Road-Trip Radio
This time of year is cross country travel season. You might have the car radio set to your favorite local stations. But, if you travel far enough from home, you’ll encounter other wavelengths. Likewise, certain Christian holiday customs or “holiday zones” have arisen which, over time, have overlapped Old Testament customs.
Our local church body observes some of the traditional Western Church calendar dating back to the Gregorian Calendar, adopted in 1582. This calendar began to be developed sometime around the 2nd century AD. As centuries passed, Christian customs detached from Jewish practices to stand on their own. This was true of Shavuot and Pentecost celebrations. Sorting out differences resembles searching for radio stations while driving 80 MPH across Montana and Wyoming.
Because the beginning of the Church of Jesus Christ was marked by such a spectacular empowering of his disciples by the Holy Spirit intertwined with astounding events (Acts 2-5), the Church gradually disassociated that holiday from its Jewish roots. Memorializing those events in Acts overshadowed and eventually replaced traditional Shavuot observations. Some differences:
Shavuot is held on the 49th and 50th days after Passover begins. It’s also known as the Feast or Harvest of First Fruits and is one of three major yearly pilgrimage festivals of Israel. Traditional scripture readings include the Book of Ruth, Exodus 19:1-20:23 (giving of the Law), Ezekiel 1:1-28, 3:12 (vision of God’s throne), Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17 and Habbakuk 2:20-3:19. A more modern custom is eating cheesecake.
Pentecost (Greek, meaning 50) marks the 50th day after the resurrection of Jesus on Easter. At the first Pentecost, the disciples of Jesus experienced his promised baptism in the Holy Spirit that set the early Church on worldwide mission. Today’s Church customs include special songs and prayers acknowledging the Holy Spirit, readings from Acts, baptisms, and confirmation of new members. An unusual custom is releasing red, helium-filled balloons.
Perhaps you come from a church tradition holding the following scripture in high regard.
One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord.… Romans 14:5-6 NIV
As a result you may observe very few customs and holy days. If so, consider scripture that records God instituting rich customs, holy days and celebrations to benefit his people. His aim in these formative customs is that we view them as activities we are “privileged to do” to more fully understand him, rather than rituals we “have to do” – to check off an obligation. I suggest exploring one Pentecost or Shavuot custom this year, asking God to reveal an aspect of his mind and heart.
Most of all, celebrate God giving his Holy Spirit to live inside all Jesus’ followers. If you must, choose cheesecake or balloons.
For further investigation: Pentecost from a Messianic Jewish perspective,
Shavuot from a traditional Jewish perspective, and The Bible Project Perspective.
by Kathleen Petersen
