Friday, October 1, 2010

Introduction to Biblical Holy Days

INTRODUCTION TO BIBLICAL HOLY DAYS
1 of 12
Acts 20:7
“On the first day of the week, we came together to break bread…”

We get the word holiday from a contraction of holy day. October is the month which signals the start of many holidays that wrap up the year with the birth of Christ, or Christmas. It may surprise you to learn that not every holiday is Biblical, however. Biblical holy days come from the Bible’s Old Testament: twelve feasts and holy days are observed by devout Jews.

Miguel, Bobby, and Jules are fourth graders at the same school. Miguel’s family attends Mass at the Catholic Church. Bobby is a Jehovah’s Witness. Jules is Jewish. Despite their different backgrounds, they’re good friends, and have fun together. They pay more attention to each other’s likes than their differences when playing at recess every day. Their love for playing baseball and softball inspired them to throw softballs to each other, trying to improve skills for next season’s play. The fall weather remains warm in North Carolina.

“What are you going to dress up as at Halloween?” Bobby asked Miguel.

“Maybe a dragon, if I can find a costume I like” Miguel answered, then asked Jules, “How about you?”

“Not telling—you guys will just have to guess!”

There are eleven New Testament Holy Days, falling into two categories. Three are immovable Holy Days, being same date each year: 1) Epiphany is always January 6th, the day the Wise Men found Jesus,
2) All Saint’s Day is always November 1st, “Holy Evening” or Halloween, is always October 31st, and
3) Christmas Day is always December 25th.

There are eight Holy Days whose dates change year after year: 1) Easter is the 1st Sunday after 1st full moon of spring, celebrating Jesus’ resurrection,
2) Ash Wednesday is the 1st day of Lent, the 7th Wednesday before Easter,
3) Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter, Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem,
4) Maundy Thursday is when Jesus broke bread with His disciples before His death,
5) Good Friday is the Friday before Easter, when Jesus died,
6) Ascension Day is Thursday, 40 days after Easter, when Jesus went into heaven,
7) Whitsunday, or Pentecost Sunday is 50 days after Easter, when the Holy Spirit came to the disciples, (the birth of the church), and
8) Trinity Sunday is the Sunday after Pentecost, dedicated to the Holy Trinity.

Take Home Nugget

New Testament (NT) Holy Days are either based on NT stories, like Palm Sunday or a combination of NT and secular (SEK-u-lar, means worldly). Christmas, Easter, and All Saint’s Day (Halloween) are examples of Bible-inspired-man-invented holidays.
What’s Biblical is eternal, forever true.
Man loves to mold the Old with his new.

J.D. Griffith
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