Picking Up Where the Great Ones Left Off!
Should we be celebrating holidays?
This is a series of questions which took place more in the form of a conversation from one of our readers on our Facebook page.
Hey guys! Not being legalistic but the american holidays have been grieving my heart. Last year we stopped Easter due to the roots and lack of biblical truth and we want to do Passover as Jesus is the Passover lamb. Also Christmas as its roots. Jesus was not born then and how are we truly set apart if we celebrate everything with the world?? Can we do a study on the feasts and Gods appointed times? Hear my heart, I just cant find Him in these things. While not a salvation issue, am I alone in this??? Thanks!
I want to follow up with as I spoke to my husband about these concerns my question was in freedom, I can celebrate anything and we do celebrate just about anything in america but to celebrate things that actually have meaning and only of Him we classify as legalism? Are we not to spurn the Jew to jealousy? How when they complain we celebrate Babylon? Also we can eat and drink with a clean heart but we are not to stumble our brothers. So why would I want to hold fast to these things which stumble others? Thoughts appreciated!
Big Question and a good one.
We do not celebrate Easter, and we do not celebrate Passover either. We do celebrate/observe what we call the Memorial--which is the bread and wine aspect--some might call it communion. We only do it on its anniversary.
Just for some clarification are you asking just about Easter and Christmas, or is Thanksgiving included or even New Years?
Wow, yes more details about not celebrating Passover. New years yes. On the fence about thanksgiving as I was under the impression it was Christians celebrating their first return of fruits in the land after previous deadly winter. I could be wrong though. Let me know!
And Hanukkah. Jesus did celebrate this, should we? and the accuracy of all feasts being filled as I understood trumpets and booths are still outstanding fulfillment.
The feasts under the Law were for the Jews and not the Christian. We can see their antitypical significance--such as the Day of Atonement--the Ram and bullock picturing Jesus' ransom sacrifice and sin offering., the two goats picturing the two classes of Christian--the scapegoat being the Great Multitude class who are turned over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh--them being brought to the wilderness is going through the Great Tribulation of the future. It is only after all sacrificing is done that the high priest changes his garments to those of glory and beauty and blesses the people (the Kingdom which we pray for).
The Jews added feast days to commemorate significant things that happened. In the book of Zechariah (chapter 7), the Jews in who stayed in Babylon sent representatives to go to Joshua the high priest and ask him if they should observe certain days (these were new days--like the destruction of the temple and so forth)--God didn't feel they thought on Him on any of the days so He wasn't really paying attention to them because they weren't paying attention to Him. Hanukkah is just another added feast day and not in the Law.
As for Passover--Jesus is the Passover, and he commanded us to "do this in remembrance of him"--do what? The bread and the wine, which are symbolic of his ransom sacrifice. The broken body for us and the blood which he shed. This is really the only "holiday" that we are commanded to observe and it is really a somber occasion and only those who have presented their bodies a living sacrifice unto God (Rom 12:1) and those who have made a covenant by sacrifice (Psa 50:5) can partake. Basically we sit around a table, and a discourse about Jesus' sacrifice is given and then the emblems are passed around and then we sing a hymn and leave.
The new Christians were having the Passover meal before the "memorial" and that posed a great problem and Paul told them to eat it at home and not to mix it with the "memorial". It was stumbling the poor brethren and the gentile brethren. (1 Cor. 11).
We have a special day on New Years day, but I can't say that we celebrate New Years.
There are two different ways in which the brethren would observe/or what have you the New Year.
There is a service called "Watchnight" which takes place on New Year's Eve. Starts with dinner and then a testimony meeting till Midnight. So the brethren are together in the beginning of a new year. (I don't like to stay up)
We have a dinner and then Bible study on New Year's day with friends and brethren.
That is as special as it gets for us.
I have no problem with Thanksgiving as we just had a get-together with friends and family. I feel any day when you are thankful is a good day.
You are correct that Jesus was not born in December, but most likely October. It is an added holiday (by the Catholic Church--they kind of added them all since they were the only church for a thousand years). That one is a bit more sticky. Some try to make it seem people are worshiping their trees or whatnot. The scripture used is really about a totem pole and not a Christmas tree and I have never seen anyone worship it.
I think this is more a individual matter and I think legislating how others handle it (either directly or by not regarding them as Christians if they do observe it)--is not a place that I would want to be in.
Did I answer everything? I know I kind of got long winded and may have missed something.
These are very good answers! Thank you. I appreciate the time you spent answering. So really it should be a heart matter before the Lord and mindful not to stumble others.
