The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1946-02-02
Sunday School
Lesson
FEAST DAYS OF A PEOPLE
Scripture: Leviticus, especially
20:7-8; 23:4-6, Is, 16, "a, 27-28,
"a. 39-44.

20:7-S; 23:46, Is, 16, "a, 27-2S,
"a, 1914.
BY WILLIAM E.. GILROY, DID.
The title of this lesson is some.
what misleading. We associate the
word feast with joyous celebra.
ton and Indulgence, rather than
with thoughts of solemnity and holi.
ness. Some of the Jewish feasts,
like the Feast of Tabernacles, were
occasions of great festivity But the
primary thought and observance in
the Jewish feasts was, that Of holi-
ness, OF. emphasizing consecrated
memories, and deepening in the
people the religious sense of God S
presence and Gods guidance.
Whether in joyous celebration, in
reverential devotion as in the Feast
OF the Passover, or in, somber re-
Election as on, the Day of Atone
ment. sacredness was of the very
essence of the establishment and
observance Of the Jewish feasts.
The religious connection is still
suggested in our word holiday, :"
which has come to: have little, il
any association with holiness. But
holidays were formerly holy days
when the life Of the people,. both
among the Jews and in Christian
communities, conferred more com.
pletely around temple, synagogue
or church. Religious. rites and OBJ.
servances attended the passing OF
the seasons. rejoicing in the harv.
est and days and times commem
orative of great events, such as the
deliverance of the Jews from bond
age in Egypt and the years OF
wandering in the wilderness.
Life in our times has become
more secular Masses of people no
longer live close to nature. They
take crops and harvests for grant.
ed, until drouth and failure, or the
diver sion of millions of crcp-raisers
into. warriors, brings the threat OF
privation and starvation, as it has
brought to millions in our own time.
But those whose dependence has
been more directly upon the sea-
sons, and upon the fruits of tillage,
have responded ernotionally and re.
igiously to this dependence Fest.
walls Of the seasons have been in
pagan, as in the Jewish and Chris.
tan, religions ButNwhat marks the
Jewish and Christian "feasts' is
their holy association. r
Notable among the Jewish feasts
was the Feast of the Passover cele-
brating the passing over of Jewish
homes, when destruction fell upon
Egyptian families. Associated with
it was the Feast of Unleavened
Bread. Others were the Feast of
Pentecost, celebrating the complet.
ion OF the corn harvest, and the
Feast of Tabernacles, the Jewish
harvest home, when fruit, oil, and
wine had been gathered in. This
was a feast of great joy, when for
seven days the people lived in
booths, improvised out of ''boughs
of goodly trees, branches of palm
trees, and the boughs of thick trees,
and willows of the brook" The peo-
pie were to rejoice before the Lord
seven days.
What a picture OF a nation re-
laxed! The days Of that feast were
surely both holy days and holidays.
1t would be a boon to speeded-up
Americans if we, too, had feast
Of tabernacles,r in which we could
all share, and all get back to ma
ture and to natures God. As it is,
some get back to. nature, but it
doesn't always bring them near to
natures God.
1 We have our feasts and festivals,
too-Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiv.
ing and the days when we celebrate
great national events, often with
more noise than holiness. But these
ought to be holy days, with devotion
to our country, as well as devotion
to pleasure.