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Moments & Days
Michelle Van Loon helps us treasure our time as a gift and a spiritual responsibility, and God as faithfully present in all our moments and days.
People rarely slow down to experience their days, and so they feel rushed through life even as they begin to suspect that life lacks significance. By introducing (and reintroducing) us to the feasts and festivals of the Bible, as well as the special celebrations of the Christian calendar, Moments and Days restores a sacred sense of time throughout our year, enriching our experience of each “holy day” and enlivening our experience of even the most “ordinary time.”
People rarely slow down to experience their days, and so they feel rushed through life even as they begin to suspect that life lacks significance. By introducing (and reintroducing) us to the feasts and festivals of the Bible, as well as the special celebrations of the Christian calendar, Moments and Days restores a sacred sense of time throughout our year, enriching our experience of each “holy day” and enlivening our experience of even the most “ordinary time.”
240 pages, Paperback
Published August 4, 2016
19 people are currently reading
348 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Van Loon
13 books76 followersMichelle Van Loon’s Jewish heritage, spiritual hunger, and storyteller’s sensibilities have been informing her writing and shaping her faith journey since she came to Christ at the tail end of the Jesus Movement. She is the author of eight books, as well as numerous articles, and several full-length plays for the educational market.
She's been a church communications director, served on staff at Trinity International University, and been the U.S. Administrator for an educational ministry based in Jerusalem. She earned a graduate certificate from Northern Seminary in 2017. She's married to Bill, and is mother to three and grandmother to two.
She's been a church communications director, served on staff at Trinity International University, and been the U.S. Administrator for an educational ministry based in Jerusalem. She earned a graduate certificate from Northern Seminary in 2017. She's married to Bill, and is mother to three and grandmother to two.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
September 12, 2016
Van Loon's faith-filled, scholarly (but not boringly academic!) book will cause you to rethink your understanding of time. The author connects the dots between Judaism and Christianity, enriching our understanding of both faith traditions. Thoughtful and warm. Insightful and challenging. Highly recommend.
September 23, 2016
Michelle's van Loon's book is an interesting, informative, and extremely accessible discussion of the interplay between the Jewish & Christian calendars. Christians sometimes seem to forget that Jesus was an observant Jew and that the Christian church year has deep roots in Jewish celebrations.
I read through it very quickly because it pulled me in but I will definitely go back and revisit it to dig deeper into the subject. There is a great deal of information here but it's far from a dense or dry discussion on a subject that I have not run across elsewhere.
Well worth reading!
I read through it very quickly because it pulled me in but I will definitely go back and revisit it to dig deeper into the subject. There is a great deal of information here but it's far from a dense or dry discussion on a subject that I have not run across elsewhere.
Well worth reading!
February 22, 2024
2.5 stars
The topic of how our "numbering of days" ought to shape our lives and be shaped by the God who ordained time is one that I think is overlooked or not thought about deeply enough (as a general rule) in the Church, which is why I was so excited to pick up this book--especially because Van Loon talks about both the Jewish/Old Testament calendar and the Church calendar derived from the New Testament.
Unfortunately, this book was not especially impressive.
Van Loon's fundamental concepts--how we ought to think about time in light of God's design for it, and of how the feasts we observe should shape our lives and deepen our relationships with Him--are solid and well-articulated. For example, she sums it up well in the Conclusion when she says, "You and I are not the measure, or the focal point, of time. God is."
However, she doesn't write the rest of the book like she actually keeps God--or, particularly, His word--as the focal point. She was raised in a Jewish household, and this is obvious in how tradition-heavy her discussion of Jewish holidays is in the first half of the book. While she does cover the initial biblical institution of these holidays and how these celebrations were to look according to Scripture, she dedicates much of each chapter to various traditions associated with these feasts--including some that are entirely separate from the biblical institution and purpose of a feast. While some chapters are more balanced than others in their focus on the biblical picture of a given feast and what that feast has come to look like through tradition, others--the chapter on First Fruits being the most notable example--look at an almost entirely extra-biblical version of the given feast; and those that are more balanced seem to be so almost incidentally, more because the tradition happens to have remained closer to the biblical image than because the author's interest is in presenting a biblical view of these feasts.
There is also an entire chapter dedicated to an overview of Jewish holidays outside the Levitical feast days, ranging from Purim (which is still at least biblical) and Chanukah to Holocaust Remembrance Day. While there is certainly nothing wrong with Holocaust Remembrance Day or the other extra-biblical days mentioned in this chapter, I'm not certain they belong in a book about "holy celebrations" and shaping our year after God-given seasons.
The strongest chapters in the first half of the book were those on the Sabbath (probably my favorite chapter in the book, the most biblically solid, and the one I think could be most beneficial to the modern church when thinking about the design for the Sabbath) and Passover. These were more strongly biblical and did the best job of drawing out the links between Old Testament time markers and New Testament fulfillment that gives those markers even greater meaning.
