This article originally was published in transcripts of the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism, Fourth International Conference, Zeist Holland, 1991. It is used here by permission of the author.

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The idea of Jewish feasts in Gentile congregations jars the Gentile Christian sense of propriety. Why suggest such a foolish idea? Has not Christ in the New Covenant fulfilled the Mosaic Covenant? And why get involved with all that Jewish stuff? We are Christians and we have our own religious traditions.

Several years ago my congregation in New Jersey held a Christian Passover seder. At the same time I had been visiting a Lutheran couple, who had announced their intention to join my church. However, they stopped coming on Sundays, and I later learned the reason: we had held a Passover seder.

The very idea of Jewish feasts in a Christian church raises problems, and presents opportunities. If Jewish missions is to become a pervasive part of the overall mission of the church, the issue of Jewish feasts in Gentile congregations must be addressed. At the outset we limit the scope of our intentions. We will not explore all the things that Messianic Christian congregations might do with the feasts, but rather examine the attitudes and actions of Gentile congregations. And we will limit the "feasts" to those mentioned below:

Shabbat	Sabbath	Leviticus 23:1-3
Pesach	Passover	Leviticus 23:4-8
Shavuot	Pentecost	Leviticus 23:9-22
Rosh Hashanah	New Year	Lev. 23:23-25
Yom Kippur	Day of Atonement	Lev. 23:26-32
Sukkot	Booths	Leviticus 23:33-44
Hanukkah	Lights	2 Maccabees 10:6-8
Purim	Lots	Esther 9:1, 32

The theology, practices, and attitudes of the Seventh-day Adventists are a special case, deserving of separate attention, and will not be considered in this paper.¹

The subject will be addressed in four parts: Jewish feasts in Gentile congregations are happening, why are they happening, some special problems, and how the Holy Spirit might be leading the Church in these times.

Jewish Feasts in Gentile Congregations are Happening

"In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you'" (Zech. 8:23).

In 1954 Victor Buksbazen first published his powerful little book The Gospel in the Feasts of Israel.² The introduction to the eighth edition says:

For centuries a segment of Christendom deliberately sought to disassociate itself from its JUDAIC HERITAGE—as though a son can divorce himself from his mother. Today the church's disassociation from Judaic culture is not so much deliberate as inculcated.

Today's Zeitgeist is letting go of many traditions—for good or for evil. Part of the good for the Christian church is the willingness to rediscover its Jewish heritage. What specifically is happening?

Numerous Gentile congregations have involved themselves with a Passover seder during the Lenten season—some as a worship experience, others as an educational experience.³, ⁴ Apart from those congregations which utilize rabbis, many congregations view their involvement in the celebration of a Passover seder as an evangelistic outreach to Jewish people. It is not uncommon for an unsaved Jewish person to be pleasantly surprised by such an experience, and to discover things about his own Jewish heritage that he never knew.

About 10 years ago the Passover seder experience received an unofficial sanction from my own denomination, The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, with the publication of two little booklets which were written to help Gentile congregations do a Christian Passover seder.⁵

Although Passover has received, by far, the greatest interest from Gentile congregations, interest in the other feasts has not been lacking. In 1987 the Board for Evangelism Services, LC-MS, published a booklet describing the main festivals of the Jewish people.⁶ In-depth Bible studies on each of the seven feasts were published in 1980s by the LC-MS Board for Evangelism Services under the direction of its Task Force on Witnessing to Jewish People. The Bible studies also include suggestions on worship.⁷ The Lutheran Institute for Jewish Evangelism is preparing a curriculum on the Jewish festivals for use by children—in day schools, Sunday Schools and Vacation Bible schools.⁸

What about the Sabbath? There has been an attempt in some Lutheran churches to introduce Gentile Christians to the Sabbath through the concept of the oneg shabbat, held on a Friday evening in a church basement. The oneg shabbat is meant not only to introduce Gentile Christians to Jewish culture, but also to present the Gospel to Jewish people in a loving, understanding way. The philosophy behind this approach is summed up in the introduction to the booklet, Oneg Shabbat, A Mission Activity for Lutheran Congregations:

