Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.' – Leviticus 23:2

Today's Scripture Reading (January 6, 2025): Leviticus 23

Today is Epiphany. I don't know about you, but I don't get up on January 6 and think, "Wow, Epiphany, what a celebration." Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but years have passed without me giving a second thought to the Holiday of Epiphany. Often, I only remember Epiphany when we reach the first Sunday of Epiphany because that shapes the readings that I might use in the Weekend Worship experiences. Maybe we will sing a variation of "We Three Kings." We sing a great version of the song, "We the Kings [Perfect Light]," written by our Worship Leader. We have already used the song twice during the Advent or Christmas season, even though the song belongs more appropriately to Epiphany than Advent. Most of us have left Christmas behind by the time we reach Epiphany. There are exceptions. I worked for a pastor early in my career who believed we shouldn't sing Christmas songs until Christmas Eve. After all, how can we sing of the birth of Jesus before he was born? We sang Christmas songs into Epiphany in that church, but that belief is an exception rather than the rule.

Most of us are unsure what Epiphany even celebrates. On the most basic level, Epiphany celebrates the Magi or Wise Men coming from the East to visit the Christ Child. It is important, not just because it recognizes a biblical event, the Wise Men's journey to Bethlehem, as well as the conflict with King Herod and the subsequent slaughter of the innocents. It also tells a story about the Wise Men, who were non-Jews, and likely Zoroastrian believers, visiting the Jewish Messiah. The idea that God included even them in this biblical tale is a critical moment in the story of the Christ Child. All of this should be a reminder to us that the Christmas message is not just the Jewish Messiah coming to the Jewish people but that the message of the Messiah has been extended to include all of us Gentiles who, by definition, are not Jews.

I have mentioned in other blogs that, in recent years, there seems to have been a move toward not celebrating Christian holidays because they weren't celebrated in the Bible. Some Christian churches have even taken up celebrating some Jewish feast days, like the Feast of Tabernacles or even Passover-related events. But the reality is that there are Christian Festivals that I believe we should be celebrating. 

This passage in Leviticus outlines six annual feasts on top of the weekly Sabbath. But while we don't need to celebrate the Jewish versions of these holidays, we should recognize that our Christian versions are sometimes an outgrowth of these celebrations. Two annual Jewish celebrations are missing from this list: Purim and Hanukkah. These celebrations are not addressed because they grew out of events that happened much later in Jewish history. But the celebration of Purim and Hanukkah do provide a template for us to add our Christian Festivals.

What might be included in a list of necessary Christian celebrations? Let me suggest that a similar list of Christian Festivals might consist of The Lord's Day (Sabbath), Christmas, New Year, Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday (Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement), Easter, Pentecost, and Thanksgiving. These are days that should be celebrated with a spiritual focus. These are our Holy Days, the appointed festivals intended to honor our God. 

What do you think? Have I missed any?

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 24