Since Pentecost—since the church has stopped being Jerusalem-focussed—then we are no longer under obligation to keep these Jerusalem-based feasts. That is a major change! The only feasts that we are commanded to keep are the Lord’s Day, weekly; and the Lord’s Table; and we have freedom as to how we keep those feasts. As for the other feasts, the expectation on us is that we think wisely about the annual-rhythms of each culture and nation we are in, and to use the times that we’re given to celebrate the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ…
So, for example—since the days of Roman-occupation in Britain—Saturnalia was a feast kept from the 17th to the 23rd of December. And Christians in the days of Roman-rule had a choice… they could either choose to go on working and ignoring the world around them, while the feasting went on. Or they could choose to use that time to celebrate something worth celebrating… the incarnation perhaps. And the majority chose the latter.
To which we may say, “isn’t it wrong to celebrate at the same time as the world? Shouldn’t the church have her own times of celebration?” Well, when we look at the archaeological records of the particular times when the church of the Old Testament celebrated Passover and the other feasts, what we see is their celebrations took place at the same time as the world around them too. So the principle has been there early-on…
The principle seems to be then, that it’s not about when you celebrate, but rather what you celebrate, and ultimately, the only thing worth celebrating is the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But—like we said last week—if it’s against your conscience to do Christmas, or Easter, or Whitsun, or whatever it might be, then just pick another time of year to think about the incarnation and the cross & resurrection, and Pentecost.
