as a baby. The Book of John tells us that in the beginning was the word and the word was God. If Jesus is God then he existed before time. The idea that Jesus has a birthday and thus a date of birth doesn't sit with my theology or biblical knowledge. So I am happy concede the only birthday I celebrate Christmas Day is my Aunt's.

But as a Christian the day I chose to reflect on the Gift God gave us in the form of his Son is the day we know as Christmas. It a great day to reflect and celebrate this gift of a saviour as Christmas regardless of your religious background is about giving and sharing with those we love . . . And the Santa thing well. .   shh! I haven't believed in Santa for a very long time so for me Santa and Christmas don't gel but I'm happy for others to have the jolly old man as part of their celebrations.

I was just reading about Christians wanting to put Christ back in to Christmas as if the first Christmas day was the day Jesus was born which as I shared believe is incorrect. Jesus is the reason I celebrate Christmas and he is at the center of my Christmas Season, but this is not true for everyone who celebrates the Christmas Tradition. .  

It was in fact Roman pagans were the first to introduce the Satumalia "holiday or festival" which was a week long celebration between the 17th and 25th of December. At the start of the festival an enemy of the Roman people was chosen to represent "Lord of Misrule" resulting in a innocent person being killed on the 25th December to end the Festival. (The origins of Christmas)

It wasn't until the 4th Century CE the Christians imported the Satumalia festival in the hope of taking in the pagan masses with it, to which they agreed to celebrate Christmas as Satumalia. However the problem remained that the two feasts had nothing in common so the Christians declared the 25th December to be Jesus' birthday. However even this ploy had little success as the 'first Christmases' were celebrated by drinking, sexual indulgences and signing naked in the streets (which was a precursor to our modern Christmas Carols)  (The origins of Christmas)

After this Christmas continued to carelessly be celebrated by pagans, Jews and even Christians. Very few people have stopped to reflect what they were celebrating down through the centuries and so it still exists today. (The origins of Christmas) So it seems that Christians have been struggling to put Christ into Xmas down through the ages with various degrees of success.

Reading about how the traditions of Christmas started I know understand how non-Christians in countries which have little Christian input draw picture of Santa Claus on a cross. Regardless of where Christmas traditions emerged from or why other people celebrate Christmas for me the 25th December is the day I reflect on the gift of Jesus given to me by God.

Like all the gifts that my relationships are to me, it makes sense that my relationship with Christ is also celebrated along with all the other gifts of friendship and family are celebrated on the day we know as Christmas Day.

Jesus certainly is the reason I celebrate Christmas. Feel free to email me to find more about the Christian Celebrations on the 25th December.  

It is the Season

The Christmas decorations are up in the shops and people are wrapping their presents, even Santa Claus is arriving in town. But in the mist of this party season do we know what the true meaning of Christmas is or have we forgotten the simple magic of Christmas.

I live in Australian so its hot and sticky this time of year and people often escape to the air-conditioning of their local shopping centre where its impossible to escape the commencerism of the Christmas Season. Do we remember why we're out buying gifts this time of year? Or are we just stressed out by the number of times we find ourselves using our Credit Cards? Becoming hot and bothered by the stress of find the perfect gift for Aunty Mary. Are we concerned the kids next door will get better presents than the kids down the road.

Lets take a deep breath and slow down a minute and think about what and why we are celebrating Christmas.

Here are some reasons people celebrate the season of Christmas:-

1. Remembering the gift God first gave to us.
2. A religious Holy Day 
3. A chance to give gifts
4. Family
5. A celebration of friendship and love.
6. Being with the people most important to you
7. Giving to others who are unable to give back 

Wishing each other a Merry Christmas shouldn't be about over eating and drinking until we can't stand up. Another thing Christmas is about for me is memories and that's why the memories of my childhood Christmases are so precious to me. My Grandmother passed away the year I turned 18, Christmas has never felt the same since, perhaps that said more about my relationship with my grandmother than it does about Christmas.

