Family Gatherings can be great opportunities for planting spiritual seed/sharing the "good news"...
Winter - Christmas
enjoy family presence, presents, meal time: suggest at meal time for everybody present to share what is the best present they ever received... a believer can share -- Jesus being born in their heart... a present for which the believer is thankful for each and every day...
Spring - Easter
enjoy family presence, meal time, colored eggs... suggest at meal time to have each one relate what Easter means to them ... a believer can bring a CD player and play the song "He's Alive and I'm forgiven"...
Summer - July 4 Independence Day
enjoy family presence, parade, picnic...at meal time believer can share what it means to be spiritually free... knowing the Truth (Jesus) who sets us free from sin, etc...
Fall - Thanksgiving Day
enjoy family presence, food... at meal time believer can share thanksgiving for spiritual blessings...
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Avoid condemning Christmas and Easter because they are "Christianized" pagan holidays...
UR is based on the Law of Circularity, a pagan principle adhered to by many eastern religions long before UR came into existence...
I beleive that is the correct attitude Anna, reminded me of Paul using the altar of the
'unknown god' as an opportunity to plant/water seeds of faith in the true God.
His ministry unto the gentiles[nations] had him relating as a gentile unto the gentiles.
....the gentiles were familiar with the sun god worship...a perfect in to speak the truth of
the Son of God ,Lord of heaven and earth. I beleive Paul felt it was expiedient..to reach
such in this way...as well as 'lawful" for him...to speak the truth in love to them.
there are myriad examples in the OT where the nations around Israel worshipped 'gods'
of mountains, thunders,plains etc. and the true God manifested himself as far and above
superior to such..in battles waged......in Egypt the sun god/Ra..and Pharoah as the son of this
'god' was overcome to the Glory of the God of Israel...and He used 'the LAMB" His 'son"
to magnify His greatness/sovereignty and power...to show His deliverance of the people
through it. the imposter 'son god's army perished in the sea...His 'son' rises to the heavens
and death is placed beneath his feet.
Really,is there anything in the creation that is unlawful for Him to use to Glorify Himself and
make a beautiful name for himself?