The latter half of the book covered the newer church calendar and discussed its use among Protestants, Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox. The first chapter in this half did cover the interesting topic of how the church transitioned from observing the Old Testament calendar to the new church calendar, and I hope that some of the sources cited will provide a deeper look at that. But beyond that first chapter, I found this half to be incredibly lackluster. As someone with only recent experience in a church that follows the church calendar, I have no inherent affection for the calendar and, in fact, I tend to be rather skeptical of it due to the fact that we were already given a calendar in the Old Testament. But Van Loon's overview of the various seasons and days of the church calendar didn't have enough meat to endear me to the church calendar or increase my skepticism; it was the most high-level view of the days I think I've ever seen, with little biblical foundation either for or against the way we observe these days and seasons. If you want a quick introduction to the church calendar, this is probably fine; if you're interested in learning about how those who observe it view it and its validity and purpose according to Scripture, this is not going to be helpful.
Overall, I found a handful of nuggets throughout this book that were well-articulated and either brought new details to my attention or summarized thoughts I already had about the feasts. I also made a lot of notes "talking back" to the author, adding context to Bible verses, and asking questions that went unanswered in the book. I intend to highlight the quotes I found most helpful. But this is not a strong biblical look at how the church does or ought to mark time according to Scripture, it's not a strong look at how God designed for the Old Testament calendar to point toward Him (though it does a mediocre job at that), and it has its primary foundation in tradition and in how these feasts make us feel about God and the Gospel story rather than finding its foundation in Scripture and how these feasts are designed to actively teach us about God's character.
This will be added to my list of books that had an awesome concept but that I'd love to see rewritten by someone with stronger biblical grounding who's willing to take a deeper dive into the topic.
The topic of how our "numbering of days" ought to shape our lives and be shaped by the God who ordained time is one that I think is overlooked or not thought about deeply enough (as a general rule) in the Church, which is why I was so excited to pick up this book--especially because Van Loon talks about both the Jewish/Old Testament calendar and the Church calendar derived from the New Testament.
Unfortunately, this book was not especially impressive.
Van Loon's fundamental concepts--how we ought to think about time in light of God's design for it, and of how the feasts we observe should shape our lives and deepen our relationships with Him--are solid and well-articulated. For example, she sums it up well in the Conclusion when she says, "You and I are not the measure, or the focal point, of time. God is."
However, she doesn't write the rest of the book like she actually keeps God--or, particularly, His word--as the focal point. She was raised in a Jewish household, and this is obvious in how tradition-heavy her discussion of Jewish holidays is in the first half of the book. While she does cover the initial biblical institution of these holidays and how these celebrations were to look according to Scripture, she dedicates much of each chapter to various traditions associated with these feasts--including some that are entirely separate from the biblical institution and purpose of a feast. While some chapters are more balanced than others in their focus on the biblical picture of a given feast and what that feast has come to look like through tradition, others--the chapter on First Fruits being the most notable example--look at an almost entirely extra-biblical version of the given feast; and those that are more balanced seem to be so almost incidentally, more because the tradition happens to have remained closer to the biblical image than because the author's interest is in presenting a biblical view of these feasts.
There is also an entire chapter dedicated to an overview of Jewish holidays outside the Levitical feast days, ranging from Purim (which is still at least biblical) and Chanukah to Holocaust Remembrance Day. While there is certainly nothing wrong with Holocaust Remembrance Day or the other extra-biblical days mentioned in this chapter, I'm not certain they belong in a book about "holy celebrations" and shaping our year after God-given seasons.
The strongest chapters in the first half of the book were those on the Sabbath (probably my favorite chapter in the book, the most biblically solid, and the one I think could be most beneficial to the modern church when thinking about the design for the Sabbath) and Passover. These were more strongly biblical and did the best job of drawing out the links between Old Testament time markers and New Testament fulfillment that gives those markers even greater meaning.
The latter half of the book covered the newer church calendar and discussed its use among Protestants, Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox. The first chapter in this half did cover the interesting topic of how the church transitioned from observing the Old Testament calendar to the new church calendar, and I hope that some of the sources cited will provide a deeper look at that. But beyond that first chapter, I found this half to be incredibly lackluster. As someone with only recent experience in a church that follows the church calendar, I have no inherent affection for the calendar and, in fact, I tend to be rather skeptical of it due to the fact that we were already given a calendar in the Old Testament. But Van Loon's overview of the various seasons and days of the church calendar didn't have enough meat to endear me to the church calendar or increase my skepticism; it was the most high-level view of the days I think I've ever seen, with little biblical foundation either for or against the way we observe these days and seasons. If you want a quick introduction to the church calendar, this is probably fine; if you're interested in learning about how those who observe it view it and its validity and purpose according to Scripture, this is not going to be helpful.
