Here we go:

In God We Trust, the motto on all United States coins, is not in the Bible, but it may have been suggested indirectly by various biblical phrases.  According the Psalms 56:11, David sang, "In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid."  In Job 13:15, the patriarch said to the Almighty, "Though He slay me, I will trust Him."  According to Matthew 27:43, the chief priests, scribes and elders, mocking Jesus on the cross, said, "HE TRUSTS IN GOD: LET HIM DELIVER HIM now, IF HE TAKES PLEASURE IN HIM; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'" 

The underlying thought of In God We Trust, though not expressed in these exact words, was current long before the motto was first placed on United States coins.  Francis Scott Key's The Star Spangled Banner, which was first printed in The Baltimore Patriot on September 20, 1814, under the title Defense of Fort McHenry, contains the couplet, "Then conquer we must, for out cause it is just, And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust'." 

In a letter dated April 25, 1861, and addressed to Cassius Lee, Robert E. Lee acknowledged that mediation between the Northern and Southern States was impossible and declared that, "In God must be our trust."  It was during that same year that the Reverend W. R. Watkinson of Ridleyville. Pennsylvania , wrote to Secretary of Treasury Salmon P. Chase suggesting that the Deity be recognized in some form on American coins. 

Acting upon this suggestion, Secretary Chase instructed James Pollock, director of the United States Mint at Philadelphia , to have prepared without delay a device with a motto expressing such national recognition of the Deity.  Secretary Chase wrote, "No nation can be strong except in the strength of God or safe except in His defense.  The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins."  Owing to legal difficulties, Pollock did not submit his designs until 1863. 

One of the mottoes suggested was God Our Trust.  At a cabinet meeting during that same year it was proposed to place In God We Trust on paper money as well as on coins.  President Lincoln, however, observed dryly that if a legend was to be engraved on the greenbacks he would suggest that of Peter in Acts 3:6.  "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I Thee." 

In 1864 Congress passed an act authorizing the coinage of the two-cent piece, and it was upon these bronze two-cent pieces that the motto In God We Trust first appeared.  Later Congress passed an act giving the proper officials authority to place the motto on all coins that would have space for the inscription.  During the second administration of Theodore Roosevelt, Augustus St. Gaudens, the sculptor, prepared some designs for new coins with a view to improving the coinage from an artistic standpoint. 

When the double eagle and eagle of the new designs appeared in 1907, the motto In God We Trust was omitted.  President Roosevelt objected to the motto on the coins on the grounds that such use of the beautiful sentiment tended to cheapen it.

A storm of criticism all over the country was the result.  Once a design for a coin is approved and accepted, it cannot be changed under the law within twenty-five years without an act of Congress.  Therefore an act of Congress was required to restore In God We Trust on the eagle and the double eagle.  This was done by a bill that passed Congress in 1908, providing that, "the motto In God We Trust heretofore inscribed on certain denominations of gold and silver coins of the United States of America , shall hereafter be inscribed upon all such gold and silver coins of said denominations as heretofore." 

How many times does the word `and' occur in the King James Version of the Bible?

The conjunction and occurs in the King James Version of the Bible 46,227 times, 35,543 times in the Old Testament and 10,684 times in the New Testament. The monotonous repetition of and in that and other English translations of the Bible is owing to the fact that the translators attempted to render the Hebrew and Greek originals as literally as possible.

What is the relation of Sabaoth to Sabbath?

Sabaoth (SABB-a-oath or so-BAY-oath) occurs only twice in the King James as well as in the New King James Versions of the Bible, both times in the New Testament, and it is a Hebrew word meaning "armies" or "hosts." It has no relation to Sabbath, which literally means "rest."

For some reason the English translators saw fit to let Sabaoth remain un-translated in Romans 9:29 and James 5:4. In other parts of the Bible the Hebrew form of Jehovah Sabaoth is rendered by "the Lord of Hosts" or an equivalent English phrase. Martin Luther uses the term in his great Reformation hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God," where in the second stanza he writes, "Christ Jesus it is He, Lord Sabaoth His name."

