Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Holy Days

So, right now I'm immersed in study of the biblical holidays.  They are so different from American holidays.  Do you know why?  Here's the main reason:

Our "holidays" are me-centered, or children-centered, and the biblical holidays, which are still celebrated today in Jewish culture, are God-centered.

Think about it:
birthdays: while not an actual holiday, birthdays get a lot of attention in our culture, and obviously, the recipient is the focus

Valentine's day: children-centered (or candy-centered)

Christmas: well, we like to think, as Christians, that it is Jesus-centered, but it really turns out to be me-centered or children-centered (candy-centered)

Easter: see Christmas - children-centered (candy-centered)

July 4th and Presidents Day - here, we celebrate our founding fathers, our country's freedom, our leaders.

So, like I said, God, although He may be a part of some of these, is not really the center, not in our culture.

What a blessing we're missing out on, what understanding we're forfeiting, when we're content to let these biblical celebrations be bygones.  The Old Testament way.  Discarded and forgotten.  Like taking a fill-in-the-blank quiz, answering all the questions with `Jesus' and erasing the rest of the statement.  `Jesus' is The Great Answer, but if you know the rest of the statement, what richness colors your faith!

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