'Tis the Season for This Reason

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Franklin, OH -- Santa is ofter heard saying “Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas!” 

But, what does he mean… Christmas?

Santa, Elf on the Shelf, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer or even the Grinch get much more attention in the shopping malls and TV shows than the word Christmas.

What is Christmas?

Christmas comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). A Mass service is a Communion service, which also can be referred to as Eucharist. It is ceremony performed in the Christian religion in remembrance that Jesus died and then came back to life, giving the gift of eternal salvation to those whom chose to receive His gift.

The 'Christ-Mass' service was the only one that was allowed to take place after sunset and before sunrise the next day. Originally it was known as the Christ-Mass and eventually, was shortened to Christmas. https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/25th.shtml

There are many theories in history on how this time of year turned into Jesus’ birth date. What historians do know is that the Roman Emperor Constantine back in the 4th Century AD made the decision to turn the Winter Solstice Festival into a celebration of Jesus’s birthday too after he became a Christian.  https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/three-centuries-before-christ-s-birth-people-celebrated-25-december-archaeologists-claim-83910.html

While Christmas was not named an actual Federal Holiday in the USA until 1870, historians have found that in 1539 the Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernando de Soto, along with other members of his expedition, celebrated the first U.S. Christmas where what is now the Historic Capitol in Downtown Tallahassee, Florida. https://www.seeker.com/americas-first-christmas-happened-in-florida-1766104962.html

Today, astronomers have calculated that Jesus was probably born in June, not December. By charting the appearance of the Christmas star, which the Bible says led the three Wise Men to Jesus, they have discovered that the bright star appeared over Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, pinpointing the date of Christ's birth to be June 17 rather than December 25. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/astronomers-jesus-was-bor_n_149749

Over time, many customs from all over the world have come to play a part in people’s celebration of their meaning of Christmas. So, for many Christians around the world, Christmas is a special time to celebrate and share God’s greatest gift to all … the story of the birth of Jesus Christ.

To help celebrate the meaning of Christmas, which is a huge part of the Holiday Season, First Baptist Church Franklin will be doing a live nativity this Saturday Dec., 11 from 6pm to 8pm.

For more information … http://www.firstbaptistfranklin.com/

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