I pray your Easter celebration was full of love, life, and focus on the resurrection of our Lord and Savior! The ultra-fundamental are very critical of those who participate in the modern version of Christian holidays. Sadly, they are right about the perversion of our holy days, but they are wrong in their legalistic condemnation of all who participate.
When the Roman Church began it was completely pagan. Constantine had a dream or vision that led him to believe if he marched the armies of Rome under the banner of the cross they could not be defeated; thus, his conversion to Christianity was not a spiritual rebirth but a pagan, political, and military move. He immediately began to incorporate the pagan holidays (holy days) into his church by giving them Christian names. The use of pagan symbols, ceremony, and rituals replaced biblical prayer, praise, and worship.
I’m not sure what damaged the Church of true believers more, the pagan rituals that were introduced or the biblical feasts and festivals outlawed by the Church of Rome. It was Constantine who made it against the law to observe the Sabbath. Any Christian caught observing the Sabbath could be imprisoned or put to death. Likewise, observation of the feasts ordained by God was made illegal. Roman pagan polytheism along with their religious practices and doctrine were given Christian names and replaced actual biblical observances. The earliest anti-Semitic persecution began from Rome. The Church lost its biblical foundation for understanding the New Covenant and the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord when it distanced itself from the Old Testament. This paved the way for the perversion of almost all New Testament truth.
No believer today holds in their heart the perverse meaning of the pagan rituals that have come to be known as Christmas, Easter, or even Sunday; but we have lost the value of using these times as a means of influencing our hearts. Many today see little value in observing any feast or festival. The Old Testament feasts were all observances of things God would do through the Lord Jesus and they were to be “sacred assemblies.” The Hebrew word for “sacred assembly” can mean “rehearsal.” Since the feasts were “rehearsals” they were actually a means to keep certain appointed events and times of God alive in our hearts. In fact, it was only through a clear understanding of the feasts and sacrifices that one could gain a full biblical understanding of what happened through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus; but just as important is the way we keep these truths alive in our heart. Many of our heart issues today exist because the religious world has stolen so many tools God gave us to establish our hearts.
God never meant for the feasts and holy days to be turned into legalistic observances; they were to be celebrations where people feasted and rejoiced as they reminded themselves of the promises of God! The combination of remembering (information) plus emotions (worship, praise, and celebration) can have an incredible influence on the heart. We need to restore the spiritual significance of our holidays for the benefit of our children and grandchildren.
Remember, to influence our hearts we combine information and emotions and we marry fact with concept. We want the right and left brain to sync in a perfect marriage of reality. Holidays (holy days) are the perfect time to create deep, heart-felt memories of the past and visions of the future… visions of a life enjoying God’s promises!
Am I saying you should observe the feasts? Not at all! But I am saying we need to turn every holiday into a holy day, a day of remembrance concerning God’s promises. We should make it our heart’s intention to always connect to God when we worship, never just go through the motions. Every time you read God’s Word set your intention and expect to hear Him teach you how to live a more godly, loving, peaceful, and productive life. Turn every church service into something that sparks God’s reality in your heart. These things happen because of the way we approach them.
We need regular events in our life that reconnect us to the realities of God. Tell your children (yes, even your grown children) stories from the Bible and share your life experiences with them. Turn your gatherings into feasts that stir our hearts for our God!
If you have never heard my series, Three Days that Changed the World, I assure you it will be crucial to your faith in ways you may have never imagined. If you have heard it, be sure and listen to the new online teaching for this month. I always add new insights that I know will benefit you in your walk with God.
Have a great day. Turn every day into a holiday and every meal into a feast. When people ask you why you’re happy, tell them about eternal life in Jesus.
Abundant Blessings!