Overall, I found a handful of nuggets throughout this book that were well-articulated and either brought new details to my attention or summarized thoughts I already had about the feasts. I also made a lot of notes "talking back" to the author, adding context to Bible verses, and asking questions that went unanswered in the book. I intend to highlight the quotes I found most helpful. But this is not a strong biblical look at how the church does or ought to mark time according to Scripture, it's not a strong look at how God designed for the Old Testament calendar to point toward Him (though it does a mediocre job at that), and it has its primary foundation in tradition and in how these feasts make us feel about God and the Gospel story rather than finding its foundation in Scripture and how these feasts are designed to actively teach us about God's character.
This will be added to my list of books that had an awesome concept but that I'd love to see rewritten by someone with stronger biblical grounding who's willing to take a deeper dive into the topic.
August 21, 2016
When I ordered Moments & Days, I expected it to primarily be a reference book filled with descriptions of church holidays, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that Michelle Van Loon provides us with a much richer experience than that in her book!
In Moments & Days – How The Holy Celebrations Shape Our Faith, Michelle speaks to those of us who want to understand the significance of time from a spiritual perspective and want to bring an awareness of the sacred into their daily lives.
Of course, you’ll find plenty of information about both the Jewish historical and biblical feasts and the Christian calendar, which Michelle is uniquely qualified to write about since her heritage is Jewish and her faith is Christian, but you'll also find so much more!
What I appreciate most about Moments & Days is how Michelle uses Scripture to help us to understand these events through the lens of the Bible. Michelle provides many thoughtful reflections and interesting ideas that help us incorporate each celebration into our spiritual lives.
Michelle even includes some delicious recipes in the back of the book!
If you want to be more attuned to God’s presence in your daily life throughout the seasons of the year and celebrate His goodness in season and out – if you want to enrich and deepen your worship experience – and if you want to learn how to “redeem your time” for God, then I encourage you to add Moments & Days to your spiritual reading list!
This review is an excerpt from the original review that is published on my blog. To read my review in its entirety, please visit Create With Joy.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own, based on my experience with this book.
In Moments & Days – How The Holy Celebrations Shape Our Faith, Michelle speaks to those of us who want to understand the significance of time from a spiritual perspective and want to bring an awareness of the sacred into their daily lives.
Of course, you’ll find plenty of information about both the Jewish historical and biblical feasts and the Christian calendar, which Michelle is uniquely qualified to write about since her heritage is Jewish and her faith is Christian, but you'll also find so much more!
What I appreciate most about Moments & Days is how Michelle uses Scripture to help us to understand these events through the lens of the Bible. Michelle provides many thoughtful reflections and interesting ideas that help us incorporate each celebration into our spiritual lives.
Michelle even includes some delicious recipes in the back of the book!
If you want to be more attuned to God’s presence in your daily life throughout the seasons of the year and celebrate His goodness in season and out – if you want to enrich and deepen your worship experience – and if you want to learn how to “redeem your time” for God, then I encourage you to add Moments & Days to your spiritual reading list!
This review is an excerpt from the original review that is published on my blog. To read my review in its entirety, please visit Create With Joy.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own, based on my experience with this book.
January 16, 2024
This was a good overview of the Biblical/Jewish Calendar and the Christian Calendar. I was familiar with both and had studied the Biblical Calendar in depth before, but I found the explanation about the Christian Calendar helpful to me. Her discussion about the different kinds of "time" was enlightening.
September 2, 2016
Sometimes those of us who don’t come from branches of the Christian church that celebrate the traditional church calendar feel a little left out and curious about what other Christians do with “Lent,” “Advent” “Epiphany” and other holidays. We might even wonder if we should celebrate those days. Add to that the fact that there’s a whole slew of Jewish feasts in the Bible (and additional Jewish holidays on the calendar) that we’re only passingly familiar with, and a girl might be wondering if she might need to pick up some matzah, learn to spin a dreidel and light candles for the Sabbath. Written to help cut through some of the confusion and to educate on what all these holy days are and what they mean, Michelle van Loon’s Moments and Days: How Our Holy Celebrations Shape Our Faith provides a clear and concise look at what the main Jewish and Christian holy days are and why they matter to our faith.
Van Loon begins by sharing a little of her background as a Messianic Jew and how her experience of both Jewish and Christian holidays have been colored by the congregations that she’s worshipped with throughout her life. She discusses the calendar and how we’re shaped by it. She discusses how the Jewish calendar differs from the Julian one.
The meat of the book is the exploration of the holidays. Van Loon begins with the Jewish Holy Days and holidays, and as she goes through, she gives some extensions for Christians who are wanting to honor these days. Then, she explains how the Christian calendar has ended up partially tied to the Jewish calendar and partially tied to the Julian calendar. Of course, she also spends extensive time going through the Christian holy calendar and exploring her ideas of meaning and celebration for each holiday.