However as a Christian, Christmas is all about relationships. Its about my relationship with God and the gifts he has given me; Its about my relationships with my friends and family; Its about the meaning each of those relationships  brings to my life; Its about giving - personally the best presents are the ones I give to others, they bring more joy to my world than any gifts I receive on Christmas Day and its about sharing joy with people I don't even know.

My challenge to you is to slow down before the Silly Season really starts and reflect on why you are about to celebrate and how to do that more appropriately this year. I won't wish you a Merry Christmas this year. . .

The 12 Gifts Of Christmas Journey

Starting on the 13th December I will be journaling on my "Sharing The Spirit of Christmas Adventure." I will be do this as part of my Pay It Forward commitment. I am very much looking forward to discovering the JOY the Spirit of Christmas journey will bring to my life and the lives of unknown strangers. I really pray as I share this journey with you, you to can gleam this sense of joy. But why stop there?

Why not embark on your own journey and experiences the pay it forward experience for yourself. The project for and journal or blog exercise is set out on their blog. There is also opportunity to share your experience with other bloggers. Even if you don't write a blog you can still journal your journey in the tradition sense. If you have any questions or need assistance with your journey enters contact chainlinks08@gmail.com.

Or you can join some activites through the It Takes One organisation. If you decide to take part we would love you to share your journey with us by posting on our Facebook Page.

Looking forward to sharing my journey with you.    

Cyberspace VOICE Conference Outcome

See London Cyberspace Conference Outcomes out lines the immediate things the governments around the world need to begin to address to allow safe, secure and freedom of speech, for all people.  In terms of ensuring access for all people, enabling every individual to participate in a globalises economy, immediate action from governments world wide to address many infrastructure needs. I believe the UN also has a role to play in assisting developing nations in this area. If my 10 year old niece can access the internet and my 14 year old nephew his iphone, then education levels are no longer a challenge software companies need to overcome. In terms of cyber crime and internet & mobile technology security, while international law agency, governments and software designers all have a role to play, we as individual users need to take personal responsible to protect our devices, privacy and intellectual property. I look forward to sharing more on the issues raised here and among other participants in the coming weeks.   

Messages gleaned from day one

There has been some debate over the ability of this conference to provide solutions to the challengers our digital age presents. But was this ever the mission of this conference? As I understood it the conference was to open discussion and debate. Surely before questions can be answer and solutions found, we must beware of the complexities of the challengers before us.

I feel we would also be prepared to concede not all challengers will be meet. We have already wittiness debate our safety and security online. Put simply my opinion is crocks are crocks. If a individual seeks to engage in criminal activities and activities the harm others such as making viruses that attack our computers and mobile devices then, no matter how suffocated we design on security there will always be individuals seeking to out smart the online security teams.

Also one day one, concerns over freedom of speech and censorship were expressed. The Internet with a platform of such open avenues for the expressions of ideas, thoughts, feelings and beliefs come dangers. Knowledge in the wrong hands can be dangerous. Censorship has been around in one from or another since the ability to publish emerged. Although it is easy to highlight the tendency of some countries governments to censor what residences and citizens have access to in terms or social media, we much we remember that censorship is part of the every media we read, listen to, watch and are exposed to via the Internet and the many social networks we access.

In many was these challenges being discussed are not exclusively cyberspace challengers. Rather they are the globalization of threats within main stream society which continues to be corrupt by greed, power and lust. The challenge before us is twofold. One we must continue to address these issues on the human front in mainstream society, secondly these to address at policy-making  level 

Nowhere in the globalise economy are the difference in social-economics and developments in local infrastructure more obvious than in cyberspace.  The haves and have-nots may not have faces but the ability to participate, engage and earn a living in a cyberspace economy is worlds apart.  A system that has the greatest potential to unite us divides us like never before. 

The real challenge before us and once I believe can be and must be address is technological infrastructure, both in rural areas in the western world, socio-economical  challenged urban area, indigenous cultures and developing countries. I believe only when everybody at least has affordable and reliable access to the Internet and mobile technology can we truly claim to live in a globalise economy.