| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “A season of celebration” Our Bible verse for today: “There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven … a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:1;4 (CSB Our thought for today: “A season of celebration” Hello everyone. I’m back. I thought I had been taking a break from writing these daily devotional messages to engage in a period of quiet reflection and deep introspection, but Aimee tells me I was just sitting there with my chin on my chest gazing at my navel and that it was time to get back to work. So, here I am. The season of Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years is my favorite six weeks of the year. It’s a festive time of giving thanks, celebrating, and expressing hope for the future. I love the family gatherings, the giving of gifts, the increased sense of togetherness we all share, and the anticipation of the coming year. There’s usually lots of laughter and joy and fun. We need seasons like this. Celebrating is good for us. The dictionary says that to celebrate is “To observe a day or event with ceremonies of respect, festivity, or rejoicing.” When explaining the concept of celebrating from a Biblical perspective, the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology tells us that celebrating is at the core of life for the people of God. Celebration is depicted in the Bible numerous times in multiple ways including festivals, weddings, religious ceremonies, the Lord’s Supper, in celebratory poetry such as in the Psalms, and much more. Clearly God intended for times of celebration to be a regular part of life for His people, which is why Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes chapter three that there are special times established specifically for celebrating. We need to be reminded of that. Life is hard during the worst years, and challenging even in the best of times. Ups and downs, peaks and valleys, good times and bad – we just have to lean into it, push through it, and keep going. That being the case, a season of celebration is a great way to end one year and lead us into the next. We all need a few weeks of laughing, feasting, and gift-giving. We need a period characterized by love, joy, praise, and hope. We need to do some celebrating. Granted, there are practical realities that must be accounted for and adjusted to as well, life is still life, but we can and should find ways to celebrate. All this month we will explore the Bible to discover the many forms celebration can take in the lives of God’s people. We will of course spend time considering Christmas and New Years as special occasions for celebration and festivities, but we will also discuss the importance of many other times and occasions for celebrations. Life can be hard. Times of celebration serve not only to give proper attention to special occasions and events, but they also help to alleviate tension and release stress. Celebrating also reminds us to lighten up a little and enjoy life more. Let’s do that. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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