Happy Holidays! The words have a distinct meaning depending on what season it is, your political lean, or your region of the world. But have you ever thought about the words themselves? Happy is easy, smiling, positive. Holiday is a melding of 'holy' and 'day', but is it really holy?
Meaning Most think of Christmas as a religious observance or a Christian tradition, but, holy for who, exactly? Who was born on December 25th, as we know it was not Yeshua Joshua Jesus. He was born when the livestock were in the fields, and the shepherds with them. So, who is December 25th holy to?
The observance of holidays like Easter and Christmas spans back far before the birth of Jesus. Horus, the falcon god of Egypt, was 'born' on December 25th. Approximately the 360th day of the year. Right around winter solstice. Mithras, the deity of covenants or contracts, born on December 25th. Dionysus, Roman god of wine and revelry, born on December 25th. Tammuz,
Many billions of people down through the ages revered 'gods' like the ones named above because their culture was that of sun worship. The sun is a mighty healer, and can cure humans of almost anything. On days when the sun 'turned' or completed a cycle, this was considered auspicious, to be celebrated. These esoteric traditions and religions followed the footsteps of the people down through the ages. They became something to be passed down, holy rites for worshipping the sun god Horus or Tammuz.
The encoding of these ceremonies is, in large part, the origin of our modern holiday traditions. But, the huge question that I don't ever hear is, does Christianity have holy days? God's holidays?
YES.
God's festivals are often left out of Christian churches. It's not easy to find a Christian who can name them. Why? Ironically, the festivals of God are still celebrated, taught, and carried forward by Jews. Let that sink in, Christians.
Ask yourself, where in the Bible does God direct us how and when to celebrate Easter? Where does He tell us how and when to observe Christmas Day? If you can't remember, it's because He didn't!!
He DOES tell us how and when to celebrate certain holy days, however. Eight of them! And did you know, three of them were commanded? (Duet 16:16)
God's festivals follow the harvests, both in spring and fall. Signifying and glorifying Christ's purpose down though eternity for mankind, these festivals remind us that we are set apart!
Then comes the feast of unleavened bread, starting concurrent with Passover and extending for the week. We remove the leaven from our lives, physically and spiritually, meditating on the debt of sin that pervades the world. The seder meal is a lesson in itself of remembrance that the Lord brought us out of the world.
The feast of First Fruits is celebrated with the vernal equinox, when when the Sun is exactly above the Equator and day and night are equal in length. Grain offerings are made, a lamb is sacrificed, unleavened bread and wine are dedicated to the Lord as well. The harvest cannot begin until these holy rites are performed.
The days are counted off, and forty-nine days later sits the next holy day, Shavuot.
This is what many Christians recognize as Pentacost, or the festival of weeks, marking the culmination of redemption out of Egypt. God separated his people totally from the pagan world around them, and led them to the land of Israel.
The feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles signify the fall harvest, and a future, ultimate completion of God's promise to his people. It is a season of repentance and introspection. Fellowship with the Lord is celebrated. His trumpet sounds, we are granted atonement, and God comes to dwell with us. Sound familiar? Every one of God's festivals reminds us of His wonderful plan and purpose, His willingness to save and cleanse us through His spirit. Amen!!
On the Feast of Trumpets (the seventh new moon of the year), a ten day period of prayer begins with Rosh Hashanna and culminates with Yom Kippur. The blast of the trumpet is supposed to wake us from our sleep, reminding us that God made the universe and is King of it.
At the climax of these ten 'days of awe', the Day of Atonement is the holiest day of the year, alluding to Christ's eventual atonement for us all. He ransoms and redeems us (kippur) by taking our place as a substitute, the scapegoat.
At the feast of Tabernacles, God's people construct tents or huts outdoors, and live in them for a week. God comes and dwells with us, and we remember the 40 years of confusion Moses faced in the desert. The fall harvest is celebrated with grain and wave offerings to God, singing, and special feasts. The pilgrims who follow at Jesus' footsteps daily picture those who have followed Him spiritually and in Jerusalem ever since His death.
Every festival forces us to decipher the holy from the common, clean from unclean, the sacred from the profane.
This separation is the essence of God, who divided light from dark, good from evil. His cross splits all aspects of the universe, the matrix of all understanding. He divided Himself into everything.
We worship and marvel at his wisdom, Hallelujah!
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But what do the modern holidays offer us?
Under a guise of celebrating family or even God, we find the allure of consumerism, pride, and false idols. The 'magic' of Christmas and Easter is amplified habitually, a cultural touchstone from eras and epochs of conditioning and tradition. But are they the products of ancient sun worship?
Some Christians who keep the traditions of Christmas quote a few old church names and say that they believed in a December 25th birth date for Jesus. Or they will say that celebrating the holiday is honoring God in some way. But the bible tells us not to worship God using the ways of the nations, or the traditions of men. He also shows and tells us exactly how to worship and celebrate Him.
The birth of the Lord is encoded down through history as the IXXI, This 9/11 can be found in symbols and architecture dating back to Christ. This date fits the time frame of a census being conducted by Rome, as well as livestock being still in the fields at night (as described in the biblical account). The date itself is esoteric and auspicious, encoded in the 'Tree of Life' Sepharoth and dozens, if not hundreds of religious monuments. Jesus notes how his *death* is what should be commemorated at Passover; no mention of celebrating his birth is made or commanded.
The Christmas tree is an ingrained cultural symbol all over the world. Its beauty is magical, but it's not Godly.
If you're interested in celebrating God's holy days, and honoring Him as He has told us to do, there are plenty of resources online. I hope you'll look deeply into this and decide for yourself what God wants from us.
Check out Jews for Jesus: https://jewsforjesus.org/
And Hebrew for Christians: https://www.hebrew4christians.com/#loaded
Find a Passover Seder near you: https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/seders_cdo/aid/110005/jewish/Find-a-Passover-Seder-Near-You.htm
Have a wonderful winter season, friends!
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