Archive

Archive for the ‘holiday’ Category

What About Holidays?

December 5th, 2008

Someone said, “There’s no place like home for the holidays.” (Lyrics by Al Stillman, 1954).  In this brief expose, we shall explore the biblical concept of the term, “holiday (s), as it pertains to the broader concept of the Christian home.

1. Holiday is derived from Anglo-Saxon usage of holy day, according to Webster’s New Universal Dictionary (unabridged), correlating  holiday to the definition of holy itself-“1. belonging to or coming from God; hallowed; consecrated or set apart to a sacred use”  (p. 868).

2. Any accurate usage of “holy,” however, (and its associated terminology-holiness, sanctified, etc.) stems from the N.T. root word hagios.    The New Testament usage, unlike Old Testament usage, does not show particular holy days (such as Passover or Pentecost).  Furthermore, the association of Christmas Day cannot find specific endorsement from the Scriptures as ordered holy days.  The Christmas story may have a basis in Scripture (see Lk. 2:1-20); but, the Christian religion has no support for liturgical observance of such holy days (see Col. 2:16-17).  Nevertheless, Thanksgiving, for example, would fall under the Romans 14:5-6 authorization.

3.     New Testament Christians are encouraged to recognize that all days are God-given (Psalm 118:26); to recognize the incarnation as a very special day in history (Heb. 1:5-6; 2:14; 5:7; 1 Tim. 3:16)  and, also, to regularly observethe Lord’s day” (Rev. 1:10; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2).

In conclusion, then, we are not commanded to keep Holidays-but, we are commended to interpret all reality with a Christian worldview (2 Cor. 10:5; Col. 3:17; Phil. 4:8,9).  “God, give us Christian homes” RMH

Categories: Bible, holiday, Luke, New Testament, Topical Tags: