HOLY DAYS, HOLIDAYS, AND HOLLOW DAYS , AND HOW DO WE FOCUS ON THE FORMER?

 

Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Lebanon, TN

A couple of days ago, Becky expressed her sadness about not taking the time to go to a Veteran's Day service.  That got my attention. I had the day off from work, because this year it fell on a Saturday. Maybe part of it is that Becky's father was a veteran. Neither my father nor my paternal grandfather were (I have no idea about my maternal grandfather). 

This blog is being posted on Thanksgiving Day, 2023. You can say the same thing. It seems the day has morphed from Thanksgiving to Turkey Day. It used to be a day when all the stores were closed; now, several are open for pre-Black-Friday deals. :'( I think the day should be a little more, uh, sanctified (set apart), but is my heart focusing on giving thanks any more than any other day? Or am I too excited to turn on the TV for the big sports event of the day: America's Dog Show on NBC?

Allow me to use that introduction to suggest that our special days can fall into three categories: holy days, holidays, and hollow days. And I also want to make it plain that each have their place. Let me take them in reverse order:

1. Hollow Days. Someone I know used that term for what they considered pagan holidays (e.g. Christmas, Easter), to reflect the emptiness. Let me look on the concept more positively - there are days we need to be off from work, have a cook-out with friends, and watch a fireworks show after dark. (What I've just described can be how we celebrate Memorial Day, Independence Day, or Labor Day.) Anything wrong with that? Nope. We need time to rest. 
2. Holidays. These days are ones we celebrate via traditions. We wear green on St. Patrick's Day. We eat turkey and watch football (or in my case, the dog show) on Thanksgiving. We dress up for Halloween. We decorate a tree and deck the halls for Christmas. And we wait with apprehension to see if Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow. Each are fun events that occur once a year that make the day stand out from a day off. In the past (not true now) I would have that mentality for the Oscar's, the baseball All-Star game, and the then-annual showing on CBS of "The Wizard of Oz." None of them change the world, but it gives the year a little variety. 
3. Holy Days. Holy means set apart, and a holy day is set apart. There is a solemnity to that day, like the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) in the Bible. We could have that sanctified approach to major holidays we have off (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day for families where a member made the ultimate sacrifice) or days that are special to us. In my case, this would include Reformation Day, All Saints Day, World CEF Prayer Day, International Day of Prayer For The Persecuted Church, and World Refugee Day. 

Confession time. These days I mentioned usually are just a normal day. I want that to change. Reformation Day and All Saints Day are ones that currently are something I quietly acknowledge, but I really want to celebrate it with others! True, it might be overdoing it to have a Reformation Day party one day and follow it up with an All Saints Day party 24 hours later. But you get the idea.

Can I summarize? We need days to rest. We need days to have fun and break up the routine. And we need days to reflect.

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR AND OTHER POST REFORMATION DAY THOUGHTS

The River Community Church, Cookeville, TN

Hope you've enjoyed my Reformation Day series, where I reviewed five books and an album. Let me close with some thoughts. 

Two of the five books I reviewed focused on the Reformation. Both books had several references to Augustine, Luther, and Calvin. But other reformers didn't get as much love. In one book, Melanchthon was mentioned four times and Zwingli twice; the other didn't list either. But that book did mention Wycliffe and Tyndale more. And is John Knox a Reformer? Neither book mentioned him. 

I looked up "Sola Scriptura" on Spotify, and found several selections listed. At first, I was excited - several albums on the subject I could review and lengthen this series! Alas, most of the selections were either rap (not my cup of tea), singles, in a foreign language, or in one case didn't reflect the subject of the title. 😭

I will mention that Reformation Day starts what I consider "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year." No, Christmas isn't part of the time; in fact, my favorite holiday - Thanksgiving - isn't in that period. I could call it "Holy Week," though that name is taken. This time is a week (or less), and includes four days that are special to me. Two are set on the calendar, same date every year; the other two are always on the same day of the week. What are the four?

1. Reformation Day, October 31st. No duh. After all, I did say it started with Reformation Day, didn't I? I want to keep a Semper Reformanda mindset, always reforming.
2. All Saints Day, November 1st. No, I'm not a Catholic, and I don't define a saint as they do - I believe all Christians are saints, and I believe the New Testament backs that up. But I want a time to celebrate those who have been inspirations to me, whether they're currently in heaven or on earth.
3. International Day of Prayer For The Persecuted Church, 1st Sunday of November. (I'm actually writing this on that day.)
4. World Day of Prayer for Child Evangelism Fellowship, 1st Wednesday of November. 

So, let me end by trying to start a discussion. What do these four days I just mentioned mean to you? If you aren't thinking of those days, how can you make them more meaningful?