Guidelines Regarding Feast-Days
Trinity Evangelical Church is committed to sola Scriptura, and specifically to the regulative principle of worship, that is, as a gathered church we are to worship God as he has directed us in his Word and excluding all that is not commanded.
Consequently, all ecclesiastical traditional feasts (Christmas, Easter, etc.) are not to be observed. In addition, the light of the regulative principle, any statues, films, mime, dancing, dramatic skits and other modern inventions are to be rejected outright in the worship of God.
However, being free in Christ, and as people called to bear witness to him, we are not to bind ourselves to such an extreme that we cannot speak and preach and witness about the risen Christ because it happens to be Easter. We are bound to bear witness to him 365 days a year, irrespective of what day it happens to be. The same applies to Christmas; if it happens to be a Sunday on the 25th December, the topic of the church sermon might well be the incarnation of the Son of God.
In this regard Spurgeon declared: “Since it is lawful, and even laudable, to meditate upon the incarnation of the Lord upon any day in the year, it cannot be in the power of other men’s superstitions to render such a meditation improper for today. Regarding not the day, let us, nevertheless, give God thanks for the gift of His dear Son.”
In the same way, on Easter Sunday the gathered church will be blessed if a sermon about the resurrection is delivered on that day. As believers we are free to take such a stance not only to dismiss any notions or accusations from unbelievers that “we don’t believe in the resurrection,” which is patently untrue, but because the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ form the core of the gospel – the message that the lost need to hear for their salvation, while believers need to be edified in such glorious truths.
Our brethren need to be continually trained to think biblically. Our calling is to remind them of the priority to worship God in spirit and truth, to live in obedience to his Word, and not be driven by our emotions, traditional customs or pragmatic considerations. Our faith in practice should be consistent with the dictates of Holy Scriptures, whether it be at church, in our private lives, within the family, at the workplace, and anywhere else.
The regulative principle precludes us from incorporating dancing, mime, dramatic presentations and other activities, as means of corporate worship. However there is a legitimate place for such activities elsewhere. God gives his children the liberty to make personal choices within the bounds of his moral law and the general teaching of his Word. For instance, Scripture teaches us to work and rest, and leaves us at liberty as to how we do this. We can rest by going for a walk, read a novel or watch a movie. Watching a movie or reading from a novel as part of corporate worship is totally inappropriate, but for the individual Christian doing so at home is perfectly legitimate.
Similarly, as regards feast-days, the New Testament church has no biblical warrant to celebrate man-made feasts or consider specific days as holy, except for the Lord’s Day. But the individual Christian may take the opportunity of such feast-days (Christmas, Easter, etc) to meet with his family and friends for special meal. This is perfectly legitimate too.
Personal choices and decisions during so-called feast-days should be taken with a good conscience in the light of God’s holy law, and motivated by love towards God and our neighbour. These decisions include the giving of gifts, decorations, music, traditional Christmas and Easter food and confectionaries, alcohol, and meals with family members and friends. At all times we are to avoid superstitions, idolatry (statues of baby Jesus and crucifixes), materialism and excesses.
Everything we engage in should be done to the glory of God, with a good conscience, gratitude and a joyful heart. We should also recognize that other Christians may hold different convictions from ours. Therefore we should avoid both being offended easily and giving offence. We should abstain from judging others rashly, realising that God has in Christ accepted all believers, at whatever stage of spiritual maturity they have reached. Let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
Since some of these feast-days are public holidays, when children do not have school, these days are opportunities for the church to organise special meetings for little children, youngsters, teenagers and adults, to fellowship together and be edified in our most holy faith. These church activities, including events for children and youths, are not to be tied specifically to the feast, in consultation with the elders.
Roman Catholic feast-days, Halloween and secular holidays should be considered as opportunities for evangelism. During these occasions the unbelieving world needs the gospel light as ever before. Rather than hiding, remaining silent or withdrawing from society, we should serve as light and salt to the world.
Paul Mizzi, Joseph Farrugia, Joseph Mizzi, Jonathan Bellizzi and Andrè Camilleri.
29th March, 2024.