Leviticus 23:1-25:23

The Lord gives instructions on the festivals the Israelites are to celebrate.  The Passover Festival, the Festival of Firstfruits, that Festival of Harvest, the Festival of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Festival of Shelters, the Sabbath Year, and the Year of Jubilee.  Each of these had some regulation that brought the people to a place of worshiping God (and they often benefited the people in some way at the same time).

What festivals do we celebrate as Christians?  We have two major festivals: Christmas and Easter.  There are also a number of other festivals we celebrate: New Years, Martin Luther King Jr Day, President’s Day, St Patrick  Day, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Maundy Thursday, Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, Halloween, and Thanksgiving (and I may be missing a couple).

Each of these festivals presents us with an opportunity to worship God, but usually I spend more time worshiping myself.  I consider these days to be my holy days which I can use to meet my wants and desires and please myself.  I do not set aside some of these days as festivals holy to God.

The next time one of our festivals comes around, I encourage you to take that time you would normally spend on yourself and worship God by ministering to someone else.  Mow a yard, or rake leaves, or hand out Bibles, or work in a soup kitchen.  Whatever you do on that day of celebration, do it in celebration of God.

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