Van Loon closes with some reminders about time and some basic takeaways that she has from her experience of celebrating the holidays. The appendix of the book contains some calendar comparisons and some delicious looking recipes.
I found myself feeling a little torn about this book. I love the concept and wanted to understand the holidays better. I especially found the sections on how we got from the Jewish celebrations to the Christian calendar to be fascinating. As a believer who has always questioned why we don’t celebrate Passover, the Feast of Trumpets and the Sabbath, I felt like this portion really resonated with me and provided some answers to my questions. I can also see, as a mother, how having a tie to the holidays helps me to share my faith with my children and to teach them the importance of Jesus, the Bible, the Exodus and so many other concepts and ideas that are central to my faith.
However, I also tend to come from the perspective that the Holy Days are part of what contributes to the curse of religion and helps people to feel like they’re worshipping God when all they’re doing is participating in vain rituals. In that perspective, it is difficult for me to give a hearty assent to the actual practice and building in of traditions and Holy Days. Having said that, this book is a well-written introduction to these days, and reading this book might leave you wanting more information about a day that speaks to your heart.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Van Loon begins by sharing a little of her background as a Messianic Jew and how her experience of both Jewish and Christian holidays have been colored by the congregations that she’s worshipped with throughout her life. She discusses the calendar and how we’re shaped by it. She discusses how the Jewish calendar differs from the Julian one.
The meat of the book is the exploration of the holidays. Van Loon begins with the Jewish Holy Days and holidays, and as she goes through, she gives some extensions for Christians who are wanting to honor these days. Then, she explains how the Christian calendar has ended up partially tied to the Jewish calendar and partially tied to the Julian calendar. Of course, she also spends extensive time going through the Christian holy calendar and exploring her ideas of meaning and celebration for each holiday.
Van Loon closes with some reminders about time and some basic takeaways that she has from her experience of celebrating the holidays. The appendix of the book contains some calendar comparisons and some delicious looking recipes.
I found myself feeling a little torn about this book. I love the concept and wanted to understand the holidays better. I especially found the sections on how we got from the Jewish celebrations to the Christian calendar to be fascinating. As a believer who has always questioned why we don’t celebrate Passover, the Feast of Trumpets and the Sabbath, I felt like this portion really resonated with me and provided some answers to my questions. I can also see, as a mother, how having a tie to the holidays helps me to share my faith with my children and to teach them the importance of Jesus, the Bible, the Exodus and so many other concepts and ideas that are central to my faith.
However, I also tend to come from the perspective that the Holy Days are part of what contributes to the curse of religion and helps people to feel like they’re worshipping God when all they’re doing is participating in vain rituals. In that perspective, it is difficult for me to give a hearty assent to the actual practice and building in of traditions and Holy Days. Having said that, this book is a well-written introduction to these days, and reading this book might leave you wanting more information about a day that speaks to your heart.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 4, 2017
“Take my life and let it be, consecrated, Lord, to thee. Take my moments and my days. Let them flow in endless praise.”
This author has helped us all to be able to do this one holiday at a time. First of all she gives her testimony that will blow you away and then she talks about her journey to walking a blended life. She grew up Jewish and then became a Christian in her 20’s. At that time the Jewish and Christian history to each holiday had more meaning for her. She says, “Our eternal God has given us the slice of eternity, right here and now, in which to live for and with him.”
I like how she talked about her journey and how the history of When, Why and How people observed these holidays and celebrations changed her life. She says, “Following a calendar that tells us our lives are not all about us is a powerful place to learn to inhabit that sacred gift of time. When Paul acknowledged not all followers of Jesus see specific days as Holy, he wasn’t suggesting that everyone in church needed to hit the ‘delete’ button on the discussion (Rom 14;5-10)
He was instead, encouraging them to give one another lots of grace as they sought how to honor God together in their community. He never discounted the value of the weekly/yearly rhythm of Holy days. He simply wanted the Jewish and Gentile followers to understand that the finished work of Jesus the Messiah fulfills the meaning of these festival days: (Colossians 2:16-17”) “That reality must shape our ordinary moments and our sacred days…Those Holy days are gifts of love from God designed to help us understand the nature of eternal life.”
In Part one Jewish Calendars she breaks down by different Holidays -
Part two The Christian Calendars Advent, Epiphany, Holy Week, Pentecost, Lent Easter, Christmas, Ordinary Time
I found this very informative and how it brought a clearer view of why we celebrate this holiday in the first place. This author has a glossary of words and recipes to help celebrate the different holidays. Some of the recipes listed are for the Sabbath – Tia Sarah’s Special Honey Challah, Peral’s Noodle Kugel (Rosh Hashana – Shavuot) Sylvia’s Cheese Cake (Shavuot, Easter)
If you’d like do a deeper study into these holidays/traditions the author has additional reading sources and a side by side comparison of the Jewish, Catholic/Protestant Orthodox calendars. This book will help readers grasp a deeper understand of these holidays that will draw them closer to the Savior all the while creating a close sense of community within their families.
