With the summer holidays fast approaching, you may find the text below of interest. It’s from an article published on the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity website, which looks at the biblical view on holidays.
Historically, holiday seasons have come about as a result of workers resting from the demands of agricultural labour, or a recognition of the need for human beings to have time out from the mechanistic demands of industrial and manufacturing labour and service. There is also the rhythm of the academic year, which sees teachers and students released from the routine of learning and assessment. Holidays provide an opportunity to lay down the burdens and routines of daily life so that we can rest, as well as do what we want to do rather than what we have to do.
So it is interesting to go back to Genesis and see that God himself was the first to take a holiday: ‘God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done’ (2:3). God did not need to lay down the burden of his work, but he did set the template for a ‘holy day’ to enjoy the fruits of his work with his creation, including people.
