Christmas is December 25th


About 166 years Before the birth of Christ, Israel was a defeated nation under the Seleucid (Syrian) Empire's rule. Many people of the Isreal nation worshipped and sacrificed to the Greek and Syrian pagan gods inside God's Holy Temple.

Judah Maccabee and his 4 brothers led a revolt and after many battles freed Israel. On the day of their victory they removed the pagan statues and alters from the temple, cleansed it, and restored proper God worship. The festival of Hanukkah celebrates the victory, re-dedication of the temple, and the reconcilliation of the people to God.

About 166 years later a child was born on the same day. His name is Jesus. He came to give the people victory, to re-dedicate them and to reconcile them to God.

On our calendar, although years apart, the day of Victory, re-dedication of the temple, and the birth of Jesus was December 25th. Don't be deceived by those who spread doubt. We do know when Christ was born. Our God is big enough to preserve His son's birth date so that we may celebrate it in truth, and with great joy.

'For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior, who is Christ the Lord.' Luke 2:11

Welcome

To Our Global Ministry Website


PASTOR ROBERT SCHOONOVER


We are excited about your visit to this web presence of Faith Harvest Church. Our ministry is truly an international work that spans the globe from America to the Philippines, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Central America, Mexico, the Carribean Islands, England, and Germany. We are focused on adding South America, Israel, Africa and more countries in the European Union this year.


Our main aspiration in the coming months is to publish streaming video/audio Bible studies on the web. This will assist churches around the world in reaching out with the Word of God. A tool they can use to increase their witness to the lost, and strengthen the foundations of all the new brothers and sisters that they have brought and will bring to the Lord.



We have just acquired this Christmas web template and are greatful to TemplateMonster Design for their awesome work. It will take a few days for us to fill the site with our material and we are still designing the feeds. Please be patient and come back often. We'll soon be up and running 100%!

You are Blessed and Highly Favored :    . . . Pastor Rob




SHORT STORY


The Twelve Days of Christmas

The Twelve Days of Christmas, (contrary to what world commercialism would have you believe), are not the twelve shopping days before Christmas. But are the twelve days from Christmas until the Day of Epiphany (the 12 days from December 25th until January 6th - read on it's explained below). Jesus' birthday was (and by many still is) celebrated as a season not just a single day. It is still celebrated in MANY parts of the world by people from most ALL denominations.

The Epiphany (a special occurance):  The Feast of Epiphany celebrates the revelation of Christ to the Magi, and thereby to the whole world. Today, it is celebrated because Christ has manifest Himself to us!

Around January 6, the symbol +C+B+M+ with two numbers before and two numbers after (for example, 20+C+B+M+10) is sometimes seen written in chalk above the doorway of Christian homes. The letters are the initials of the traditional names of the Three Magi: Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. These letters also abbreviate the Latin phrase Christus Mansionem Benedicat, "May Christ Bless The House." The beginning and ending numbers are the year when the celebretion begins, 2010. The crosses represent Christ.

Now in the United States, with the passage of time, this event of the celebration of Epiphany seems to be slowly fading into history. However, it is still alive and awaiting it's revival. Traditionally (but optionally), part of closing the celebration of The Twelve Days of Christmas is to take down your decorations on January 6th.

Claim:   The song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was created as a coded reference to important articles of the Christian faith.

Story:   [Collected via e-mail & other sources]

You're all familiar with the Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" I think. To most it's a delightful nonsense rhyme set to music. But it had a quite serious purpose when it was written.

It is a good deal more than just a repetitious melody with pretty phrases and a list of strange gifts.

Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, (Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England in 1829), were prohibited from ANY practice of their faith (private OR public by law. It was a crime to BE a Catholic. Anglican Reformation)

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith. It was a memory aid in a time when to be caught with anything in writing indicating adherence to the Catholic faith, could not only get you imprisoned, it could get you tortured and hanged.

The song's gifts are hidden meanings to the teachings of the faith. The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn't refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so..."

The other symbols mean the following:

2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels
5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch",which gives the history of man's fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit,
8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

 
Merry Christmas!!!       . . . Pastor Rob