What Do you think? Will we celebrate holidays in heaven? And if so, which ones? Christmas? Easter? What about ones like Thanksgiving that have biblical tie-ins, but aren’t celebrated globally? Perhaps we will celebrate some of the ancient Jewish festivals, but in the light of the New Covenant and Christ?
I was thinking about this because I’ve been hearing a lot this year that Advent is not only a time of waiting for the baby Christ-child to be born which is, of course, what we celebrate at Christmas, but it is a time of waiting in anticipation and longing for Christ’s Second Coming. When this is fulfilled in heaven, I suppose we will no longer have any need to mark Advent, but perhaps we will still celebrate the Incarnation and Emmanuel?
While the Bible doesn’t detail “holidays” as we know them, I believe that the Bible does show us that Heaven is an eternal celebration focused on God and Jesus, with constant joy, worship, and remembrance of Christ’s work. I believe that every day will be like a holy day or festival. Heaven is described as a place of endless peace, love, and praise for God, making every moment celebratory.
The marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19:6-9 describes a grand, eternal celebration in heaven, signaling ongoing festivity. We are told all heaven rejoices over repentant Christians. Over Sinners: Jesus taught that there’s great joy in heaven for every sinner who repents, indicating ongoing celebrations.
No, I do not believe that we will still celebrate Christmas or Easter per se, rather life itself with God.
I agree, and in a way I think we can look at our current celebrations, as we use the times and seasons of the year to turn our focus toward the life, death, and resurrection of Christ and God’s great promises as ways–as opportunities–to look forward to the great celebration of the End. We are currently in the season of Advent, which is a time of hopeful expectation, not only as we await Christmas, Christ’s First Advent, but also look forward to when Christ returns, His Second Advent. This Season marks the beginning and ending of the Church Year (in the West), and we remember in hope and in anticipation that God overcomes darkness with His Light.
In hope we behold the God who from the beginning made all things, who keeps His promises, and will in the End bring all things toward that ultimate and good purpose. So that, truly, God unites all things in heaven and on earth in Christ; and God shall be all in all.
We can, this Christmas season, celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, that Light has come, driving away darkness, and His Gospel is peace to every sinner–and that celebration of God’s Victory isn’t just for the Christmas Season, or just for the Easter Season, or for all the other seasons of the Year–but it’s every day. Because it ultimately will be in that coming Eternal Day. World without end.