Sabaoth is often confused with Sabbath and has been so confused by many noted writers in the past. Edmund Spenser in the last stanza of the "Faerie Queen" confuses the terms, as did Shakespeare in the second folio of The Merchant of Venice. Dr. Samuel Johnson treated the two words as if they were identical in the first edition of his dictionary and Sir Walter Scott in Ivanhoe erroneously refers to "the grains of a week, aye the space between two Sabaoths."

What does Mizpah mean?

Mizpah is a Hebrew word literally meaning, "watch tower." Originally it was applied to places where a watch or garrison was maintained and it became the name of several towns and places in ancient Palestine. The term in the Hebrew Bible is spelled both Mizpah and Mizpeh, without any difference in meaning; BUT when spelled Mizpah it is invariably preceded by the definite article (the Mizpah) except in Hosea 5:1.

The name is particularly applied to the pillar set up and the heap of stones gathered on Mt. Gilead by Jacob and his brethren as a witness of the covenant made there with Laban. In modern usage Mizpah or the Mizpah Benediction signifies a parting salutation, a meaning suggested by Genesis 31:49, which contains Laban's prayer at Mizpah, "May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from another." The context, however, indicates that Laban's words were more in the nature of a mutual warning than a blessing.

Who said soldiers should be content with their wages?

Although this quotation is often attributed to Jesus, it was "John the Baptizer" who told the soldiers to be content with their wages. In Luke 3:14, when the soldiers asked what they should do, John said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."

Do you agree that most worship services should no longer include a recitation of either Apostles' or Nicene Creed?

While I have never held any brief for vain repetitions in worship services, I personally believe anticreedalism in this country has significantly harmed Protestantism and evangelicalism. It has paved the way for a new liberalism based on an ignorance of Biblical facts, and not a rejection of them.

The removal of these great historic creeds and the explanations of them in many of our church worship services have, in my opinion, watered down the understanding of the Gospel to a point where it has almost dissipated into total existentialism, an experientialism based on feelings alone. There cannot be a world wide missionary vision without the Gospel, and there will be no Gospel to preach without agreement as to what we should teach. We need to return to our Christian roots and the Gospel as best summed up in these creeds.

Do you think the George Lucas' Star Wars film series presents a religious allegory that is compatible with Christianity, at least in part?

Some film critics have stated that one of Star Wars' great contributions to contemporary belief is the reinforcement of the centuries-old teaching, advanced by all religions, that something mysteriously spiritual is at work in the universe. The central story line latest Star Wars release, Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith is the transformation of Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader -- a Sith warrior. This moral transformation turns Anakin into a dark lord -- an unmistakable representation of evil. By the movie's end, the Sith rule the galaxy and the stage is set for the good guys -- the Jedi warriors - eventually to return and defeat the evil Empire.

As in the other Star Wars films, this latest release is a mechanism for introducing George Lucas' own blend of Eastern mysticism and New Age concepts. The films focus on "The Force," a vaguely supernatural power that blends pantheism and metaphysics. It is decidedly NOT the personal and transcendent God of the Bible. Idolatry has always been more popular than the Judeo-Christian belief.

Conspicuously absent from Lucas's cosmology is anything connected to biblical Christianity. Though oblique references to faith abound in the film, the central religious motif is "the Force," explained by the Smithsonian guide as a combination of "the basic principles of several different major religions." Further, "it most embodies what all of them have in common: an unerring faith in a spiritual power." Lucas explained "the Force" as "a nothingness that can accomplish miracles." This is, as Smithsonian's Henderson asserts, "reminiscent of Zen Buddhism."

"The Force" is not analogous to Judaic-Christian God of the Bible, but is a form of personal enlightenment and empowerment. Faith in "the Force" is simply faith in mystery and some higher power--mostly within. As Lucas instructs: "Ultimately the Force is the larger mystery of the universe. And to trust your feelings is your way into that." The last thing movie going Christians need to be told is to trust their own feelings. There's enough of that bad theology being espoused by "feel-good TV evangelists," which theology is also becoming the main message in many of our churches.

The mythology of Star Wars is perfectly adapted to the spiritual confusion of postmodern America. "Go with the Force" is about all many citizens can muster as spirituality. When the dominant worldview of a culture ceases to be Judaic-Christian, paganism is quick to fill the void.

Is "angels' food" in the Bible?

