“He stepped from his high throne”
Rhosymedre 6 6. 6 6. 8 8
He stepped from his high throne,
And laid aside his crown,
And to this sinful world
The Son of God stooped down:
He came as our Immanuel
That God as man with men should dwell.
The virgin brought him forth
As promised from of old;
The Word in flesh appeared,
The Saviour long foretold:
He came as our Immanuel
That God as man with men should dwell.
The angels praised the Lord,
And shepherds came to see;
In royal Bethlehem,
The wise men bowed their knee:
They worshipped our Immanuel,
For God as man with men did dwell.
He came in servant form,
A King of David’s line;
And those who looked for hope
Beheld redemption shine:
They looked on our Immanuel,
For God as man with men did dwell.
Messiah mediates,
The breach with God to mend;
He served because he loved;
He loved us to the end:
He came as our Immanuel
That ransomed men with God might dwell.
And Jesus was his name –
He died and rose to save,
And we shall know in full
His triumph o’er the grave:
For he is our Immanuel
And man at last with God shall dwell.
©JRW
See all hymns and psalms.
The Wanderer 
No, some of us will not “celebrate” in this hypocrisy. Why not make this post on a different day of the year, other than December 25th? Does it not contribute to the superstitious regard for the day (as Spurgeon plainly denounced in previous post)? And if we are free to write or preach about the nativity why is it seldom done except now, or this time of year? The real reason is because reformed Christians regard the day as special and not irrational and superstitious, though those previous words were written about it.
People act according to what they believe (in truth) and so the actions of posting this today speaks volumes….an excuse will be made in most homes to do something “special” today, and do something Christian and religious BEFORE (wait for it) the mandatory gift exchange scheme can commence (which is largely based upon material lust, covetousness, which Paul calls idolatry too)–and mandatory gift giving is not a true “gift” nor “love”. (Try not participating once and you will see how much “love” there is in this covetous season where expectation equals demand). This is hypocrisy, the mixing of Christianity with self-serving motives, for justifying an unholy tradition. There is so much of the world, the flesh and the devil in this Christmassing which is justified under the pretense of words about the nativity on the date that “superstition has fixed”.
If we really “celebrated” the nativity and incarnation of Christ (without which we would have no high priest, made like us, to intercede for us before God), it would not be mixed with sensual pleasures, covetous gift-getting, and all the trappings of paganism and worldly fashions. The truth is the doctrine of the nativity is being ADDED to an unholy human tradition to justify it all. This is what Rome does and why it is corrupt. Think about that for a minute.
Churches on the web have posted their trouble this year because Christmas falls on a Sunday (Lord’s Day). So guess what? They are having only one service so that families (extended, including unbelievers) can get together–separate from the Church gathered. Note then, it is a day centered upon families–not even Churches in exclusive Christian celebration (because the families have the gifts and goods!) This demonstrates the hypocrisy that it is a human, family tradition, not a Christian centered celebration of the nativity. (Is the church the family of God or not?) So the Lord’s Day of course is Secondary to the idol of Christmas.
Where is the simplicity as it is in Christ (keeping within his commands and teaching)? Why is this blasphemy called Christ-mass (taking Christ’s name in vain, a word referencing the entire Popish mass that protestants used to denounce as idolatry) supported by those who extol the Westminister divines and their Larger Catechism, who banned it as a holiday, and made it most justly a common “market day” (of normal work), and who most certainly would never mix a pagan Yule tree, decorated in the Babylonian custom denounced by Jeremiah, and set it up in their house and pretend to be “celebrating the nativity of Christ”–while doing mandatory, compulsive gift exchanges (where parties expect to receive as well as give), complete with superstitious decorations, greenery and foods; not to mention, most likely, football sports on Sunday, complete with bad commercials! (Let’s not pretend that this is not typical among reformed Christians either. Just read their blogs and Facebooks.)
