"Santa Claus is Coming to Church"
The character, Santa Claus was based off of an actual person. What's his name?
Santa Claus comes from Saint Nick, A greek born around 280 A.D.
Who was the king at the time Mary was with child?
King Herod
Finish the hymn! "Go, tell it on the mountain, Over the hills and everywhere: Go tell it__ ____ ____________ ____ _______ ______ ___ ______ ".
on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born!
Go Tell It On the Mountain, Hymn #121
True or False: Ellen says to "substitute innocent pleasures for sinful amusements" during Christmas time.
True! From Substitute Innocent Pleasures for Sinful Amusements, "While sinful amusements are condemned, as they should be, let parents, teachers, and guardians of youth provide in their stead innocent pleasures which shall not taint or corrupt the morals".
From Collection of Documents in Relation to Christmas, https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/757.18#18
Name the 1st two lines of ”O Come O Come Emmanuel“
”O come o come emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel”
When was the original Christmas Day?
December 6th, to celebrate St. Nick, a feast day centered around him(not Jesus).
Why did Mary and Joseph leave Nazareth to go to Bethlehem?
The Roman Census was happening (Luke 2:4-7)
What's the Hymn? "no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head. The stars in the sky looked down where he lay, The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay".
Away in a Manger
Hymn #124
True or False: Ellen believes that Jesus' birthday not being clearly stated in the bible is for our good.
True! From Ch 1 Christmas is Coming, "The Bible does not give us the precise time. Had the Lord deemed this knowledge essential to our salvation, He would have spoken through His prophets and apostles that we might know all about the matter. But the silence of the Scriptures upon this point evidences to us that it is hidden from us for the wisest purposes"
Collection of Documents in Relation to Christmas, https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/757.9#9
How many wise men went to see Jesus in Bethlehem?
Trick question! The bible never stated an exact number. Matthew 2: 1-2, 9-11.
True or False: After the Protestant Reformation, St. Nick rose in popularity and soon became known as Santa Claus, bringing gifts to those who're good and coal to those who're bad.
False! After the reformation, he declined in popularity, but rose again when the role was given to Jesus to take over. According to Gerry Bowler's "Santa Claus: A Biography", he states; "after the Protestant Reformation began in the 1500s, saints like Nicholas fell out of favor across much of northern Europe. 'That was problematic,' Bowler said. 'You still love your kids, but now who is going to bring them the gifts?' Bowler said that, in many cases, that job fell to baby Jesus, and the date was moved to Christmas rather than December 6." (Handwerk, 2018).
True or False: Jesus was born directly on Dec. 25th, over 2,000 years ago.
False: It's not stated in the bible a specific month, day, and year. It's just not Dec. 25. Some scientist say June 17th in the year 2 B.C, some say Oct. 7th B.C
"Theologians have also suggested that Jesus was born in the spring, based on the biblical narrative that shepherds were watching over their flocks in the fields on the night of Jesus’ birth – something they would have done in the spring, not the winter." (White)
https://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/christianity/articles/when-was-jesus-really-born.aspx
Finish the Hymn! "No more let sin and sorrow grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make His blessings flow, ____ __ ____ _____ __ ______, ____ __ ____ _____ __ ______, "
Far as the curse is found (3x)
Joy to The World, Hymn #125
True or False: Ellen G. Write approves having a Christmas tree in the home around Christmas time.
False! She states it can be in the church, nothing about it being in the home.
Taken from The Adventist Home, "“Shall We Have a Christmas Tree?”—God would be well pleased if on Christmas each church would have a Christmas tree on which shall be hung offerings, great and small, for these houses of worship...Letters of inquiry have come to us asking, Shall we have a Christmas tree? Will it not be like the world? We answer, You can make it like the world if you have a disposition to do so, or you can make it as unlike the world as possible. There is no particular sin in selecting a fragrant evergreen and placing it in our churches, but the sin lies in the motive which prompts to action and the use which is made of the gifts placed upon the tree" (pg. 482).
