Let's start at the very beginning...If we break down the word "holidays" we gain some insight that can help us make the holidays meaningful. "Holi - days"...or "holy days" - In Scripture, God set aside certain days for His people to pause from their regular activities and regard them as "holy" - sacred, significant...days to honor Him, to gain revelation of Him, to tell the next generation of His glory and His faithfulness. These days (often a week at a time - yes!) were full of joy, feasts (yes!), and remembrances of His character.
Even if we aren't celebrating the same days as His people in Old Testament times (although there is good reason to say we should...new blog post idea!), we can take the same approach to the holidays we do celebrate. Instead of just a day when the bank and PO are closed, we can employ the holidays as a time to celebrate our Lord, to point to Christ, to tell the next generation of His glory and faithfulness.
I just heard a collective sigh. On top of an already overwhelmed Holiday -to -do list, you might feel I am burdening you down with extra spiritual requirements. As in, now you need to add an hour long devotion to Thanksgiving dinner, a requisite memorization of the elements of the Passover Meal at Easter, and voice-over of the Christmas story from Luke on constant replay for the month of December?
Nope, not at all!
The next couple of blog posts have some enjoyable - as well as reasonable! - ideas that you might want to choose from to add to your Holiday celebration, some helpful hints truly.
For now, I just want us to let the idea percolate through our hearts. What is God's purpose for the holidays (not just their meaning!)? What are some ways we can tweak our celebrations so as to honor Christ, to point to Him, to remind ourselves and our posterity of His glory and faithfulness? How can we pursue the joy and peace of Christ during these seasons instead of stress, fatigue and dread?
Next two posts have some helpl!