St. Stephen Day, King Wenceslas, and Boxing Days: Church Holy Days

As many of the members of First Presbyterian Church-Henderson (FPC-H) are now realizing, I am in awe of the holy days in the life of the Church universal: whether Catholic, Protestant, Greek or Russian Orthodox (Western and Eastern Orthodox Churches). We've celebrated All Saints' Day, Christ the King Sunday, all four Sundays of Advent, and are now in the 12 days of Christmastide, followed by Epiphany and the Sunday of Jesus' baptism.

What's is the importance of these days? They are reminders/markers/sign posts of telling us which way we are headed, and which way we are going: toward God's realm of love, which is also inbreaking.

Today is Boxing Day in England, otherwise known as St. Stephen's Feast Day. This is a day of remembering to be charitable. Employers would give the "help" a gift in boxes that people used on Christmas day, or a parent would give a gift to a child. St. Stephen is remembered as the first Christian martyr, who was stoned by a crowd who were roused by Saul of Tarsus, a.k.a., St. Paul.

Judith Flanders wrote a fascinating column/op-ed in the New York Times today, focusing on Boxing Day and arguing for us to try it in the States:

Instead Boxing Day could return as a day of giving. Not necessarily cash — and not material to make uniforms — but rather one day a year to donate skills or effort, a day for sharing something of value in the larger community. Help someone whose first language isn’t English fill out driver’s license forms. Load an old lady’s iPod with Rogers and Hammerstein. Teach the boy next door to throw overhand, so the other kids stop teasing him.

What we really need to do is put down the punch bowl and pick up on what Punch magazine wrote more than 150 years ago: Don’t just keep “the Christmas of the belly: keep you the Christmas of the heart. Give — give.”

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Peace,

Pastor Brett