Every great Religious Holiday I get bombarded with comments about how the holiday I am celebrating is actually a pagan holiday or a celebration of some kind of earth spirit or Druidic sacrifice, etc, etc… blah blah blah.
It’s the strangest thing… if my birthday was the same day as Hitler, or Stalin or Mao, can I not celebrate my birthday because I am somehow celebrating their atrocities?
The funny thing is that Paul already ran into this in the 1st century and addressed it with the most biblical insult recorded😁.
And as only paul can say it:
“They have lost connection with the head…”
(Colossians 2:19 NIV)
Read Colossians 2:16-23. Paul actually handles a plethora of excuses and accusations in one simple go.
The essence of his argument: It has nothing to do with our worship of Jesus and since Christ has overcome all spiritual and natural forces and influences, has no bearing on our relationship with Him.
“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”
(Colossians 2:16–17 NIV)
But deeper than that. Paul gives a bit of a warning right at the end.
These things are a distraction from the truth, which is that Freedom comes through Christ and Christ alone.
The world is trying to convince you that they have more or better knowledge than you. They are trying to sow doubt… “what if I accidentally offend God?”
Paul encourages us and reminds us… there is no value in it. It is just empty promises. Worldly answers just fall short. Financial planning is a great idea and good (even biblical) principle, but it doesn’t dissolve greed or promote generosity. Abstinence, and monogamy is excellent for mental and physical health, but it definitely doesn’t manage lust. Worldly solutions without God in its center, just falls short.
“Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
(Colossians 2:23 NIV)
And just to be sure… I am not advocating sleeping around or bad money management. I am saying that just like our reason for celebrating Easter and Christmas is Jesus Christ, not the fertility goddess and winter solstice, so our reason for doing things right needs to have its root in Christ. Why we do and don’t do things, matters.
Be blessed today and don’t be distracted by worldly “wisdom” 😉