Why would Lutheran Christians want to do something Jewish, like an Oneg Shabbat? At the outset we must affirm that are not compromising the Gospel of Jesus Christ, nor attempting to synthesize modern Judaism with Christianity. The Christian Oneg Shabbat, as here presented, simply utilizes Jewish forms and culture to express the orthodox Christian faith…When Lutherans celebrate an Oneg Shabbat, it must be clear that Messiah Jesus is at the center of that celebration, primarily so that the Gospel is not compromised, and secondarily so that members of the Jewish community might not accuse us of deception. This, however, does not mean that we cannot use, enjoy and appreciate Jewish culture and Jewish religious forms. And in so doing, we can help bridge the "we-they" gap between Jews and Gentiles, and show that Jesus Christ is not only the Savior of the Gentiles, but of Jews as well.⁹

Why Jewish Feasts in Gentile Congregations

Theological considerations. The identity of God's original chosen people, Israel, has been established for all times by the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 26:2-5; 28:13-15). It was the Mosaic Covenant which established the feasts, a covenant which God intended to be obsoleted by the New Covenant. The Letter to the Hebrews quotes Jeremiah: "the days will come, says the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah" (Heb. 8:8). Hebrews 8:13 affirms that the Mosaic Covenant has been obsoleted by the New Covenant: "In speaking of a new covenant he treats the first as obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."

Thus, God has removed from Israel the Divine obligation to celebrate the feasts. Paul was addressing both Jewish and Gentile believers when he wrote: "Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a sabbath. These are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ" (Col. 2:16-17). However, Israel can choose to honor God by celebrating the feasts, and use them to affirm its identity. What does this mean for Gentile Christians? If Israel—including Jewish believers—is not obligated to celebrate the feasts, surely Gentile believers are not obligated to celebrate them either.

But the feasts represent a rich treasury of worship material which can be used to enrich, enliven, and enlighten Gentile believers in their worship. Although they were meant for a particular time in Israel's history, the underlying principles and truths behind each feast convey eternal truths.

The roots of Christianity. Most Gentile Christians appreciate discovering how Holy Communion was instituted when they participate in a Christian Passover seder. The Christian faith did not just "suddenly happen"—it was progressively revealed by God through His people. Any people who wish to affirm and appreciate their identity must study their own history. The same is true of Christians. The feasts sum up and teach in clear manner the history of God's people, and they involve activities that can be understood by children.

Evangelistic strategy. Observance of the Jewish feasts in Gentile congregations, albeit with modifications suitable for Christians, can be part of an evangelistic strategy to Jewish people for three reasons. First, it indicates an attitude of caring about Jewish people and a placing of worth upon what is important to them. Second, it equips the Gentile congregation to speak intelligently to Jewish people about Jewish things. Third, it can be a "bridge" to the Jewish community in that Jewish people will come to such a feast.

If the feast observance is used as "bridge," and advertised to the Jewish community, it is important that the congregation be up front and honest about what it is doing. The congregation should clearly indicate that they are celebrating the feast, be it Passover or an oneg Shabbat, with a Christian understanding. We cannot help it if we are accused of perverting a Jewish feast, but we can be scrupulously honest and thereby avoid accusations of deception by Jewish leaders.

Some Special Problems

Anti-Semitic attitudes/anti-Old Testament attitudes. Anti-Semitism is not currently in vogue in the Christian Church, but it is frequently just below the surface. Several years ago I lost a fine family from my church, one which had been extremely helpful to me in planting the congregation. The man spoke with me in my office about his reasons for leaving. He and his wife were very disturbed about my involvement in Jewish missions, that I made regular (though not excessive) references to Jewish people in my teaching, and that I explained some of the feasts from time to time. Without my prompting, he told me that I was biblically correct in all that I did and said—but that "it just bothered him." I asked him why, and he said he didn't know.

Hand in glove with ill-defined anti-Semitic feelings among some Gentile Christians is an unexamined attitude of anti-Old Testament feelings. Marcion of the Second Century A. D. was a noted heretic who taught that the God of the Old Testament had nothing to do with the God of the New Testament. Although Marcionism died out by the Third Century A. D., there have been times in the history of the Church when a negative attitude towards the Old Testament has been taught—which leads to a negative attitude towards the Jews.

