A Holiday Worth Celebrating

An important holiday came and went with little fanfare. On March 12th, 515 BCE (2524 years ago) the Bible records the following from Ezra 6:14-16:

So the elders of the Jews built and prospered, through the prophesying of the prophet Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished their building by command of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia; and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. The people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

There are cards for sweetest day, secretary’s day, boss’s day, Arbor Day and every other day one could imagine. And yet, I found no “Second Temple Completion” cards. It is no surprise since few people in the modern world keep a lunar calendar or have any clue in what solar month “Adar” falls. Add to that the location of this story in a book that is rarely read, even by Christians and you have a holiday that is no longer celebrated.

I can only imagine the joy that was felt by this rag tag group of exiles who had returned to their homeland for the purpose or reinstating worship of their god Yahweh. They went from refuges to restored people. And all of it was through because of the command (will) of God. God used a pagan nation to not simply allow this great occasion, but to pay for it. God used prophets and other faithful followers to encourage the rebuilding. And God used the very people whom he had exiled to restore the people once again. It is quite an amazing story.

Now, I don’t propose making a big to-do about it every year, but I would like to point out a spiritual application. We need to regularly celebrate God’s successes in our lives. We need to celebrate restoration. We need to celebrate what God has done and is currently doing in our lives in and the lives of those we know. These regular remembrances help organize and focus our year, bringing out the joy that God has bestowed upon our lives. They may not make for catchy Hallmark cards and they may not sell a lot of candy and such. But they are integral in fully realizing the exiled places from which God has returned us.