| Good Morning Everyone, Our theme for this month: “Celebrating is good for us” Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts to the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.’” Leviticus 23:1-2 (NIV) Our thought for today: “Feasts, festivals, and celebrations are an important part of the practice of our faith.” From start to finish, from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is packed full of examples of God’s people feasting and celebrating as a way of practicing their faith. Feasts, festivals, and celebrations are designed by God to call to our remembrance special occasions or significant events that are markers in the history of His people. That was the case in Leviticus 23 when God instructed Moses to outline for the people seven major “sacred assemblies” that would be a regular part of their annual calendar. It began with the requirement for a weekly Sabbath gathering. It then included the Passover, the Feast of Firstfruits, The Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Each of these sacred assemblies had their own special purpose and were to be observed at their appointed times, and each would bring God’s people into a special time of worship as they remembered and celebrated that special occasion. The Old Testament Jews actually had nine major and ten minor times of celebration like that which were included as a regularly scheduled part of their worship throughout the year. That tradition has carried over into the New Testament as well, and for us it also begins with a weekly Sabbath or time of gathering for worship. Easter Sunday is actually the most significant time of remembrance and celebration in the Christian calendar year, but every Sunday is also a celebration of the resurrection. Every Sunday is essentially a mini-Easter Sunday. The Lord’s Supper is another such time of remembrance and celebration that is regularly included in Christian worship. Many churches, including my own, celebrate Christmas Eve with a Christmas Eve Candlelight service to help us recall and celebrate the birth of Christ. Depending on your faith tradition and denomination, there are multiple other times of feasting, celebrating, and remembrance included as acts of worship. Not only is celebrating good for us in a general sense, but it’s also an important part of the practice of our faith. I encourage you to participate in that weekly celebration known as the worship service, but also be sure you don’t miss those special times of celebration too. God Bless, Pastor Jim |
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