Good point with the Passover vs memorial issue also, didn't realize that! I agree that the tree scripture is quite stretched and I do know many people who I know love and hear from the Lord and celebrate Christmas. As a child I didn't understand the concept. Send me out to lonely nursing homes to sing, go on trips and pass people living in boxes but I get presents? This is not to condemn anyone but I like how my child mind understood. We were not well off by any means but at the end of the day, I do not want my son to value the wrong things but at the same time our brethren not being stumbled is very important also! Be blessed and thank you again
Hey guys! Not being legalistic but the american holidays have been grieving my heart. Last year we stopped Easter due to the roots and lack of biblical truth and we want to do Passover as Jesus is the Passover lamb. Also Christmas as its roots. Jesus was not born then and how are we truly set apart if we celebrate everything with the world?? Can we do a study on the feasts and Gods appointed times? Hear my heart, I just cant find Him in these things. While not a salvation issue, am I alone in this??? Thanks!
I want to follow up with as I spoke to my husband about these concerns my question was in freedom, I can celebrate anything and we do celebrate just about anything in america but to celebrate things that actually have meaning and only of Him we classify as legalism? Are we not to spurn the Jew to jealousy? How when they complain we celebrate Babylon? Also we can eat and drink with a clean heart but we are not to stumble our brothers. So why would I want to hold fast to these things which stumble others? Thoughts appreciated!
Big Question and a good one.
We do not celebrate Easter, and we do not celebrate Passover either. We do celebrate/observe what we call the Memorial--which is the bread and wine aspect--some might call it communion. We only do it on its anniversary.
Just for some clarification are you asking just about Easter and Christmas, or is Thanksgiving included or even New Years?
Wow, yes more details about not celebrating Passover. New years yes. On the fence about thanksgiving as I was under the impression it was Christians celebrating their first return of fruits in the land after previous deadly winter. I could be wrong though. Let me know!
And Hanukkah. Jesus did celebrate this, should we? and the accuracy of all feasts being filled as I understood trumpets and booths are still outstanding fulfillment.
The feasts under the Law were for the Jews and not the Christian. We can see their antitypical significance--such as the Day of Atonement--the Ram and bullock picturing Jesus' ransom sacrifice and sin offering., the two goats picturing the two classes of Christian--the scapegoat being the Great Multitude class who are turned over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh--them being brought to the wilderness is going through the Great Tribulation of the future. It is only after all sacrificing is done that the high priest changes his garments to those of glory and beauty and blesses the people (the Kingdom which we pray for).
The Jews added feast days to commemorate significant things that happened. In the book of Zechariah (chapter 7), the Jews in who stayed in Babylon sent representatives to go to Joshua the high priest and ask him if they should observe certain days (these were new days--like the destruction of the temple and so forth)--God didn't feel they thought on Him on any of the days so He wasn't really paying attention to them because they weren't paying attention to Him. Hanukkah is just another added feast day and not in the Law.
As for Passover--Jesus is the Passover, and he commanded us to "do this in remembrance of him"--do what? The bread and the wine, which are symbolic of his ransom sacrifice. The broken body for us and the blood which he shed. This is really the only "holiday" that we are commanded to observe and it is really a somber occasion and only those who have presented their bodies a living sacrifice unto God (Rom 12:1) and those who have made a covenant by sacrifice (Psa 50:5) can partake. Basically we sit around a table, and a discourse about Jesus' sacrifice is given and then the emblems are passed around and then we sing a hymn and leave.
The new Christians were having the Passover meal before the "memorial" and that posed a great problem and Paul told them to eat it at home and not to mix it with the "memorial". It was stumbling the poor brethren and the gentile brethren. (1 Cor. 11).
We have a special day on New Years day, but I can't say that we celebrate New Years.
There are two different ways in which the brethren would observe/or what have you the New Year.
There is a service called "Watchnight" which takes place on New Year's Eve. Starts with dinner and then a testimony meeting till Midnight. So the brethren are together in the beginning of a new year. (I don't like to stay up)
We have a dinner and then Bible study on New Year's day with friends and brethren.
That is as special as it gets for us.
I have no problem with Thanksgiving as we just had a get-together with friends and family. I feel any day when you are thankful is a good day.
You are correct that Jesus was not born in December, but most likely October. It is an added holiday (by the Catholic Church--they kind of added them all since they were the only church for a thousand years). That one is a bit more sticky. Some try to make it seem people are worshiping their trees or whatnot. The scripture used is really about a totem pole and not a Christmas tree and I have never seen anyone worship it.
I think this is more a individual matter and I think legislating how others handle it (either directly or by not regarding them as Christians if they do observe it)--is not a place that I would want to be in.
Did I answer everything? I know I kind of got long winded and may have missed something.
These are very good answers! Thank you. I appreciate the time you spent answering. So really it should be a heart matter before the Lord and mindful not to stumble others.
Good point with the Passover vs memorial issue also, didn't realize that! I agree that the tree scripture is quite stretched and I do know many people who I know love and hear from the Lord and celebrate Christmas. As a child I didn't understand the concept. Send me out to lonely nursing homes to sing, go on trips and pass people living in boxes but I get presents? This is not to condemn anyone but I like how my child mind understood. We were not well off by any means but at the end of the day, I do not want my son to value the wrong things but at the same time our brethren not being stumbled is very important also! Be blessed and thank you again
