Christmas: Holiday or Holy Day?
Deut. 5:12-15; Esther 9:20-22; John 10:22-23; Heb. 10:23-25
I. Holidays and the Holy Day
II. Corporate vs. Individual Observance
"[Dedication/Lights/Hanukah] was a feast that was annually observed by consent, in remembrance of the dedication of a new altar and the purging of the temple, by Judas Maccabaeus, after the temple had been profaned and the altar defiled; we have the story of it at large in the history of the Maccabees; we have the prophecy of it, Dan. 8:13, Dan. 8:14. … The celebrating of it was not confined to Jerusalem, as that of the divine feasts was, but every one observed it in his own place, not as a holy time (it is only a divine institution that can sanctify a day), but as a good time, as the days of Purim, Esth. 9:19.—M. Henry
Purim is celebrated by giving reciprocal gifts of food and drink, giving charity to the poor, a celebratory meal, and public recitation of the Scroll of Esther. There are prayers and the grace after meals. Other customs include drinking wine, wearing of masks and costumes, and public celebration. It was not instituted by church officials, it was created by the civil authorities and embraced by the people. It was never mixed or confused with the worship of God.—Critical & Explanatory Commentary on the Whole Bible
III. How Should We Respond? |