Michelle's book, If Only: Letting Go Of Regret (Beacon Hill Press, 2014) won an Award of Merit in the Christian Living category of Christianity Today's 2015 Book Of The Year list
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins! www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com
This author has helped us all to be able to do this one holiday at a time. First of all she gives her testimony that will blow you away and then she talks about her journey to walking a blended life. She grew up Jewish and then became a Christian in her 20’s. At that time the Jewish and Christian history to each holiday had more meaning for her. She says, “Our eternal God has given us the slice of eternity, right here and now, in which to live for and with him.”
I like how she talked about her journey and how the history of When, Why and How people observed these holidays and celebrations changed her life. She says, “Following a calendar that tells us our lives are not all about us is a powerful place to learn to inhabit that sacred gift of time. When Paul acknowledged not all followers of Jesus see specific days as Holy, he wasn’t suggesting that everyone in church needed to hit the ‘delete’ button on the discussion (Rom 14;5-10)
He was instead, encouraging them to give one another lots of grace as they sought how to honor God together in their community. He never discounted the value of the weekly/yearly rhythm of Holy days. He simply wanted the Jewish and Gentile followers to understand that the finished work of Jesus the Messiah fulfills the meaning of these festival days: (Colossians 2:16-17”) “That reality must shape our ordinary moments and our sacred days…Those Holy days are gifts of love from God designed to help us understand the nature of eternal life.”
In Part one Jewish Calendars she breaks down by different Holidays -
Part two The Christian Calendars Advent, Epiphany, Holy Week, Pentecost, Lent Easter, Christmas, Ordinary Time
I found this very informative and how it brought a clearer view of why we celebrate this holiday in the first place. This author has a glossary of words and recipes to help celebrate the different holidays. Some of the recipes listed are for the Sabbath – Tia Sarah’s Special Honey Challah, Peral’s Noodle Kugel (Rosh Hashana – Shavuot) Sylvia’s Cheese Cake (Shavuot, Easter)
If you’d like do a deeper study into these holidays/traditions the author has additional reading sources and a side by side comparison of the Jewish, Catholic/Protestant Orthodox calendars. This book will help readers grasp a deeper understand of these holidays that will draw them closer to the Savior all the while creating a close sense of community within their families.
Michelle's book, If Only: Letting Go Of Regret (Beacon Hill Press, 2014) won an Award of Merit in the Christian Living category of Christianity Today's 2015 Book Of The Year list
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins! www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com
September 1, 2016
In Moments & Days, Michelle Van Loon takes us through celebrations in the Jewish and Christian calendar, highlighting its significance in the past as well as its meaning for the present. All this is presented from the unique lens of a Messianic Jew, tying together the Jewish roots of Christianity to its Gentile, almost secular present.
The material is presented in a very conversational, easy-to-read manner whilst retaining a wealth of historical and Biblical information. I found the Jewish feasts and celebrations interesting, but I was most surprised to find a lot of practices/liturgy in the Christian calendar new to me!
I read through this book much faster than I would have liked (silly self-imposed review deadlines) and I fully intend to study/meditate some of these again more deeply when time allows. (On a selfish note: research for Christmas & Easter programs is partially done. lol!)
Note: I received a digital ARC from the publishers for review purposes via Edelweiss.
The material is presented in a very conversational, easy-to-read manner whilst retaining a wealth of historical and Biblical information. I found the Jewish feasts and celebrations interesting, but I was most surprised to find a lot of practices/liturgy in the Christian calendar new to me!
I read through this book much faster than I would have liked (silly self-imposed review deadlines) and I fully intend to study/meditate some of these again more deeply when time allows. (On a selfish note: research for Christmas & Easter programs is partially done. lol!)
Note: I received a digital ARC from the publishers for review purposes via Edelweiss.
August 23, 2016
Moments & Days, by Michelle Van Loon, is a rousing, informative, and encouraging read that helps us structure our time and faith in a more productive and profitable way.
By studying the history and significance of feasts of the Old Testament and holidays of the Christian calendar, we experience a richer everyday life. Time is a precious gift that we unfortunately tend to overlook, but this book makes us more aware of how special our moments and days are.
This book is an easy and fast read. It flows smoothly, and inspires readers to be more aware of how they spend their moments and days.
I received a Review Copy from Tyndale House.
By studying the history and significance of feasts of the Old Testament and holidays of the Christian calendar, we experience a richer everyday life. Time is a precious gift that we unfortunately tend to overlook, but this book makes us more aware of how special our moments and days are.
This book is an easy and fast read. It flows smoothly, and inspires readers to be more aware of how they spend their moments and days.
I received a Review Copy from Tyndale House.
