I agree, I didn't know about the "other" Christmas until yesterday. The weight of what I don't know is amazing... BTW, I am not Eastern Orthodox. I started out Southern Baptist, went through the AOG, through the small Charismatic churches, to a Spirit filled Southern Baptist church, to a Calvary Chapel, to looking again... these days I find myself to be a real oddity.. a spirit-filled reformed believer. I am reading through the 1599 Geneva Bible right now and read the daily devotions of Table Talk magazine from Ligonier ministries and R.C. Sproul... though we disagree on the gifts of the Spirit, we agree on fundamental doctrine. I've also been reading a lot of books by the Puritan writers of yesteryear.
Anyway.... EVERY DAY...
I have always thought that the Sabbath is every day to the Christian. To the Jews it was the 7th day and many Christians see it as the first day of the week but, the way I see it... the Sabbath... for those in Christ is every day... for we have ceased from our labors if we are in Christ... but that is a hard one to grasp, at least for me.
As soon as I got freely justified, by grace through faith.. I set about to "do right", to just do God's will, until of course I fell flat on my face because I was unable to be good.
It has taken me years, decades... to begin to understand that not only are we justified by faith but we are also sanctified by faith... it is all the gift of God... even though, I well know my faults and my sins are always before me... He has justified me and He has sanctified me through His life, His death, and His resurrection life... and I have ceased from my labors... and every day is the Sabbath... yet still... I keep laying down my cross and going my own way... but He is faithful Who called me... and He is always there to pick me up when I fall... and to carry my cross for me when I lay it down. He picks me up and there it is... for me to take up and follow Him again. He is soooo good to me.
In spite of me... He gets it done. It has taken me most of a lifetime to come to begin to grasp the doctrines of grace.
Yes... every day... is the LORD's day.
Julien