"Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me." Exodus 23:14
I recently read an article that described Easter as "basically a Christian holiday." That description made my stomach turn when I read it. But when I stopped and thought about it, I don't know why I was so surprised. If you look at the way most Americans, and Christians for that matter, celebrate most of our holidays, they basically don't resemble Christian holidays.
You're probably familiar with the fact that the word 'holiday' is actually derived from the words 'holy day.' Now, think back over the past year's worth of holidays. How many of them actually resembled something that was holy in your home?
• Family oriented . . . Yes.
• Patriotic . . . Yes.
• Silly, fun, and memorable . . . Yes.
• Holy . . . Very few.
But you might want to stop me there and say, "But not all holidays were intended to be holy celebrations." True, but we can see in Scripture that the implementation of holidays in general was for reasons greater than a day off work for the purposes of fun and play.
After God delivered the Children of Israel from Egyptian bondage, He spent a lot of time with Moses instructing him on how to lead His people and what He wanted His people to look like. I think some people think that Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, and that was it! God gave Moses so much more. Our God is very clear and precise so He didn't want His people to be caught off guard by anything He desired from them.
In Exodus 23:14-17, God tells Moses that the Israelites are to celebrate three annual festivals -- holidays, if you will. They are the Festival of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering (also called the Feast of Tabernacles). Each festival had a purpose.
Passover was a time of remembrance of their deliverance from Egypt. They were to recall how God provided a way for the Death Angel to pass over their homes, sparing the lives of their firstborn sons. The upheaval that was a result from that dreadful night was what finally caused Pharaoh to relent and let the Israelites leave Egypt. The Israelites needed to leave in such a hurry that God had instructed them not to add yeast to their bread so that it wouldn't have to rise, hence the use of the term "unleavened bread."
The second and third festivals that God ordained for the Children of Israel to celebrate had to do with honoring God at the beginning of the harvest season, and then again at the culmination of it during the time of ingathering. The Israelites were to celebrate those festivals so that they would never forget that all they have comes from God.
In each of these three original holidays, there is one resounding theme: God is to be glorified! He is to be praised for all that He has done, acknowledging that His provision for them in the past, as well as the present, will undoubtedly signify his plan to provide for them in the future as well.
I believe that we as Christians are called to look at holidays as just another avenue to glorify God. If we we're put here to bring Him honor and glory in our everyday lives, then our celebrations should do just the same.
So, what can you do to bring honor and glory to God as you celebrate our nation's birthday today? Here are a few options for you to consider:
• Take some time to instruct your children and grandchildren about why our forefathers came to this great land. Teach them that we came in search of religious freedom and that their desire to serve and worship God trumped all else, even loyalty to the land of their birth.
• Take a moment to pray for our country and our leaders. No matter what side of the aisle you are on, those who are guiding our country desperately need our prayers.
• Say grace over your bounty of food that will be before you and praise God for the way He has provided for you and your family over the past year.
• Spend some time praising God for this great land that you are able to call "home." In all of the countries in the world, this is still the best one, by far.
However you spend your holiday, find a way to make it a "holy day" by using it to glorify the One who has so richly blessed us all. He is worthy to be praised today and everyday!
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