EASTER: HOLI-DAY or HOLY-DAY
DAY 59: Christmas, Easter, National Doughnut Day.... I love holidays. I love them so much, in fact, that I have written a couple of holiday books. There is nothing like the anticipation of a special day. The preparations. The planning. All the special symbols and tokens of a particular day of celebration. I love sharing ideas of how to make a holiday meaningful. Weekdays come and weekdays go; weekends come and weekends go- but holidays offer a break from the rhythm of the routine. But I am reminded today that there is a difference between a holi-day and a holy-day. There are those few really special times that are more than just breaks from routine. Days like Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving have the potential for so much more.
With Easter just around the corner, I loved being reminded in our reading today in Leviticus that our faith holidays are more than just a frivolous excuse to make merry. They are, if embraced as God designed such times, truly holy-days.
God had already given Israel any number of ways in which to have relationship with Him. He gave them the law that allowed them to live according to His very heart. He gave them instructions on how to relate to one another that reflected His priority on relationships. He gave them a provision of specific sacrifices that allowed them to approach Him with their sins forgiven. Now, as His instructions for how to live the routine of daily life are coming to a close, He adds one more important element - festivals. At first glance it might seem frivolous to be scheduling holidays for people who live hand-to-mouth in the desert. Logically, shouldn't they be concerned with taking care of business? However impractical it might seem on the surface, God desired for these celebrations to be a priority.
The days He outlined for celebration were days that centered on more than valentines, leprechauns, or groundhogs. These were to be festivals of worship focused entirely on Him.
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. These are the LORD’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as official days for holy assembly.
God reminded His people to keep holy the Sabbath Day. He gave them instructions for celebrating the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Celebration of the Harvest, The Festival of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Festival of Shelters. Rather than idyll "holidays" these holy days were to provide a time to withdraw from all the official business of the world as "official days for holy assembly that are to be celebrated at their proper times each year." v4
For those who picture God as the sour-puss in the sky, it is worth noting that God didn't just suggest celebrating - He made these permanent commemorations to be passed from generation to generation. Each one was symbolic of God's relationship to the people He loved, His provision for them and His goodness to them. There are other meaningful pictures to be gleaned from these instructions- about God's timing and purposes, and even future events. But today I am reminded of something simple: It is right to remember God's faithfulness in every season. More, it is right to celebrate His faithfulness, worship Him for His faithfulness, and proclaim His faithfulness.
As with God's commands to Israel, it is right to do this in our homes and in our assemblies today. It is good to do it personally and corporately. It is good to do it with regularity from generation to generation. To ignore the opportunity by substituting "a day off" for a holy-day may be an indication that I have forgotten all His provisions and taken His faithfulness for granted.
While the world may be gearing up to buy bunnies and marshmallow Peeps, I still have a choice to seize the opportunity to set aside the business of my life to celebrate, worship, proclaim, pray, and rejoice in the faithfulness of my Father. I can do it at home alone, with my family and in my assembly. I can do it humbly, with great joy and with reverence. God honored the celebration of His goodness then. I believe He honors it now.
No matter how anyone else marks the celebration of God's faithfulness at Easter, I can make it a holy day. Anything less should be reserved for National Pancake Day - which I do celebrate.
Day 59 of 365
Leviticus 22:17-33
Leviticus 23
Mark 9:30-50
Mark 10:1-12
Psalm 44:1-8
Proverbs 10:19
With Easter just around the corner, I loved being reminded in our reading today in Leviticus that our faith holidays are more than just a frivolous excuse to make merry. They are, if embraced as God designed such times, truly holy-days.
God had already given Israel any number of ways in which to have relationship with Him. He gave them the law that allowed them to live according to His very heart. He gave them instructions on how to relate to one another that reflected His priority on relationships. He gave them a provision of specific sacrifices that allowed them to approach Him with their sins forgiven. Now, as His instructions for how to live the routine of daily life are coming to a close, He adds one more important element - festivals. At first glance it might seem frivolous to be scheduling holidays for people who live hand-to-mouth in the desert. Logically, shouldn't they be concerned with taking care of business? However impractical it might seem on the surface, God desired for these celebrations to be a priority. The days He outlined for celebration were days that centered on more than valentines, leprechauns, or groundhogs. These were to be festivals of worship focused entirely on Him.
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. These are the LORD’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as official days for holy assembly.
God reminded His people to keep holy the Sabbath Day. He gave them instructions for celebrating the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Celebration of the Harvest, The Festival of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Festival of Shelters. Rather than idyll "holidays" these holy days were to provide a time to withdraw from all the official business of the world as "official days for holy assembly that are to be celebrated at their proper times each year." v4
For those who picture God as the sour-puss in the sky, it is worth noting that God didn't just suggest celebrating - He made these permanent commemorations to be passed from generation to generation. Each one was symbolic of God's relationship to the people He loved, His provision for them and His goodness to them. There are other meaningful pictures to be gleaned from these instructions- about God's timing and purposes, and even future events. But today I am reminded of something simple: It is right to remember God's faithfulness in every season. More, it is right to celebrate His faithfulness, worship Him for His faithfulness, and proclaim His faithfulness.
As with God's commands to Israel, it is right to do this in our homes and in our assemblies today. It is good to do it personally and corporately. It is good to do it with regularity from generation to generation. To ignore the opportunity by substituting "a day off" for a holy-day may be an indication that I have forgotten all His provisions and taken His faithfulness for granted.
While the world may be gearing up to buy bunnies and marshmallow Peeps, I still have a choice to seize the opportunity to set aside the business of my life to celebrate, worship, proclaim, pray, and rejoice in the faithfulness of my Father. I can do it at home alone, with my family and in my assembly. I can do it humbly, with great joy and with reverence. God honored the celebration of His goodness then. I believe He honors it now.
No matter how anyone else marks the celebration of God's faithfulness at Easter, I can make it a holy day. Anything less should be reserved for National Pancake Day - which I do celebrate.
Day 59 of 365
Leviticus 22:17-33
Leviticus 23
Mark 9:30-50
Mark 10:1-12
Psalm 44:1-8
Proverbs 10:19
Comments
Post a Comment