Friday, August 30: Numbers 29– Holidays…

Most cultures that I know have special days, holidays, to celebrate important landmarks in the culture or country’s heritage. In the US we have the 4^th of July, the celebration of our nation’s birth and enjoy a slice of Americana fireworks included.

We have Thanksgiving, a day to feast on Turkey and enjoy family. The celebration harkens back to the Pilgrims thanking God for watching over them and providing for them. Although more and more the thanking God part of Thanksgiving is disappearing in our culture.

Then there are days like Memorial Day, Labor Day and Presidents’ Day. We could possibly add Halloween (although I don’t know who this got to be such a big deal in our country).

Christmas is a unique holiday in the US. Starting as a religious celebration of the incarnation of Jesus, it is now a huge commercial engine for our materialist-driven society. Retailers generate something like 20-40% of their annual profits from Christmas, often referred to now as ‘Holiday Sales’. The jewelry industry reports 33% of their sales in November and December.

My stroll through yearly holidays in the US is simply recognition that holidays play an important role in most cultures.

In today’s reading, Moses reminds the people of 3 key feasts or holidays that God wants His people Israel to celebrate annually. (I am shocked that Passover is not mentioned here.)

Celebrating the goodness of God is a very good thing. These celebrations become anchors of the faith in the yearly calendar. Also they become tremendous ways to pass along faith-highlights to our children.

In our western world, Easter remains far more religiously pure than Christmas, although the secular creep is certainly present in the Easter bunny and baskets. Christmas has been almost completely swallowed up by the US secular culture…

As I ponder the engulfing of Christian feasts by secular culture, sadness falls on me. What have Christ-followers done or allowed to be done to these celebrations of God’s amazing message?

God, I grow even more sad realizing that we have likely crossed the tipping point and cannot reclaim Christmas from the secular world. The question I am wrestling with personally is what could I do within my own family to reclaim Christmas for Jesus… and even more do I really want to part with the many secular additions to the celebration???

Lord, I am left today wondering about the place of Faith-Feasts in life. Be with me in my wonderings, I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.