"Angel's food" occurs in the Bible only once, and there it refers to manna. Psalm 78:24-25 says that the Lord "had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angel's food: he sent them meat to the full."

I especially enjoy eating the fish, Tilapia.   Is Tilapia in the Bible?

Jesus told his disciple Peter to go fish in the Sea of Galilee, predicting that the first fish he caught would have a shekel coin in its mouth. Peter was then to take this shekel and pay his and Jesus' taxes with it. The story is found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 17, verses 24 to 27.

The fish could have been the Tilapia, a fish found in the Sea of Galilee. Tilapia has a large mouth in which it carries its eggs and is often called St. Peter's Fish.

Does Dan Brown, in his book The Da Vinci Code, have a strong argument for concluding Jesus and Mary Magdalene were husband and wife?

            Sales of this fictional story are approaching 40 million copies, mainly because people are interested in religion and spirituality.  It matters not if Dan Brown has the facts wrong.  Unfortunately most people don’t know enough about the life of Christ to realize that The Da Vinci Code is full of falsehoods.  As an action-suspense story, it is engaging and entertaining, and at times implausible.

Most art experts have stated that Brown gets almost nothing correct about the life of Leonardo da Vinci, that he misstates the size of one of the artist's paintings by a full 18 inches, and has one of his characters referring to him as “da Vinci” when true experts always say “Leonardo.”  “Da Vinci” simply means “of Vinci.”  If his Leonardo da Vinci research is so shoddy, what’s to say his religious fact-finding is any better.

            Good authors write with authoritative voices and Brown has a talent for this.  For example on page 234 of The Da Vinci Code, Brown has an “expert” on the Holy Grail saying, “The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the 1950’s (and) in addition to telling the true Grail story, these documents speak of Christ’s ministry in very human terms.”  The facts (which would not be known by the average reader) are that the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947, they do not mention the Grail story and the never speak of Christ or Christianity at all.

            Brown states that he researched the life of Mary Magdalene as it was recorded in canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) as well as the apocryphal gospels of Mary, Phillip and Thomas.  Based on this he writes that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and fathered a child.  If this were so, why didn’t Paul ever mention it?  Paul had a golden opportunity when he defended his right to have a wife in I Corinthians 9:5-6.  He mentions that Cephas (Peter), Barnabas, the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord all had wives.  Had Jesus been married, Paul would certainly have brought it up here to clinch his argument. 

Brown also states that nobody, even Jesus’ followers, believed he was divine until Emperor Constantine declared Him the “Son of God” at the Council of Nicaea in A. D. 325.  The four canonical Gospels, Paul’s epistles and extra biblical testimony all indicate that Jesus was considered divine centuries before Nicaea .  Moreover, a very early heresy in the life of the church (docetism) maintained that while Christ’s deity was real and complete, His humanity was only appearance.

            Each of the four canonical Gospels contains a reference to Mary Magdalene as a Galilean woman from whom seven demons were cast, who (with other women) viewed the Crucifixion from a distance and who was the first to witness the Resurrection.  Specifically, in Matthew 27:56, 61 and 28:1, we find, “Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children. . . And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulcher. . . In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first [day] of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher.”  Mark 15:40, 47, 16:1 and 9 tells us, “There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;. . . And Mary Magdalene and Mary [the mother] of Joses beheld where he was laid.  And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the [mother] of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. . . Now when [Jesus] was risen early the first [day] of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.”  Luke 8:2 and 24:10 states, “And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, . . . It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary [the mother] of James, and other [women that were] with them, which told these things unto the apostles.”  Lastly, in John 19:25, 20:1 and 20:18 we read, “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the [wife] of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. . . The first [day] of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher. . . Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and [that] he had spoken these things unto her.”  Even if one reads in the apocryphal Gospels of Mary and Phillip that she kissed Jesus on the lips and that she debated a vision with Peter, it takes a tremendous leap of logic to conclude from just this that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were husband and wife.

            Brown argues in his novel that a smear campaign by the early Church fathers distorted Mary Magdalene’s role and effectively wrote her out of the official records.  Professor Karen King of Harvard Divinity School states, “Mary got a raw deal.”   King and other feminist theologians erroneously conclude that the Church oppresses women, and thus attempts to make Mary Magdalene into something she was not in a further attempt to make the early Church what they wished it to be rather than what it was.

