Since the Word of God doesn't sanction the celebration of either Christmas or Easter and condemns the pagan embellishments associated with these humanly devised holidays, how should Christians worship God? Do annual celebrations exist that Christians should observe?
God has given us seven annual festivals, or feasts, on which to worship and honor Him. By observing them according to His Word, we can understand His ultimate plan for humanity. Let us now take note of the days God instructs us to formally worship Him on. His festivals are far more significant than this world's holidays because they reveal His plan for humanity.
The first commanded day of worship
Leviticus 23 lists all of God's commanded festivals in order. The first one is to be observed every week-the weekly Sabbath day (Leviticus 23:3).
In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, we find that God created man on the sixth day of the creation week (Genesis 1:24-31). "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made" (Genesis 2:2-3).
The Hebrew word for "rested" is shabath and is related to the word Sabbath. Literally, God sabbathed, or rested; He ceased from the work of creating (Exodus 20:8-11).
