Set Apart Day

It is the second day of December. I find myself at the front end of a season that causes me to remember. Tis the season of holidays, plays, giving, and gathering. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years are words that have started to fill the void between my ears. Words have meaning.

There has been a push in recent years to get rid of the popular greeting: "Merry Christmas" and replace it with the phrase "Happy Holidays." Some people see the recognition of Christmas as exclusive and politically incorrect and would prefer using a more generalized phrase acknowledging the happiness surrounding holidays. As I've been inundated with words during this change of seasons, I can't help but remember that words have meaning.

The word "holiday" may be the best word to use this season. According to Webster's Dictionary, holiday means "holy day." It is interesting to note that the word "holy" is used over 600 times in the Bible. This significant word, I have repeatedly heard, is an important one to understand - holy literally means "set apart." Therefore, a holiday is a set apart day.

Thanksgiving is a day set apart to remember the things in life God provides. Christmas is a day set apart to remember that Jesus the Christ was born, God came to earth. New Years is a day set apart to recognize the beginning of a new beginning, the flipping of the calendar, a time to start new for the year. These are only a few holidays that we observe, probably the most memorable for most, but hopefully they aren't the only holy days on our calendar.

The idea of a set apart day goes all the way back to Creation. (Genesis 2:3) After six days of work, God set apart the seventh day to rest. This day He called the Sabbath and intended it to a day to be set apart from the rest. This holy day is intended to give people time to delight in what God has created and recognize the gift that life is for all humans. It gives the opportunity to stop what you would normally be doing and find rest. It is a holiday. A holy day. A set apart day.

It is safe to say that people enjoy having a holiday. Time off from work, a break from the normal routine, relaxing with family, some breathing room, and an opportunity to rest. Unfortunately, we as sinful human beings have turned holidays into a time of busyness, materialistic madness, selfish gain, and now the only thing set apart about the holidays comes in the form of increased stress.

God commands, and wholeheartedly desires for His people to set apart a day each week to rest and "remember the reason for the season." Don't let it be a burden. Give thanks to God for coming to earth as a human, taking our punishment for sin, raising up from the dead, and offering new life to all who believe in Him.

Make the holidays holy days. Set apart everyday as a set apart day.