Question: I’ve wrestled with Christmas and Easter. I believe that the focus of these days is not wrong, although I don’t observe them because I don’t feel comfortable doing so - Christmas is the memorial of Jesus being born the savior of the world; Easter, that he has risen, and brought redemption through his ultimate act of love. We should acknowledge this ever day, not twice a year. My question is – in God’s kingdom, do you think he will impart these days as commemoration or let people decide for themselves what to keep as observance.

You’ve stated before that the Bible makes no claim that we must keep these days as an act of salvation, or keep other holy days as a part of salvation.

Ken

Answer: Dear Ken,

Thanks for your comments, thoughts and question – and for your frankness. Some responses for you to consider:

1. While you wrestle with Christmas and Easter, others, as you know, wrestle with other days that their customs, or their past, has placed special significance on. But now, they see that perhaps those days or times or seasons (see Galatians/Colossians) are not as important or salvific as they once thought or were taught. Examples would be: Halloween or All Souls Day for some. Others wrestle, from another religious tradition, with Jewish holy days and their significance, importance or "requirement". Still others grapple with days that were dedicated to saints – such folks would have a Russian, Eastern Orthodox or Roman Catholic background. For example, Lent, Ash Wednesday, etc. Still others who comet o Christ from Eastern religions have other "days’ with which to wrestle.

Important to set our horizons – that there are many who deal with this issue.

2. What is the issue? The issue is how does a human being best worship God? How do we commune with him? (The only "ceremony" – and it is loosely defined, in terms of exactly how, how often, etc. – that Christians must share in his communion or the Lord’s Supper – the act of imbibing of Jesus – who is our Life) Worship of God – knowing God – coming to an authentic personal relationship with the Lord is the topic that Christ addresses – and that the New Testament writers address. The teaching is set against the immediate background of Judaism – but is relevant to all of our human attempts to place significance in things, in the created – rather than the creator.

God wants us to worship him in spirit and in truth. We humans get locked into things - stuff. We want to think that there are special days, special ways – better ways – etc. – and we begin to look at the forms and forget the substance. Jesus told us that our human traditions are vain (Mark 7:7) – even when we base them, or at least begin them in the Bible. Human traditions do not limit us, or define us or contain our worship of God. And they do not limit God.

This is not to say that human traditions are necessarily wrong. They become wrong when I tell others that unless they do what I do that they are not saved, or they do not have as good a relationship with God as I do. Christmas and Easter are not wrong, as long as I don’t tell someone that if they do not do something in lock step fashion that they have no relationship with God. No human can do that. We can, of course, alert those who do try to legalize the relationship – or control it and contain it within their human inventions – that they are wrong.

Nothing wrong with ritual necessarily – but it is when the form or ritualism or ceremony gets in the way or worship – when it becomes exclusive – that God is not pleased, according the New Testament. Some have this trouble with worship forms today – with exuberant forms or more formal forms – with some on both sides insisting that it’s their way not the highway! Others get into judging others in terms of music – insisting on music they like, and belittling, impugning, and maligning others. No such direction in the Bible. We come up with this all by ourselves!

We cannot put God into a box – however much that appeals to "us" – every denomination, every church, etc. – would like to have distinctives that make it better – and somehow to give them a corner on God. But God cannot be put into a denominational organizational cage so that we can monopolize him. God is bigger than that.

3. When we are not in the flesh, and when we are on the other side of eternity – when we inhabit eternity with God, will we revert to certain human rituals or forms that helped us direct our worship when we were in the flesh? Some want to proof text passages like Zechariah. 14 to say that this is "proof" that Hebrew days will be observed in God'’ kingdom – but a study of this passage will reveal that such a thing is not taught here at all. Others like to cite Ezekiel 40-48 as "proof" that God will start a sacrificial system in his kingdom once again. But such folks don’t appear to understand the cross very well – and specifically what the book of Hebrews has to say. That Christ died once for all – once and for all.