Enjoying Festivals

Zechariah 7:5-6
(5) "Say to all the people of the land and the priests, When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?
(6) And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?

We're about to have our last and first festivals of the year. We plan on going to a friends' house for their bit New Years Eve family open house. Then on Thursday we're going to the McKenzies for our annual pork and sauerkraut meal. Both events should be fun.

I think that New Years is kind of an arbitrary time to celebrate. I do think that there is something about going from 12/31 to 1/1 on the calendar. I also think that there is something about taking some inventory on the past year. However, I also think that resolutions should be made throughout the year.

I also think that this time of celebration of 2008 and hope for 2009 needs to be Christ-centered. Was our Christmas celebration for us or for God? How about Thanksgiving? How about Easter? If there is one holiday that absolutely screams for Christ-centeredness it is Easter since that is a holiday unique to Christians.

The Jews had a calendar of feasts as well. Their problem is that they lost sight of the reason for them. I hope not to do that with ours.