            The Church is far from being an instrument of female oppression.  A defining characteristic of Roman Catholicism has been the veneration of Mary, the Mother of God.  This honor paid to Mary by them translates to an honor paid to all women because she is revered for uniquely fulfilling feminine roles.  Even the pope submits to her authority.

            Although to most Protestants, Mary unfortunately has become nothing more than a shadowy figure on a Christmas card, evangelical orthodox Protestants have always recognized her as a chosen vessel and the “Mother of our Lord.”  The early reformers also referred to her as the Mother of God.  The Scriptures call her “Blessed.”  When Mary sung, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Magnificat, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my soul has rejoiced in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46-7), she, at that moment, was putting her confidence and trust in the Child in her womb.  Scripturally, we may conclude that Mary was the first Christian. 

If the early Church fathers wanted to distort and down play the role of Mary Magdalene, and hence of women in the Church, why did they not eliminate the fact that she was the first to see our risen Lord and the first to witness to that fact to the disciples?  These were major roles, and Christ assigned them to a woman, indeed to a fallen woman who had repented.

Because of the dubious association of the name of Mary Magdalene with the sinful woman in Luke 7, in England a reformed woman of ill fame was called a magdalen.  There have been many religious communities (consisting of former prostitutes) named after Mary Magdalene.  These communities are called Magdalenes and follow the Augustinian, Dominican and Franciscan rules.  Although they are all extinct today, one convent still remains in Vilsbiburg.  

So from Scripture and tradition that has been handed down by the early Church fathers, we have a woman, Mary Magdalene, who was healed of an infirmity by Jesus, who was one of His most faithful followers thereafter, who looked on when He was crucified, who saw Him buried, and who was the first to see Him after He arose from the dead.  It seems to me if the intent of the early Church fathers was to downplay her and her role, and thereby distort the role of women in the Church, they did a very poor job of it.

What was the function of a prophet?

           It is a common mistake to suppose that the sole function of the prophets in ancient Israel was to foretell the future.  Prophet is from a Greek word meaning “to announce” or to “forth-tell” and that was the general significance of the Hebrew words rendered prophet in the Old Testament.

          Originally the prophets were men and women who established themselves in the theocracy as spiritual leaders, preachers, orators, writer, poets, teachers, priests, and statesmen.  Prophesying in the later sense of the term was only incidental to their general functions.  It was the later apocalyptical prophets who cause the word to be associated mainly with future sayings rather than with practical matters.

            Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Miriam and other early civil and spiritual leaders are all referred to as prophets and prophetesses.  Deborah, for instance, did not foretell the future but was called a prophetess because she was inspired to direct the Israelites in a crisis.

          The prophets were the inspired spokesmen of the Lord.  In Deuteronomy 18:20-22 Moses himself laid down a rule for judging true and false prophets: “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.  And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?'  When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.”

          Jesus, who like John the Baptist, was called a prophet, laid down a similar rule.  According to Matthew 7:15-16 Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?”

          Some of the writing prophets were literary men of great power and energy.  With every serious crisis in ancient Israel there emerged one great prophet or more to speak the words of the Lord to both the rulers and the people.  Established prophets were privileged persons.  They were permitted to enter even the palace and to state their messages from heaven into the ears of the king on his throne.

          I Samuel 9:9 says: “Formerly in Israel , when a man went to inquire of God, he spoke thus: ‘Come, let us go to the seer;’ for he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.”  This suggests some sort of change in the function of prophets was taking place during the time of Samuel.  Apparently, however, seer and prophet have become transposed in this passage because seer is never once used before, while prophet is used often in the earlier books of the Old Testament.  A seer was one who could see past, present or future things that were hidden or secret to others.

          Through one of his prophets, according to Joel 2:28, the Lord said in the time to come that He, “will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.” 

How many prophetesses are mentioned in the Bible?

          Prophetess is applied to five persons in the Bible in the sense of women who exercised the function of a prophet.  Four of these are in the Old Testament and one in the New. 