September 6, 2016
In "Moments & Days' Van Loon shows us the truth about the Sabbath and what it means to keep it. She explains how Jesus observed Jewish festivals and feast. This is something I have always been interested in, and there are some pretty neat recipes included in the book. I can't wait to try a few of these soon!
*Disclaimer*
I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own
*Disclaimer*
I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own
September 18, 2016
Through her book, Michelle opens up the truth about Sabbath and what it meant to keep it. She explained the way Jesus observed Jewish festivals and feasts… Which is cool for the believers to know! With some recipes included in this book, now we might try few meals when the next feast and celebration comes. Be prepared and know the roots of Christianity, when Jesus united Jew and Gentile in worshiping one God of the Universe.
August 17, 2016
"Moments & Days" is about importance of holidays in our faith, it gives a very general explanation of Jewish and Christian festivals. I judged this book by the cover and expected more in depth information about different celebrations. I was disappointed to find preachy text that does not provide anything new. A couple of recipes in the end did not save it.
February 19, 2023
Content
4 = Entertaining, illuminating, or educational
This book is a good high-level survey of the major Jewish and Christian holidays. Each chapter explains that holiday’s biblical or historical background, spiritual significance, New Testament fulfillment of Old Testament promise, traditional and modern observances of the holiday, and suggestions for how individuals or churches can engage with it.
A few chapters also discuss the broader themes of why we have holidays, what a Judeo-Christian understanding of time is, and how we should relate to our calendars and history. Even as a lifelong Christian, I learned new information, and I thought the book had helpful insights and perspectives.
Since it’s a fairly short volume covering over fifteen holidays, it can’t go into as much depth and detail concerning their symbolism as other resources do, but it’s a solid introduction.
Style
3 = Style adequately served the book’s purpose
The author grew up Jewish, became a Christian as a teen, and has attended churches that follow the formal liturgical calendar and ones that don’t, so her experience provides both a strong foundation for the subject and a bridge between the two faiths. The style is conversational and easy to read while still providing factual information, theological explanation, and devotional inspiration. I also appreciated the “extras” the book offers, like the side-by-side calendar comparison, list of additional resources, and recipes for traditional holiday foods.
Re-readable
3 = May or may not reread, or reread only parts
This will be a good reference to revisit when I’m studying particular holidays, thinking about observing ones I’ve never celebrated, or wishing to find a fresh way to mark the seasons.
Recommendable
4 = Would recommend to anyone interested in this type of book
I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the connections between Judaism and Christianity or about their holidays, especially if it’s not a topic you’ve studied much.
Overall: 3.5
4 = Entertaining, illuminating, or educational
This book is a good high-level survey of the major Jewish and Christian holidays. Each chapter explains that holiday’s biblical or historical background, spiritual significance, New Testament fulfillment of Old Testament promise, traditional and modern observances of the holiday, and suggestions for how individuals or churches can engage with it.
A few chapters also discuss the broader themes of why we have holidays, what a Judeo-Christian understanding of time is, and how we should relate to our calendars and history. Even as a lifelong Christian, I learned new information, and I thought the book had helpful insights and perspectives.
Since it’s a fairly short volume covering over fifteen holidays, it can’t go into as much depth and detail concerning their symbolism as other resources do, but it’s a solid introduction.
Style
3 = Style adequately served the book’s purpose
The author grew up Jewish, became a Christian as a teen, and has attended churches that follow the formal liturgical calendar and ones that don’t, so her experience provides both a strong foundation for the subject and a bridge between the two faiths. The style is conversational and easy to read while still providing factual information, theological explanation, and devotional inspiration. I also appreciated the “extras” the book offers, like the side-by-side calendar comparison, list of additional resources, and recipes for traditional holiday foods.
Re-readable
3 = May or may not reread, or reread only parts
This will be a good reference to revisit when I’m studying particular holidays, thinking about observing ones I’ve never celebrated, or wishing to find a fresh way to mark the seasons.
Recommendable
4 = Would recommend to anyone interested in this type of book
I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the connections between Judaism and Christianity or about their holidays, especially if it’s not a topic you’ve studied much.
Overall: 3.5
April 26, 2018
When I first started to review this book I can say I could not appreciate it. I thought it would be different in the set up of the book. I was not looking for it to be so much of a novel but of a book with main points and more pictures. I know may sound a little off but that is what I was expecting. Now that I want to know more about Holy Celebrations and getting more in wanting to learn I can appreciate the detail, the informative information about the ones I know some about and the ones I knew not so much about. It was very detailed and gave me a walk through history. I could picture each celebration and understand the connection. There is so much more to what we celebrate than what we sometimes celebrate them for, that I now appreciate those celebrations and can partake in some knowing the meaning behind them. I was well informed in this book. She did a great job as taking us through the moments & Days which was a great title for this book. I have been going back through the book and will continue to as celebrations come up on the calendar and I want more understanding of them. I love that I can know the celebrations and celebrate but also know that it does not take away from my salvation or I have to do these in place of my salvation. I recommend this book to anyone who want to get detailed information about celebrations and holidays that the bible talks about and of the Jewish culture.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
November 5, 2017
Moments and Days is a good place to start for those who want to learn more about the celebrations in the Bible and in Christianity. This book takes the reader through the history and celebrations in both the Jewish and Christian calendars. Each chapter contains suggestions for ways believers can celebrate the various Jewish and Christian holidays.
