Religious sentiment tends to increase during Christmas and Easter. And even though we admit that a small amount of attention to Bible topics is better than none at all, we do not want people to be deceived into thinking that this seasonal “religion” is sufficient for their souls. There is more to serving God than just attending a “Christmas” or “Easter” church service once a year.
While there is nothing wrong with people celebrating national holidays by having special family visits and exchanging gifts, the Bible nowhere instructs churches or individuals to establish special religious holy days. Doing so is a violation of Bible authority, for one “adds to” the Scriptures by adding such special services. It is sinful to “add to” the Scriptures (Revelation 22:18). One cannot “speak as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11) and claim that churches are to celebrate the birth of Christ, either upon December 25th or any other day of the year! Christ’s gospel contains no instructions authorizing or requiring such special services or assemblies. Churches act presumptuously when they arbitrarily assign a special religious significance to a certain day of the year. Sins of “presumption” are nonetheless sins, and rather than rush into them we should ask God to keep us “back” from them (Psalm 19:14)!
There is, however, a “day” of significance to God: The New Testament makes every Sunday equally significant. New Testament Christians assembled upon the first day of every week to give (1 Cor. 16:2), to remember the Lord’s death through the observance of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:23-26), and to pray, sing and study (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 14:26-33). No particular Sunday service was any more or less important than others, for every Sunday has been divinely prescribed as our day of worship. The notion that certain religious services are more spiritual than others is a mere fiction.
This raises an important question: Why do some people commemorate events that God has not told us to commemorate, but refuse to commemorate an event that God has told us to commemorate? The Bible does record the birth (Matt. 1:18-2:12; Luke 2:1-21) and the resurrection of Christ (Matt. 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20), and these are important gospel facts that we must believe. However, the Bible nowhere authorizes the establishment of certain holy days or procedures for their commemoration. Conversely, the Bible quite plainly instructs us to commemorate the Lord’s death (by the Lord’s Supper, Matt. 26:26-29; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:23-33), stating the day of the week on which this is to be done, and even implying the frequency of observance (every week has a “first day” – Acts 20:7). With the approval of an inspired apostle, the disciples at Troas assembled “upon the first day of the week” to observe this memorial. Inasmuch as every week has a “first day,” we are to observe the Lord’s Supper upon the first day of every week. Let us commemorate what God has told us to commemorate, not what we arbitrarily decide to commemorate. By doing as God instructs, we will worship God weekly, not just annually or biannually, and not by mere contrivance.
Tim Haile