True or False: Saint Nick did good deeds, such as bring gifts to those who were in need and resurrected little children from the dead.
True! From Gerry Bowler's "Santa Claus: a Biography", he talks of two tales that made St. Nick an infamous person. 1. "In the better-known tale, three young girls are saved from a life of prostitution when young Bishop Nicholas secretly delivers three bags of gold to their indebted father, which can be used for their dowries."
2. Nicholas entered an inn whose keeper had just murdered three boys and pickled their dismembered bodies in basement barrels. The bishop not only sensed the crime, but resurrected the victims as well." (Handwerk 2018).
After this event was now centered over Jesus, he didn't become the bearer of gifts to children worldwide. It was decided that the baby figure wasn't as effective as a grown man watching over kids; so they wanted to give Jesus a "sidekick". What were some other characters/names created for Santa?
Krampus (christmas devil), Ru-Klaus (rough nick), Aschenklas (ashy nick), Pelznickel (furry nick) Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Saint Nick.
After the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the family moved somewhere else before moving back to Nazareth. Where did they move to next?
Egypt!
Since Joseph and Mary had completed the laws and commands (Greek nomos) of the Lord, they returned to the land of Israel from Egypt and settled in Nazareth of Galilee, which became the hometown of Jesus and was where Joseph and Mary lived prior to going to Bethlehem for the census.7 (Matthew 2:22; Luke 2:39). (https://answersingenesis.org/holidays/christmas/a-matter-of-time/).
Name that Hymn! "This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing: Haste, haste to bring Him laud, The babe, the son of Mary"
What Child is This
Hymn #141
Ellen states that there's no "divine sanctity" with Christmas being observed on the 25th, but True or False: Ellen provides instruction on how it can be observed.
True! From The Day Not to Be Ignored With Children, she states, " The youth should be treated very carefully. They should not be left on Christmas to find their own amusement in vanity and pleasure-seeking, in amusements which will be detrimental to their spirituality. Parents can control this matter by turning the minds and the offerings of their children to God and His cause and the salvation of souls".
From Collection of Documents in Relation to Christmas, https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/757.14#17
True or False: EGW also condones having a New Year's Tree in the church.
True! From A New Year's Tree, " On this occasion nothing was said or done that need burden the conscience of anyone..Some have said to me, 'Sister White, what do you think of this? Is it in accordance with our faith?' I answer them, 'It is with my faith'”.
Collection of Documents in Relation to Christmas, https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/757.82#84
What pagan celebration is connected the early American Christmas?
Saturnalia, the pagan Roman winter solstice festival that's celebrated on Dec. 25th, "A time for feasting, goodwill, generosity to the poor, the exchange of gifts and the decoration of trees" (Salusbury, 2009).
King Herod had a son that succeeded him after his death, and an angel informed Joseph that they could move back to Nazareth since Herod had died (Matthew 2:15, 19). What was the name of Herod's son?
Archelaus (pronounced arc--he--lay--us)
From https://answersingenesis.org/holidays/christmas/a-matter-of-time/
Name that Hymn & Number! "How silently, how silently, the wondrous Gift is giv'n; So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heav'n."
O Little Town of Bethlehem, Hymn #135
What does the Christmas Tree symbolize in the eyes of Ellen?
Symbolizes the holy work of God, his service to us.
Excerpt from a letter of Review and Herald "Let the precious emblem, “ever green,” suggest the holy work of God and his beneficence to us; and the loving heart-work will be to save other souls who are in darkness" (Dec. 9th, 1884).
True or False: Saturnalia was originally a farmer's festival honoring Saturn, and the cult of Saturn lived within these areas.
True! "Saturnalia originated as a farmer’s festival to mark the end of the autumn planting season in honour of Saturn (satus means sowing). Numerous archaeological sites from the Roman coastal province of Constantine, now in Algeria, demonstrate that the cult of Saturn survived there until the early third century AD."
From "Did the Romans Invent Christmas?" (https://www.historytoday.com/archive/did-romans-invent-christmas)