The first is in Exodus 15:20 where Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron is referred to as a prophetess.  The second is in Judges 4:4 where Deborah, the wife of Lapidoth and the one who judged Israel at that time, is called a prophetess.  She inspired Barak and helped him plan the campaign that ended in the defeat of the Canaanites at the battle of Kishon.  This victory is the subject of “The Song of Deborah” found in Judges 5.  The third prophetess mentioned in the Bible is Huldah who, according to II Kings 22:14 dwelt in the college in Jerusalem , the college with whom Hilkiah and his associates communed.  The fourth Old Testament prophetess, Noadiah, is mentioned in Nehemiah 6:14 which says: “My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid.”

We read about Anna, the only New Testament prophetess in Luke 2:36-37, “Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

Isaiah 8:3 uses prophetess in the simple sense of the wife of a prophet.  Likewise, in the Islamic faith, Aveshah, the second wife of Mohammed, is known as a prophetess.  Since Mohammed is the Prophet of Islam, his most beloved wife is spoken of as the Prophetess or Madame Prophet.

Prophetess is employed in a figurative sense in Revelation 2:20, “Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.”  In Acts 21:9 we are told this about Philip the evangelist, whom Paul visited at Caesarea , “Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied,” but these women are not specifically referred to as prophetesses. 

Many liberal theologians, who do not believe in the predictive prophecy of the Old Testament, argue that the term “virgin” in Isaiah 7:14 should be translated “young maiden” or “young woman.”  Is this a better translation?

Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,” calls our attention to an important birth and is cited as a Messianic text that also refers to Mary.  However, there is often disagreement whether these verses are a literal reference to the Messiah and to His mother Mary.  In this passage we are told to look with anticipation to the virgin and her Son who are announced as central figures in this prophecy. 

The real questions in this passage are who is the virgin and who is Immanuel?  A better reading of the passage should be “the virgin” instead of “a virgin” because the use of the Hebrew definite article in connection with the passage indicates that a definite woman is the mind of the prophet.  When the prophet refers to her as “the virgin,” it is highly unlikely that he meant to refer to any woman who might bear a child in the next few months.  The passage begins by noting that the conception was to be a “sign” to the house of David.  The normal conception of a “young married woman” would hardly be considered a “sign”

Those who make the argument for not translating the word in the Hebrew text found in Isaiah 7:14 as “virgin,” point out that the word used is the unique and uncommon word ‘almah and had Isaiah meant virgin he would have used the word bethulah because that is the more commonly used Hebrew word for virgin.   But in spite of its frequent use to specifically denote a virgin, bethulah is used in at least one passage (Deuteronomy 22:19) to refer to a young non-virgin woman.  Therefore, Isaiah’s choice of the rare word ‘almah better signifies virginity than the more common term bethulah.  While it is true that ‘almah can be translated “young woman,” it is never intended in the Hebrew language to deny the legitimacy of a young woman’s virginity.  In fact it appears six other times in the Old Testament (Genesis 24:43; Exodus 2:8; Psalms 68:25; Proverbs 30:19; and Song of Solomon 1:3, 6:8).  A study of each of these contexts reveals that almah is used only of one who is a virgin.

Moreover, the Septuagint (a pre-Christian Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures that dates from the 3rd century B. C.) translated ‘almah by using the Greek word parthenos, which always means virgin.  Thus, we have a Jewish interpretation of Isaiah 7:14 that is much earlier than when Matthew uses the same word parthenos in Matthew 1:23 (“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel”), when he refers back to the Isaiah passage. 

Immanuel, or Emmanuel, is the symbolic name of the child, meaning “God with us.”  It is obvious that Matthew regarded this Immanuel to be none other than Jesus Christ Himself.  He quoted this prophecy as being fulfilled in the virgin birth (Matthew 1:23) and he considered the birth to be of divine origin, stating that it was “spoken of by the Lord by the prophet” (Matthew 1:22).  He therefore recognized that the sign given in Isaiah 7:14 was authored by God and delivered to Ahaz through the prophet.  There was no doubt until the rise of modern liberal scholarship that those closest historically to the actual statement found in Isaiah 7:14 by the prophet Isaiah have always taken it to be a prediction of the miraculous virgin birth of the coming Messiah.

 Some have argued that Isaiah was writing about his own wife and Son and not about Jesus and Mary.  Is this true?