Sometimes Lutherans listen more alertly to Luther than to the Bible, so I like to quote Luther:

"Some people think little of the Old Testament, considering it a book given only to the Jewish people and now out of date and containing only stories of times past. They think they have enough in the New Testament#8230; [But the apostles] teach us not to despise the Scriptures of the Testament but to read them with all diligence; for they themselves emphatically base the New Testament on them, prove it by them, and appeal to them."¹⁰

A very subtle "ranking" of Scripture has crept into some churches regarding liturgical practice. Liturgical churches usually have three appointed lessons: Old Testament, Epistle (a New Testament letter), and the Gospel Lesson (from one of the four Gospels, frequently the words of Jesus). The attitude of many people is that the Gospel Lesson is the most important, then the Epistle Lesson, and finally the Old Testament Lesson. There is no internal evidence within the Bible that certain portions are more important than other portions.

Well-intentioned, but inept observances. I have seen a haggadah, written by some well-meaning Lutheran ladies, which demanded of the participants during the seder an attitude of solemnity. Many Gentile Christians are shocked to find out that Passover was celebrated for hundreds of years before the Holy Spirit gave it Messianic import. And it may be impossible to amend the phrase "last supper" to "last seder" in spite of the fact that Jesus ate fish on Easter Eve. It is incumbent upon Jewish mission agencies to work with Gentile congregations and help them to celebrate the feasts in appropriate ways.

Some feasts are harder to observe than others. Passover, for obvious reasons, is the easiest feast to implement. But the Feast of Lots and Day of Atonement offer difficult challenges. Purim does offer an occasion to speak of the evils of genocide, a specter which still haunts humanity today. As a parish pastor, I found a keen interest in Old Testament history during the Gulf War. My people were amazed to learn that Abraham grew up in southern Iraq, and that the Assyrians and Babylonians were ancient Iraqis who would have launched Scud missiles against the northern and southern kingdoms had they been available.

The Jewish feasts represent a wonderful, fresh challenge to the churches to explore old truths in a new way, and to use new worship resources.

Zechariah 14. One especially difficult passage is found in the Book of Zechariah:

"Then everyone that survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of booths" (Zech 14:16).

Is this a portrait of life in the millennial kingdom, or is it a figurative description of heaven? As Gentile congregations explore the riches of the Jewish feasts we would hope and pray for tolerance of differing views, and openness to the Holy Spirit.

How is the Holy Spirit Leading the Churches?

Today worship patterns are changing rapidly and radically in Gentile congregations. Liturgical churches, such as Lutherans and Episcopalians, are agonizing over "what the people want" and their own "liturgical heritage." This tsuris-angst in my own denomination, The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, motivated the Commission on Worship to make a special survey, involving over 1,100 lay respondents drawn from a stratified sample of congregations. The results of the study were published in a booklet, Worship Toward 2000, Challenges and Opportunities, January 1991. Among the findings were that people want:

• Music and hymns which are joyful
• Hymns which are easy to sing
• Instrumental variety
• Fellowship opportunities on Sunday morning
• Liturgy that reflects the Lutheran tradition
• Worship style which blends the "old" and the "new"
• Frequent use of the Bible during the worship service

It would appear that in our times of reappraisal of tradition there is an openness to new things. Why not go farther back in time, beyond denominational Christian traditions (which tend to be culture-bound) to earlier traditions, and to the Jewish feasts? The seven felt needs expressed above are indeed congruent with the Jewish feasts.

If the Holy Spirit is indeed leading us to a new application of Zechariah 8:23¹¹ then it is important that Jewish mission agencies keep and cultivate good relationships not only with the congregations, but with the denominational adjudicatories as well.

The Book of Revelation gives us a glimpse of worship and celebration in heaven:

"And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, 'Great and wonderful are thy deeds, O Lord God the Almighty!'" (Rev. 15:3).

We do well to sing all the songs we can find in the Bible, both New Testament and Old Testament, and to celebrate God's grace in Jesus in every possible way.