ORAL PRESENTATION OUTLINE INTRODUCTION

i. Attention - THE Christmas season is here. What does that mean to you, your family, and your associates? Is it a spiritual occasion, or is it only a festive and merry period? Is it a time to reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ or not to be concerned about Christian norms? DO YOU look forward to Christmas? Or does its approach fill you with nervous apprehension? Millions of people ask: Whom will I get gifts for? What should I buy? Can I afford it? For how long will I be paying off my debt?Who is really the Santa Claus is? "I have never been able to reconcile myself to the gaieties of the Christmas season. They have appeared to me to be so inconsistent with the life and teaching of Jesus."Mohandas K. Gandhi.

Thesis statement : (a) To share the truth and knowledge about Christmas celebration. (b) To expose the general knowledge about one of the festival in Malaysia and that is Christmas celebration. (c) To inform about the event that happening in Malaysia and also throughout certain countries. iii. Preview statement - : ii. (a)Christmas celebration does not involve Jesus Christ at all. (b) This celebration came through false teaching called Pagan teaching. (c) Pagan worship false teaching such as worshiping Sun God.

BODY
I. Main point : When Was Jesus Born? (A) THE exact date of Christs birth is not known, says the Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. i. The establishment of December 25 evolved not from biblical precedent, says The Christmas Encyclopedia, but from pagan Roman festivals held at years end, about the time of the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. ii. Those festivals included the Saturnalia, in honor of Saturn, god of agriculture, and the combined festivals of two sun gods, the Roman Sol and the Persian Mithra, says the same encyclopedia. iii. . Both birthdays were celebrated on December 25, the winter solstice according to the Julian calendar. (B) Jesus was born in the Judean city of Bethlehem.

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There were also in that same country shepherds living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks. ii. The book Daily Life says: They passed the winter under cover; and from this alone it may be seen that the traditional date for Christmas, in the winter, is unlikely to be right, since the Gospel says that the shepherds were in the fields. Main Point : Why December 25 Was Chosen? (A) Hundreds of years after Jesus death, December 25 was chosen as the date of his birth. i. Numerous historians believe that the time of year that became the Christmas season was actually a period when pagan festivities were celebrated. ii. , Encyclopdia Britannica states: One widespread explanation of the origin of this date is that December 25 was the Christianizing of the dies solis invicti nati (day of the birth of the unconquered sun), a popular holiday in the Roman Empire that celebrated the winter solstice as a symbol of the resurgence of the sun, the casting away of winter and the heralding of the rebirth of spring and summer. iii. The Encyclopedia Americana says: "Most of the customs now associated with Christmas were not originally Christmas customs but rather were preChristian and non-Christian customs taken up by the Christian church. iv. The Vatican newspaper LOsservatore Romano made some observations regarding the date when Christmas is celebrated, the Catholic newspaper said: The real date of Jesus birth, from the historical viewpoint, lies concealed beneath a veil of uncertainty as regards Roman history, the imperial census of that time and research in the subsequent centuries. Main Point : What about the Christmas tree? (A) The article in the Catholic newspaper pointed out that back in ancient times, many evergreens, such as holly, butchers broom, laurel and branches of pine or fir were considered to have magical or medicinal powers that would ward off illness. i. On Christmas Eve, 24 December, Adam and Eve would be commemorated with the highly popular episode of the Tree of the earthly Paradise accoding to the article. ii. The tree ought to have been an apple tree, but since an apple tree would have been inappropriate in winter, a fir tree was set on the stage and some apples put on its branches or, to symbolize the future coming of Redemption. Main Point : What Does Santa Claus Have to Do With Jesus and His Birth? (A) In many lands, Santa Claus is viewed as the one who brings children gifts. i. Children often write to Santa, asking for presents, which, according to tradition, elves help him to make at his North Pole headquarters. (B) According to the popular view, the Santa Claus myth owes its origin to Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Asia Minor, now Turkey. i.

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i. Virtually everything written about St. Nicholas is based on legends, says The Christmas Encyclopedia ii. The designation Santa Claus may owe its origin to the word Sinterklaas, a corruption of the Dutch terms for Saint Nicholas. Historically and Biblically, Santa Claus has nothing in common with Jesus Christ. Main Point : How To View Christmas Gift-Giving and Merrymaking? (A) Christmas giving is unusual in that it largely involves an exchange of gifts, and the Christmas season is marked by partying, feasting, and drinking (B) Ancient Roman Saturnalian festivities began on December 17 and concluded on the 24th, when gifts were exchanged. i. Homes and streets were noisy with banqueting, heavy drinking, and riotous behavior. ii. The Saturnalia was followed by an event celebrating the first day of January. This was also observed by a festival, usually lasting about three days. The Saturnalia and the first day of January likely formed one festive occasion.

CONCLUSION
I. Summary statement

Birth of Jesus According to the Bible

You will find reliable information about Jesus' birth in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. They show that the angel Gabriel visited a young unmarried woman by the name of Mary in the Galilean town of Nazareth. What message did he deliver? "Look! you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you are to call his name Jesus. This one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; and Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule as king over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of his kingdom."Luke 1:31-33. Mary was very surprised by this message. Not being married, she said: "How is this to be, since I am having no intercourse with a man?" The angel answered: "Holy spirit will come upon you, and power of the Most High will overshadow you. For that reason also what is born will be called holy, God's Son." Mary, recognizing that this was the will of God, said: "Look! Jehovah's slave girl! May it take place with me according to your declaration."Luke 1:34-38. An angel told Joseph about the miraculous birth so that he would not divorce Mary, which he was planning to do after he learned of her pregnancy. He was then willing to assume the responsibility of taking care of the Son of God.Matthew 1:18-25. Then a decree from Caesar Augustus forced Joseph and Mary to travel from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea, the city of their forefathers, to be registered. "While they were there, the days came to the full for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her son, the firstborn, and she bound him with cloth bands and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the lodging room."Luke 2:1-7. Luke 2:8-14 describes what followed: "There were also in that same country shepherds living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks. And suddenly Jehovah's angel stood by them, and Jehovah's glory gleamed around them, and they became very fearful. But the angel said to them: 'Have no fear, for, look! I am declaring to you good news of a great joy that all the people will have, because

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there was born to you today a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, in David's city. And this is a sign for you: you will find an infant bound in cloth bands and lying in a manger.' And suddenly there came to be with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying: 'Glory in the heights above to God, and upon earth peace among men of goodwill.. Concluding statement Since Christmas celebration is a pagan celebration,we should not follow this false teaching because this will disappoint the Almighty Jehovah God and His Son,Jesus Christ.