While some have argued that Isaiah was referring to his own wife and son as types of Mary and Jesus, could any woman, even Isaiah’s wife, conceiving and bearing according to the normal laws of nature represent the mother of Immanuel?  Isaiah’s own son, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (whose name was to symbolize the successful Assyrian conquest of Damascus and Samaria ) was naturally conceived.  It was equally unlikely that Immanuel was to be the son of Ahaz, since in that case the king could easily prevent the sign from coming to pass, simply by giving the child a different name.  We never hear of a child of either Isaiah or Ahaz who bore the name Immanuel.  Furthermore, the titles given Immanuel in Isaiah 9:6, especially, “the Mighty God,” could not be applied metaphorically to any child other than Jesus Christ.  Thus, the reference to Mary and Jesus in Isaiah is at once directly and properly literal.

What is the legend behind Santa Lucia Day, December 13?

            The Feast of Santa Lucia is celebrated all over Sweden and Norway on December 13.  Yet, no one knows for sure why a 4^th. Century Sicilian (Italian) saint came to be so revered in Scandinavia .

          Santa Lucia day begins very early in the morning on December 13 in Scandinavian homes. The oldest daughter of the house, usually dresses in a long white gown, dons a crown of evergreens and lighted candles on her head, sings “Santa Lucia,” and serves special Lucia cakes and warm drinks to the rest of the family who are still in bed.

          The tradition, which can be traced to Italy , honors a young wealthy Christian bride-to-be who gave away her dowry to the poor, an act which angered her prospective groom and caused him to report her Christian religion to the Roman authorities.  She was condemned to death by fire.  Legend has it that just before she died an intense inner light transformed Lucia and everyone present fell prostrate.  Thus Lucia, a sign of light and hope to the poor died, illuminated by a heavenly glow, on December 13 in A.D. 304. 

In actuality, Lucia was probably a victim of the wave of persecution of Christians that occurred late in the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian.  References to her are found in early Roman sacramentaries and at Syracuse in an inscription dating from AD 400.

          The Lucia legend spread to Sweden at a time of great famine.  In the province of Vanern , a large vessel appeared on the lake and at its helm stood a maiden dressed in a gleaming white robe.  Believed to be Santa Lucia, she guided the ship along the lakeshore, distributing food to the poor and hungry.  The ship disappeared as soon as its mission was completed but older folk in Sweden still whisper that if you look outside between the hours of 3 and 4 a.m. on December 13, you can see Lucia moving across icy lakes and snow covered hills still carrying food to the poor.

          Santa Lucia festivities, with pageantry and good food, mark the first day of the Scandinavian Christmas season that begins on December 13 and lasts one month until January 13.

 Whose birthday do we celebrate on December 25?

           At first glance, I thought this was a facetious question; but within several hours a series of events led me to conclude otherwise. 

Last Saturday morning I attended a meeting at the clubhouse in our housing development and noticed that it had been decorated with brightly colored lights.  A quick glance about the room made me proud that we had honored the diversity of our residents.  A “Happy Kwanzaa” sign was displayed prominently by the entryway; two “Happy Hanukah” signs appeared on either side of the door and a beautiful white and blue tapestry depicting the Star of David with the word “Shalom” hung on the rear wall.  Several pictures of a dreidel were scattered on the four walls along with snowmen and a Santa Claus here and there.  The tree and wreath that were there really said little if anything about meaning of Christmas.  Nowhere was there any sign saying “Merry Christmas” much less any depiction of the first Christmas.

When I asked a member of the decorating committee about the absence of a “Merry Christmas” sign, she stated that her committee had the same concern but such a sign was nowhere to be found.  Nonsense, I thought.  I’ll purchase one and hang it myself. 

My wife and I spent the entire afternoon looking through major department stores, leading discount stores, supermarkets and well known pharmacies with no success in finding a sign.  Now, I’m not one who believes that there is some sinister plot to eliminate Christmas, but I can tell you that in our extensive search we found lots of signs and things that read “happy holidays,” and “season’s greetings,” but none that read “Merry Christmas.”

One well-known pharmacy had sweatshirts that read. “Dear Santa:  I want it all!  How sad I thought; we have forgotten that in the true meaning of Christmas we have it all!!!  It is sheer ignorance to pretend that Christmas (the birthday of Christ) is not the epicenter of the season.