Why do reformed Christians employ the same words, “Merry Christmas”, as the Roman Catholic priests, without wincing? Do words still have meanings, or do they not? What is “customary” is not consistent with holy Scripture and a God who is still Jealous, who has a zeal for his own worship and has sometimes sent fire down to consume false worshippers! To merely mention the very reasons the Pilgrims and Puritans denounced Christmassing and then to justify it today by practice (or appealing to the inconsistent example of others, including Spurgeon in his latter years) is to bring confusion–an unholy discrepancy between doctrine and practice. Pray tell, is it nothing? The entire world is celebrating Christmas, including atheists, pagans, even Mahomattans in Iran put up public Christmas trees (yeah, they do not kill anyone who does this either)! Should Christians not be different? Are we not called “examine everything”, “abhor that which is evil”, “not be joined together (especially in religious observances) with the unbelievers”? Should we “learn the way of the heathen”? Where is the pure Christian worship of the Pilgrim’s, Puritans, Presbyterians, English Baptists today? Why is modern Christianity so accommodating to popish and pagan customs? What (seriously) would Jesus Christ or the apostles think of putting up trees (privately in homes), or pretending to mark December 25th as “Jesus birthday”? Is there any fear of God among the reformed churches? Or is it lip service with divergent practice instead? How do churches call themselves “reformed” when the Westminister Assembly rejected Christmas, and not merely “for their times”, but upon the 2nd commandment itself? (Read the Larger Catechism on the 2nd commandment today). Should a Christian engage in Superstition or not? How long will everyone hesitate between two opinions, between Biblical Christianity and Mystery Babylon (whether pagan or papal)?
Please recall the Roman Catholic church does not think it is idolatry either to mix pagan traditions with Christ’s nativity (and their own sensual, decorated forms of worship). This is precisely how Rome justified it, and how Christianity was led into Babylonian captivity for 1,000 years (by traditions of men)! Should we heed this Roman tradition then? Are we really ‘reformed’ if we do?
Maybe the hard truth is that few really want to be reformed according to the Bible, but only by what their flesh will tolerate and their family members consent to. (Do recall the hold Solomon’s wives had over him and also Jezebel over King Ahab and what that led to). The contrast between the Puritans and Pilgrims and at this season called Christmas and today’s ‘reformed Christians’ (modern Calvinism) is plain and remarkable and a gross contradiction.
Spurgeon again–
“…because we find **no Scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the birthday of the Saviour**; and, consequently, its observance is a superstition, because not of divine authority. Superstition has fixed most positively the day of our Saviour’s birth, although there is no possibility of discovering when it occurred. Fabricius gives a catalogue of 136 different learned opinions upon the matter; and various divines invent weighty arguments for advocating a date in every month in the year. **It was not till the middle of the third century that any part of the church celebrated the nativity of our Lord**”.
William
Sunday 25 December 2011 at 15:25
Greetings, friend. You seem to be writing under a series of misapprehensions and assumptions. Perhaps you would take a few minutes to consider the following points?
First, neither this post, nor the one that linked to it and from which you might have come, were posted on 25 December. You might have read it on 25 December, but that is a different matter.
Second, you seem to have made a number of assumptions about my practice (or perhaps the practices of others you perceive to frequent this site) as a Christian man, as a husband and a father, and as a church member and pastor. I might not communicate them as you do, but – from what you have written – you might be surprised at some of my convictions. I am far from persuaded that you have any grounds for making some of the insinuations that you do, and would suggest that you are rather beating at the air than engaging with anything real by seeking to pick this particular fight here.
Third, I wonder whether you know how much (or, indeed, how little), I write about, preach on, read the narratives of, or personally rejoice in the incarnation (or, indeed, the crucifixion) throughout the year? Could you, perhaps, let us know on what basis you seem to be suggesting an unwarranted concentration on certain days and seasons, especially in the light of posts like these?
Fourth, did you not think that there was anything even remotely ironic in penning this particular rather aggressive and unfair screed on the very Lord’s day that you so vehemently assert ought to be kept for the purposes of worship? I am not sure that it is either becoming to you or profitable to others (or yourself, for that matter). (And, yes, I do hold to the Lord’s day. My question is not about its validity, but about valid employments.)
I make these points and ask these questions not to score points, nor to enter into a slanging match, but to suggest that the tone and content of your comments may be inappropriate, and that you might wish to reconsider them.
Jeremy Walker
Friday 30 December 2011 at 22:05