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Join us at Hibernia
Baptist Church for
"Bible
Study"
We meet every Sunday at 8:08 in room number
227/228
located in the main building on the second floor
7100 Hwy 17 South
Fleming Island, FL 32003
The
Connection of Groundhog Day to Christ
On Feb. 2 many Americans celebrated Groundhog Day, but
most of them failed to recognize the connection that the holiday has to the
early life of Christ. What is this connection?
In Luke 2:22-40 the parents of Jesus took Him to the Temple in Jerusalem to
present Him to the Lord and also to give a purification offering of two doves
or pigeons for the mother of Jesus. In Leviticus 12:3-4 it reveals that this
must occur on day 40 after the birth of a male Israelite.
When fourth century churchmen declared that the nativity of Jesus was to be
celebrated on Dec. 25, a festival eventually evolved to celebrate his
presentation at the Temple on February 2nd. This holiday went by many names,
but in the English-speaking world it popularly came to be called Candlemas. The
popular name came about because many churches blessed all the candles to be
used throughout the year within that church on that day. This custom, too,
possessed origins during the Lord's presentation at the Temple when Simeon; the
prophet declared Jesus to be "a light for revelation to the Gentiles"
(Luke 2:32).
During the middle ages, Candlemas, like many Christian holidays, acquired many
popular customs associated with it that had little basis in historical
Christianity or the New Testament. One custom speculated that the weather on
Candlemas could predict weather for the rest of the winter. One traditional
Scottish poem relates:
"If Candlemas Day be dry and fair,
"Then the half o' winter will come to mair,
"But if Candlemas Day be wet and foul,
"Then the half o' winter is gone at Yule.
"If Candlemas Day be fair and bright,
"Then winter will have another flight,
"But if it be dark with clouds and rain,
"Then winter is gone and will not come again."
Essentially the popular custom stated that a dark cloudy day on Candlemas would
predict a short winter, while a sunny day meant that winter would continue for
some time. The nice weather on Candlemas was thought to be only a brief
interlude that would not last. Furthermore, it was also thought that animals
able to see their shadows on this day would foreshadow a continuing harsh
winter.
When English-speaking settlers arrived in what would be the United States, many
of them tended to be Puritans or members of Christian communities that largely
rejected many of the Roman Catholic or Anglican sanctioned holidays. They
possessed little desire to celebrate Christmas, let alone related festivals
like Candlemas. So Candlemas failed to develop into a major religious holiday
in America in spite of its link to the visit of Jesus to the Temple on day 40
of His life.
Nevertheless, many of the popular customs associated with Candlemas survived in
colonial America. Feb. 2 still was thought to have some significance in
predicting the winter weather, and Americans of European decent now transferred
the animal custom of seeing its shadow to the American woodchuck (the
groundhog), and slowly a popular winter festival evolved, but one largely shorn
of its Christian roots.
Today Groundhog Day takes its place as a growing phenomenon in the United
States complete with school observances, greeting cards, trinkets and
paraphernalia for purchase, and even a federally sanctioned
"official" groundhog in Pennsylvania. The holiday was also
commemorated in a popular Hollywood movie of the early 1990s.
Hopefully, most Americans and many Baptists can be educated to recognize that
Groundhog Day once celebrated an important event in the early life of the
Savior. The day commemorates the first New Testament promise that Christ would
also be the Savior of the Gentiles.
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Presidents Day is February 20th
John Adams
2nd U.S. President and Signer of the Declaration of Independence
"Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible
for their only law Book, and every member should regulate his conduct by
the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in
conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice,
kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and
reverence toward Almighty God ... What a Utopia, what a Paradise would
this region be."
Click the link below and read more of what some of our past Presidents wrote about Christianty
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