The author, Michelle Van Loon, was raised in a Jewish home, and she became a believer in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah when she was a teenager. She has a unique perspective on these festivals, and I enjoyed learning from her.
Part One of the book tells about the Jewish festivals in the Bible, and it gives descriptions of how these festivals are celebrated today. There is also a chapter that shares about some of the modern Jewish festivals. Part Two of the book tells about the Christian calendar, how it came to be, and how various Christian traditions celebrate in different ways.
Learning about the Jewish festivals is a great way to learn more of our spiritual history and see how Jesus fulfills the prophecies in the Old Testament. I enjoyed reading and learning in this book. I just wish it was longer and more in depth! There is a resource section in the back of the book for those who are interested in doing more research on their own.
The author, Michelle Van Loon, was raised in a Jewish home, and she became a believer in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah when she was a teenager. She has a unique perspective on these festivals, and I enjoyed learning from her.
Part One of the book tells about the Jewish festivals in the Bible, and it gives descriptions of how these festivals are celebrated today. There is also a chapter that shares about some of the modern Jewish festivals. Part Two of the book tells about the Christian calendar, how it came to be, and how various Christian traditions celebrate in different ways.
Learning about the Jewish festivals is a great way to learn more of our spiritual history and see how Jesus fulfills the prophecies in the Old Testament. I enjoyed reading and learning in this book. I just wish it was longer and more in depth! There is a resource section in the back of the book for those who are interested in doing more research on their own.
August 16, 2023
This was a really nice overview and context on major Christian and Jewish holidays and how they relate to us today: how we can use them to deepen our own personal walks with Jesus. I thought the author did a terrific job of being balanced, acknowledging where there is controversy (pagan origins of Easter, for instance, and such things), but showing where different sides could agree and where a fair, even-handed approach could be found. The only thing keeping it at a 4-star for me was that it didn't go into much detail anywhere: I would've wanted a little more history and detail, but I think this is clearly a basic overview, not meant to be too in-depth or scholarly (which would've made it much more intimidating, so I'm not complaining). It was a good, quick, but thought-provoking read.
January 10, 2018
This was a very readable introduction to the Jewish and Christian calendars.
Van Loon gives an overview of the holidays and seasons in each, and explains the theological background and historical roots as she goes. She describes both how the two calendars are deeply connected and how they have evolved and diverged over the the centuries. Her warm style includes many personal connections and valuable insights — her assertion that the way a culture orders time affects the daily perspectives and choices of individuals was especially fascinating to me.
Van Loon gives an overview of the holidays and seasons in each, and explains the theological background and historical roots as she goes. She describes both how the two calendars are deeply connected and how they have evolved and diverged over the the centuries. Her warm style includes many personal connections and valuable insights — her assertion that the way a culture orders time affects the daily perspectives and choices of individuals was especially fascinating to me.
March 23, 2024
While each chapter on the Jewish calendar and the Church calendar provide interesting scriptural and/or historical context for each set aside time or day, ultimately this book is about how christians can be formed more like Christ through a dedication of their own time and calendar to God. If you're working on an individual rule of life, or want your community's life oriented toward God rather than the demands of society, there are several good starting points in this book, and several good questions to ask.
March 4, 2018
Michelle Van Loon is a marvelous writer, one who has a gift when it comes to making complicated material approachable and (dare I say it?) even fun. This book is no exception. She not only provides a thorough explanation of each Jewish and Christian holy day but also gives advice about how to celebrate them in order to enrich your faith. This is a highly enjoyable and informative book, one that helped me better understand the Jewish calendar and the ways in which it shaped my Christian one.
December 6, 2018
Do you ever wonder how the Feasts and Festivals and Sabbath apply to our faith? This is why I read Moments & Days. It helped me to read about the significance of the events and how they carry over into our spiritual journey. Michelle offers rich biblical insight and practical ways to incorporate sacred days into our hearts and homes.i highly recommend it.
February 11, 2025
I love the idea of this book, and I think many of my reading friends would as well. It just didn't quite work for me, though I can't quite put my finger on why. But as my shelves are full, I don't feel the need to keep "this should have been a great read for me" sorts of books and can pass them on to someone for whom it actually is a great read.
