Today’s family service looked at the theme of ‘Holy Days and Holidays’, initially looking at the three main Jewish festivals (see Ex 23:14-17, Lev 23). All these festivals remind us that rest is God’s idea (initially epitomised in the Sabbath rest commanded by God, but extended through the week long celebrations of all God had done), and that holidays serve that important function of ‘rest and relaxation.‘ Holy days were also ways to focus on God instead of being consumed by busyness and to take time out to remember and refocus on Him. Thanksgiving and celebration were important parts of these festivals, with meals often being a way of celebrating God’s bountiful goodness (many festivals were linked to agriculture, for example, reminding us of God’s provision for us.)
Passover (Deut 16:1-8) was one of the main Jewish festivals, remembering God’s mighty deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt. The central part of the Passover celebrations was the Passover meal (the Seder), which concluded with the reading of the Song of Songs. That meal, with the emphasis on the sacrificial lamb and unleavened bread, reminded the Israelites of how God had rescued them from Egypt, killing the firstborn of the Egyptians but sparing the Jews who had smeared the lamb’s blood on their doorframes and how they had had to flee straightaway so that they didn’t have time to make bread with yeast in it. The whole point of this celebration was to remember God’s amazing deeds on behalf of the people of God.
The Festival of Ingathering (Pentecost/ Sukkot) commemorates not only the kindness of God in providing food for His people, but also how He protected them during the wilderness wanderings. During this festival, the book of Ecclesiastes is read out – not our first choice of holiday reading, perhaps, but a book which nonetheless reminds us of the futility of life without God and the fact that He commends enjoyment. (Eccl 8:15) One of the distinguishing features of this festival was how the Israelites camped in tents (‘tabernacles’ or ‘booths’; ‘sukkah’ in Hebrew) during the festival. You could say that this was the very first camping holiday – and maybe this is why so many Christian events include camping!
The Festival of Firstfruits (or Weeks/ Shavuot) was also connected to agriculture (see Lev 23:10-11) and was a time of thanksgiving for the coming harvest.This festival also later came to commemorate the giving of the Torah to Moses, seven weeks after the Exodus from Egypt. During this festival, the book of Ruth is read out. For Christians, we see an even greater significance in this idea of firstfruits, for Paul reminds us that ‘Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.’ (1 Cor 15:20)
Jewish festivals were intended, therefore, to keep Israel focussed on God, remembering all He had done for them and giving a framework to celebration and rejoicing, with God firmly at the centre.