Tomorrow night is the most celebrated night of the whole year in Christandom. It is also the beginning (at sundown) of the most celebrated time of every week in the Kingdom. One holiday superimposed on top of a holy day this year. One was instituted and set apart by the Almighty before Adam was created, the other one was instituted by man.
Tomorrow night marks the sheep from the goats. The last test.
I used to be the best goat I could ever hope to be. The excitement building to Christmas was climactic. Having the name Holly didn’t help. I was so excited by Christmas Eve that I could not go to sleep before I snuck in the living room and looked at my presents. My mother would come into my bedroom before they set the Satan gifts out to make sure I was asleep; sitting by my bed for a few minutes to be sure. I became a pro at faking sleep! After she was convinced and left my room I would lay there listening to them busy at work, trying to imagine what they were assembling or setting out. Once the living room was quiet I would creep so carefully down the creaky hallway. Peaking so carefully to be sure they had gone to bed. Sometimes I would even recruit my younger brother Houston if he was still awake too. The youngest brother, Russ, was too young to get in on the stakeout.
In my older years when I was on my own I loved setting up a tree (never artificial) and hanging lights. Every single year, it was the same routine. One year I was living in a house that had a telephone pole halfway down my driveway so I nailed a cross bar on it and wrapped white lights up the pole and across the bar making a cross. My neighbors loved it so much that I left it up all year. Yep, I was into Christmas big time. And then I read my bible through from cover to cover.
My thoughts began to shift from man’s traditions to YHVH’s ways. I was being reborn. Over the next couple of decades I read the bible through 6 more times. Each time more was revealed to me. YHVH speaks to us through His everlasting Word if we are seeking Him. Through the years I shunned all man’s traditions because He made it clear that man-made holidays infuriate Him, especially when we declare that the holiday is to honor Him. (Exo 32)
All this to say… Tomorrow evening I will be honoring my Father by shunning man-made traditions and setting apart His holy Sabbath. I love YHVH with all my heart, all my soul and with all my strength. If we can’t get the greatest commandment right then doing any of the others is futile.
the Hebrew Gypsy 