Do you ever wonder why government gets into the business of declaring days and months to recognize stuff?  All governments declare them as do organizations like the United Nations and everyone who has an axe to grind or cause to push or a disease to conquer.  Churches used to do it as well.  We had LCEF Sunday, LWML Sunday, LLL Sunday, World Mission Sunday, LSS Sunday, Boys and Girls Ranch Sunday, Medical Missions Sunday etc.  It got so bad for a while that I wondered if we would have to set aside a “Jesus” Sunday just so we could cut through the clutter.  I am not saying that these organization were not Gospel centered because they are, but they are not Jesus and worship is Christ serving us not a chance to advertise for our ways and means of serving Christ.

So just to take the first day of February as an example, you can observe World Aspergillosis Day, Imbolc or Imbolg, also called (Saint) Brigid’s Day, which is a Gaelic traditional festival marking the beginning of spring. It is held on 1 February, or about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals—along with Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain—and corresponds to the Welsh Gŵyl Fair y Canhwyllau. For Christians, especially in Ireland, it is the feast day of Saint Brigid.  If that is not enough you can celebrate Hajib day and the way things are going in this country you women might want to think about that because you may be forced to wear it some day.

February 18th is strangely silent in the international arena but for the country we have Presidents Day and in our church it is Martin Luther’s commemoration.  So in observance of Presidents day I allude to a statement I heard somewhere that people elect leaders on the basis of whatever fantasies they happen to have at the moment and the leaders spend their time trying to confirm us in our fantasies.  I love that but I can’t find the author of the statement.  Luther on the other hand was all about Jesus.  Luther was about being realistic and calling things what they are.  If you are all about some organizing principle that isn’t about Jesus it is not only questionable but probably demonic.