Ellen Chat Conversation

Ellen White encouraged Christians to observe "holidays unto God" and "holy convocations" to remember His blessings, but she transformed the concept from ceremonial Jewish feasts into joyful commemorations of God's ongoing work in our lives (SpTEd 80.1). Rather than focusing on the specific Jewish feast days, Ellen White emphasized the principle behind them. She wrote, "Would it not be well for us to observe holidays unto God, when we could revive in our minds the memory of his dealing with us? Would it not be well to consider his past blessings, to remember the impressive warnings that have come home to our souls, so that we shall not forget God?" (SpTEd 80.1). She contrasted this with worldly holidays marked by games, with horse-races, with gambling, smoking, and drunkenness,asking instead, "Shall not the people of God more frequently have holy convocations in which to thank God for his rich blessings?" (SpTEd 80.1). When discussing the ancient Feast of Tabernacles specifically, she drew a parallel to Christian experience: "Well would it be for the people of God at the present time to have a Feast of Tabernacles—a joyous commemoration of the blessings of God to them. As the children of Israel celebrated the deliverance that God had wrought for their fathers, and His miraculous preservation of them during their journeyings from Egypt, so should we gratefully call to mind the various ways He has devised for bringing us out from the world, and from the darkness of error, into the precious light of His grace and truth" (PP 540.6). She also advocated for festivals of rejoicing unto the Lord,asking, "With the grand, ennobling theme of salvation before us, shall we be as cold as statues of marble?" (PH145 19). Her emphasis was on creating occasions for spiritual renewal and gratitude rather than observing the ceremonial aspects of the Jewish calendar. The principle is clear: Christians should have regular times of joyful remembrance and thanksgiving to God, but these should focus on His work in bringing us to salvation and truth, not on maintaining the ceremonial system that pointed forward to Christ. --- 💡 **You might also want to explore:** • What did Ellen White say about the relationship between the Old Testament ceremonial law and Christians today? • How did she counsel believers to observe the Sabbath as a day of spiritual rejoicing? • What practical guidance did she give for creating meaningful spiritual gatherings and celebrations? --- 📚 **thousands of passages found** containing these search terms — [Explore in Full-Text Search](/advanced-search?q=Should+we+celebrate+the+Jewish+feasts+today%3F)