June 18, 2025
The subtitle is “How Our Holy Celebrations Shape Our Faith” - and the author does a wonderful job explaining the Jewish and Christian calendars, how they align and differ, and how we apply them to our life. All the celebrations are an important part of our faith and Michelle Van Loon carefully instructs us in how to enjoy and learn from these celebrations. What a great book and resource!!
May 9, 2018
A great book with which to wander through the calendar of the year! Inspires one to reflect on time, how God wants us to view and celebrate time and what patterns help us to do so. I thought I knew a good bit about the christian and Jewish calendar already but this was wonderfully informative.
November 28, 2018
I borrowed this from the library. I read through all the chapters but at a faster pace than if it was my own. So time to actually buy a copy.
Some things I already knew, but I also learned a lot.
And even what I knew, it was good to reflect upon.
Some things I already knew, but I also learned a lot.
And even what I knew, it was good to reflect upon.
December 6, 2019
The first half that outlined Biblical festivals and how they form a picture of Jesus is excellent. The 2nd half of the book that discusses 'Christian' holidays is actually discussing what most would consider Catholic holidays which are arguably non-Christian. =/
November 15, 2017
Not quite a 4, but certainly a 3.75.
July 12, 2019
Really interesting. I enjoyed it and will keep for future reference.
March 2, 2017
Growing up as a Christian I always loved how the church's Holy Days shaped our calendar and how our holidays ( Christmas, Easter, etc... ) were a way for Christians to share the Word and to feel connected to a larger family or community. But in todays secular society it seems even active church members are loss in a vast time of passing of days without any meaning; without any sense of measure of time. Days pass and nothing marks the beginning or end....Holy Days were designed by God for us as a way to mark time; He created us, He knows us and He knows our needs. Michelle Van Loons Moments & Days reveals our need to go back to marking time by remembering God in all aspects of our "time" here on earth so that we can worship Him daily. This book reminded me that my craving for days filled with meaning and hope can be found by returning to His plan; His calendar. Although I am unsure exactly how I will incorporate each aspects of God's Holy Days into my modern life I know that I am going to try find a balance. I need to pause, reflect and be drawn back to Jesus. Jesus who came out of eternity (no ending of the passage of time ) to meet us, to teach us how to mark our passage of time while here .
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher: Tyndale House Publishing; in exchange for m honest review. I am not required to write an positive review. This was a GoodReads contest win.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher: Tyndale House Publishing; in exchange for m honest review. I am not required to write an positive review. This was a GoodReads contest win.
February 7, 2017
A Christian is part of a larger story and family than just his individual church. Understanding our Jewish heritage transports us to Jesus’ world when He walked the earth and calls us to community with our forever family. To that end, Michelle Van Loon’s Moments & Days: How Our Holy Celebrations Shape Our Faith ties together BC and AD, Old Testament and New Testament. Through history and intent of each Jewish and Christian holy day, Van Loon encourages contemplation that leads to purposeful action today. She concludes in “It’s About Time,” her final chapter, that her desire is for readers to live kairos-shaped lives, intentional about glorifying God.
Moments & Days also includes seven recipes for Jewish feasts, additional resources, side-by-side Jewish/Christian calendars, glossary, and pronunciation guide.
Although easy to read, this book overwhelmed me with its scope and depth. I read it because I wanted insights into Jesus’ life and my own debt to and connection with God’s chosen people. What I got was realization of how little I know about this—and new appreciation and admiration for how the Jews honored God’s character and actions through their feasts. The overwhelm-factor of Moments & Days will probably be less for Christian readers of different backgrounds. I didn’t have many pegs already in my brain on which to hang the new knowledge I gained in Moments & Days.
My favorite part of the book (on pages 183 and 184) shows the heart challenge of each holy day by saying what each invites us into. For example, “Yom Kippur invites us into a discipline of intercession.”
Our moments and days are sacred gifts. Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom” fuels Van Loon’s quest to help her readers steward the fragile, brief time God gives them.
Moments & Days also includes seven recipes for Jewish feasts, additional resources, side-by-side Jewish/Christian calendars, glossary, and pronunciation guide.
Although easy to read, this book overwhelmed me with its scope and depth. I read it because I wanted insights into Jesus’ life and my own debt to and connection with God’s chosen people. What I got was realization of how little I know about this—and new appreciation and admiration for how the Jews honored God’s character and actions through their feasts. The overwhelm-factor of Moments & Days will probably be less for Christian readers of different backgrounds. I didn’t have many pegs already in my brain on which to hang the new knowledge I gained in Moments & Days.
My favorite part of the book (on pages 183 and 184) shows the heart challenge of each holy day by saying what each invites us into. For example, “Yom Kippur invites us into a discipline of intercession.”
Our moments and days are sacred gifts. Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom” fuels Van Loon’s quest to help her readers steward the fragile, brief time God gives them.
February 16, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. Reminds us to savor the moment. I won it in a contest and it was a good read!
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