2006-06-09Staff Report 2 "There often appears to be cynicism expressed by various newspapers in our country about the many 'holidays' that are found in the month of May. It is sometimes said that the many holidays affect the productivity of our country. Ascension Day may be subject to the same criticism in the minds of many. I write this letter on behalf of the many sincere Christians in our country who delight in the fact that we do honour this day in our calendar. We commend our government for recognizing this event in our national calendar. The Christian calendar actually has very few ""holy days"" in the course of a year. To be precise, they are: The birth of our Lord Jesus (Christmas), the death of our Lord (Good Friday - Easter), Resurrection Sunday (Easter), Ascension Day (the day on which He ascended from earth to heaven), and Pentecost Sunday (10 days after Ascension Day - when the Holy Spirit came in fulfilment of Jesus' promise). These then are the crucial milestones in the Christian calendar. May I remind the Christian public that Ascension Day is a ""holy day""? This day is given to us as a day of reflection of the fact that our Lord is the risen and ascended Lord. He is presently at the right hand of God the Father in heaven, from where He shall come again (He shall descend) to judge all mankind and to fully establish the kingdom of God, to the glory of God. The Christian Church should encourage her members not to take this as a 'holiday', but to consider it for that purpose for which the day was given - a ""holy day "".. May I humbly suggest that every Christian church in our country should have a worship service in remembrance of this important happening in our calendar? This day has far greater and weightier significance in the Christian calendar than most people in our day would care to believe. This day also reminds us that the next great event in the providence and plan of God will be the Descension (the second coming) of our Lord Jesus. I wish all Christian believers a thoughtful and glad Ascension Day on the 25th of May. Pastor Joachim Rick Eastside Baptist Church Klein Windhoek" 2006-06-09Staff Report 2
