How to Celebrate Holy Experiment Day
I’m sure you’re beginning to wonder if I’m inventing these holidays.
I am not.
They really are listed on a variety of sites. Some have background stories, others do not . . . but each have been declared official holidays by someone.
Today – Holy Experiment Day
The sites I found that mentioned HED said:
Holy Experiment Day is a day to try something religious. It is a chance to try something, or ask for something, and to measure the results . . . a day to experiment with miracles and prayer.
I don’t think of myself as religious. Probably because there are so many negative connotations that go along with that word. For me faith is about my relationship with God through prayer and study. And based on prayer and study, I believe my relationship with God is made possible through love, grace, and mercy made evident in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
For that reason, the following examples of ways to “celebrate” HED concerned me:
- Pray for someone to get better
- Pray for snow
- Pray for your team to win the superbowl
- Pray someone will ask you on a date
- Try saying grace at dinner and see if others join you
- Try to get a person to attend religious services
- Plan to convert someone to your religion
The reason I didn’t like this list is because:
Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” Matthew 4:7
I believe God intervenes in our lives. I believe He hears every prayer and responds based on His plans for us. To put Him to the test through “holy experiments” makes me very uncomfortable. God does not need to prove Himself to us by making it snow or by giving our team a win.
He shows Himself through creation, through Jesus life, through promises He kept and continues to keep, and through miracles that happen everyday. He faithfully proves that “He is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do.”
Your promises have been thoroughly tested and your servant loves them. Psalm 119:140
How should we celebrate Holy Experiment Day?
The word holy means to be set apart for special service. An experiment is – a test, trial, or tentative procedure for the purpose of discovering something unknown or to test a principle.
Like William Penn who did the first Holy Experiment, by establishing a Quaker community in Pennsylvania, to show the world how well a community of believers could function in a place without persecution and dissension.
What if we chose to put ourselves to the test on Holy Experiment Day. What if we used today to show God’s love, the unity He offers, the compassion and forgiveness He gives us to give others, the hope, joy, kindness, and patience He provides.
On Holy Experiment Day may we be “set apart” for His service and show the world our love for God and His love for them.
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