20 And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, 22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor. (Esther 9::20-22 ESV)
Holidays
It is not quite the holiday season. But it is not too soon to remember why we should celebrate every holiday. Mordecai was not merely celebrating the protection of the exiled Jews, Mordecai was celebrating God’s love.
Every celebration, if it is honest celebration, can do the same things.
Your birthday is the celebration of your birth, yes. But more than that it is the celebration of God’s pro-active love… He gave you life because He loved you already.
Resurrection Day is the celebration of death’s death, yes. But more than that it is the celebration of God’s far-reaching love, in that He destroyed mankind’s biggest enemy because He loves His people.
Christmas is the celebration of the Incarnation, yes. But more than that it is the celebration of God’s limitless love, in which He gave His only begotten Son because He loves Christ’s brothers and sisters.
If we can not see that any holiday under consideration is a celebration of God’s love, we have no reason to celebrate.
But God’s love is always the reason to celebrate.