This is the
beginning of a series on Thanksgiving. We will be looking at Thanksgiving for
the next thirty days which will end the day after Thanksgiving. May the Lord
bless you as you read.
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Which Holiday is
the most holy of all Holidays? I turn to the scriptures. There we see the feast
days of the Lord. Each of them has great significance. The day of the Passover
has been observed for thousands of years now and has great meaning not only to
Jews but also to Christians because it is the day that required the shedding of
the blood of a lamb. Paul said, “Christ, our Passover is sacrificed for us”
(1Corinthians 5.7). Jesus was crucified at the same time that this feast took
place.
Then there was the
Feast of Unleavened Bread that went with it. Jesus told his disciples to take
the bread and eat it for it represented his body which was broken for us.
Another feast, the
Feast of Firstfruits, is important as well and represents the resurrection of
the Lord Jesus from the grave. The scriptures says “Christ the firstfruits”
which speaks of his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15.23). Jesus’ resurrection
occurred at the time of this celebration as well, three days after his death.
The Feast of
Tabernacles is a powerful reminder to us of the coming of the Holy Spirit. This
day is also called Pentecost because it was fifty days after the firstfruits
(starting on the first day of the week and ending on the first day of the week
after seven weeks) The Holy Spirit came upon His church on this very same day.
(Acts chapter 2)
Besides these,
scripture records a day, given by God to Israel, called the Feast of Trumpets.
This holy day is meaningful to Christians because it points us to the returning
of Jesus Christ to this earth for his saints. (1 Corinthians 15.52)
In the United
States we celebrate some different Holidays. (Groundhog day doesn’t count – not
a holy day).
There are two very
significant days that are considered holy to Christians. The one is Christmas.
This means much to us because we remember the birth of Christ on this day (even
though we really don’t know what day Jesus was born)
Easter is
considered holy because it is a time when Christians remember and celebrate the
death and resurrection of Christ. The timing of Easter is a strange formula
that probably has no scriptural connection. This holiday usually occurs about
the same time as Passover which has the true scriptural timing.
Another Holiday we
celebrate in the United States of America is called Thanksgiving and is almost
uniquely American. It was begun first by the Pilgrims in 1621 as they rejoiced
in a Bountiful Harvest of Food. For this they gave God thanks and invited their
native American friends to join them.
Thanksgiving may
not be the holiest of all days but I cannot think of anything more holy that a
holy man or woman could do than to give thanks to the Great God of Heaven who
has blessed us more than any of us deserves.
Oh, give thanks
to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy
endures forever. (Psalm 107.1)
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