What is the Difference between a Tradition and a Command?
Ask students, how many of you have ever had a birthday?
What do you do on your birthday?
Did you know it's not a rule that we have to celebrate people's birthdays? God never said we have to sing Happy Birthday or have a cake or get presents on our birthday.
It's not a rule. It's a good idea people came up with, and we kept doing it. So it's a tradition. But we don't have to do it.
It's the same way with Christmas. Christmas is the holiday when we celebrate Jesus' birthday. But the Bible never tells us we have to celebrate Christmas. We don't have to decorate or have a Christmas tree or give presents. We don't have to do Christmas plays or light Christmas candles. All those things are good traditions, but God didn't tell us to do them. It's not a rule to celebrate Christmas.
So, today, I just want you to understand that traditions are not commands. Commands are things God told us to do. They're rules from God. Traditions are just good ideas that people came up with, but we don't have to do them.