First Baptist Church of Texas City From Our Pastor, Pierce Eaton: Every year, my family decorates for Christmas in the first week of November. I know. You might be thinking, that's WAY too early! But we decorate this early for a good reason. Yes, we love Christmas time and the joy it brings. We love the Christmas festivities. We even love the cheesy Christmas music you hear over and over on the radio. However, we do not decorate early for those reasons. Throughout church history, the Christian calendar was filled with seasons, celebrations, feasts, and times of remembrance. Christians worldwide celebrated All Saints Day, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension Day, and Pentecost Sunday. Many of those days might sound foreign to you. They are Christian seasons and holidays where believers would remember the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Most protestant Christians in America do not observe many of those Christian holidays anymore. Due to the protestant reformation and the secularization of our society, many Christian traditions have been lost. I mention this because November 1st is All Saints Day or All Hallows Day. All Saints Day was traditionally the day when Christians would celebrate the lives of Christian martyrs. Believers would gather for a meal to celebrate and thank God for those who gave their lives for advancing the gospel worldwide. When I first learned about All Saints Day, I thought it was the perfect day to decorate for Christmas. On the day we celebrate those who gave their lives for gospel advancement, we decorate our home in anticipation of Jesus’ arrival. Christian martyrs gave their lives so that generations might know the truth of the good news of Jesus. Today, we can decorate our home in celebration of Jesus’ birth and thank God for the many believers who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice so that we might have life in Christ. My way of celebrating All Saints Day is not traditional, but it brings more significance to the act of decorating for Christmas. May we all be thankful this week for those who gave their lives so that you and I might hear the good news of Jesus. God Bless, Pierce
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