Traditions can be hard to break. As a coach, I’ve seen this a lot. We get used to a set of training practices and follow them blindly without knowing they are detrimental to our development and success as athletes. When I ran in college, we trained with a “go hard or go home” mindset. Fast repetitions and low mileage. It explains why we hit a low point in distance running during that era. No one thought otherwise for the longest time. And until coaches started to question the method, nothing changed.
We often do the same thing with our faith. We get stuck in traditions that don’t belong. We keep holidays that are not prescribed in the Scriptures. We have church practices that have been refined by millennia of tradition rather than Scriptural reference. It is what the Pharisees did, and what most of us do.
“…Our fathers have inherited only falsehood, futility, and there is no value in them.” – Jeremiah 16:19
Here is how Merriam-Webster defines tradition:
- an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (such as a religious practice or social custom)
- beliefs or stories relating to the past that are commonly accepted as historical though not verifiable
Christmas is one such example!
Christmas is not a Biblical holiday. It has been passed down by the nations, refined, and given a Christian veneer. A quick search for the origins and evolution of Christmas will show you its roots, and they don’t come from the faith. In early American history, it was even banned in the colonies because of its pagan connections. The Puritans saw the non-Scriptural practices associated with it and kept Christmas out of the communities until 1856, when it finally became a legal holiday in New England. It was accepted as a national holiday 14 years later.
But we know that the Messiah was not born on December 25. Mistletoe, trees, holly, lights, and many other traditions might seem fun and innocent, but they don’t belong in our faith.
Jeremiah, the prophet, says the following:
“Thus said, Yahuah, ‘Do not learn the way of the nations, and do not be awed by the signs of the heavens, for the nations are awed by them. For the laws of these peoples are worthless, for one cuts a tree from the forest, work for the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. They beautify it with silver and gold, they strengthen it with nails and hammers, so that it does not topple.” – Jeremiah 10:2-4
Yahuah is warning the prophet Jeremiah of our instinct to follow the ways of the nations. He may not be speaking directly about what we call ‘Christmas,’ but you get the picture. We produce idols that cannot stand, and we decorate them and place them in our homes. It’s a violation of the Second Commandment, when you think about it.
Tradition is not always a bad thing, though. We can find value in tradition when it is truthful and edifying. But tradition is also something that the Messiah Yahusha (Jesus) spoke against often. He is clear in reminding us about these types of things:
“And in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commands of men. Forsaking the command of Elohim, you hold fast the tradition of men.” – Mark 7:7-8
Elohim commanded us to follow certain holidays. Those holidays are eternal and commanded as a law forever (Leviticus 23). According to Yahuah, they are His Appointed Times. But instead, we make up our own that embrace tradition over truth. Christmas and Easter are the two big ones. Some congregations even celebrate Halloween. How do you think the Father feels about that one?
“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father also does seek such to worship Him.” – John 4:23
Some will say that it’s ok to celebrate Christmas because it means something different than it used to. It is not a matter of opinion, happy memories, or personal feelings, but a matter of truth. We must always go to the Scriptures to see what Yahuah desires. And the Father tells us what He thinks of following the traditions of the nations:
“…you do not inquire about their mighty ones, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their mighty ones? And let me do so too.’” – Deuteronomy 12:30
Much of Scripture speaks against mixture, and the Father does not like us mixing the unclean with the set-apart. That is called syncretism, and it is an abomination to the Most High. We should not mix our faith with pagan practices, even if we think we are worshipping the Father.
What did Aaron say when they built the slaughter place and the golden calf?
“Tomorrow is a festival to Yahuah.” – Exodus 32:5
Aaron and the people thought they were worshipping Yahuah with the golden calf. In their hearts, it was for Him. But the Father did not find pleasure in worship that was not prescribed by Him.
It might seem difficult to shake these traditions. Much of the world celebrates Christmas, including non-believers. But what really is the difficult part about giving up non-Biblical holidays like Christmas? If you are honest, it is the traditions that we are raised on that sting the most. We associate them with our childhood, and they often bring back memories and nostalgia.
But the Father desires and deserves more than holidays and traditions dressed up and whitewashed. He desires truth. We must decide where is our heart is focused. Is it in the traditions of this world or with Yahuah?
Paul sets a great example for us in the Book of Acts:
“‘I have to keep this coming festival in Jerusalem BY ALL MEANS, but I shall come back to you, Elohim desiring so.’ And he sailed from Ephesos.” – Acts 18:21
Paul is speaking of Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) in this instance. It is years after the death of the Messiah, and he is still keeping the Feasts of Yahuah! He says the same thing about Shavuot (Pentecost) in Acts 20. And he tells us how to properly keep the Passover in 1 Corinthians 5.
Yet he is eerily silent in explaining how to keep Christmas.
Be like Paul and search out the glory and the set-apartness of the true holidays that the Father desires from us. Yahuah’s true holidays speak about His redemptive plan for us! Follow His commands, and not the traditions of the nations. The next time you say, “tomorrow is a festival to Yahuah,” it should be before one of the Father’s Appointed Times and not Christmas.
FAITH IN MOTION 