Deuteronomy 16:10-11 (NLT2)
10 Then celebrate the Festival of Harvest to honor the LORD your God. Bring him a voluntary offering in proportion to the blessings you have received from him.
11 This is a time to celebrate before the LORD your God at the designated place of worship he will choose for his name to be honored. Celebrate with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites from your towns, and the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live among you.
Celebration is the act or process, and time of celebrating and according to the Lord’s command in Vs 11 to open our hands wide to those who are less fortunate than we are.
In what ways can you be more generous or more attentive to the poor and needy people around you especially in this season?
When we think of celebration, we always think of enjoying ourselves and having a great time, sometimes in the company of others. There are all kinds of celebrations we partake in-birthdays, anniversaries of all sorts, promotions, award ceremonies, weddings and so much more, some of us, the Lord’s supper is a celebration and annually or occasionally we celebrate Easter, valentine, mothers/Father’s Day and Christmas.
What makes celebrations and especially Christmas unique is that it takes the ordinary out of our everyday mundane lives to do something special, festive that connects us with the important people in our lives.
God wants us to always have something to celebrate as He wanted the children of Israel to do certain occasions regularly because the people were so forgetful and quick to turn to other gods and like many of us, have short memories of good tidings in our lives that warrants celebration. Exodus 13:3-10 goes as far as instructions to celebrate the dedication of the firstborn son.
Because we have short memories, Christmas, Easter and other special occasions are designed to help us recall and to teach our children what God had done for His people and what He will continue to do. We participate in these celebrations by thanking God for how He has worked in the past and by reminding each other of His faithfulness.
Joy and fun are God’s intention for us all and they should be part of our daily lives, not just on occasional celebration because they lift our spirits and help us see the beauty, value and meaning of life.
During the time of joy and celebration at the dedication of the temple in Nehemiah 8:10, the people celebrated with feasting, festivities and thanksgiving in remembrance of God’s goodness and faithfulness towards them, but it was all done in unity, together with loved ones, neighbours, friends and families. It was also a time to rededicate themselves to God which we should learn to do during such times.
What has God not done for you? According to Deuteronomy 2:7, He’s done so many things and more that are worth celebrating. He’s led, protected, and provided for you, so celebrating Him is not too much to ask. So, celebrate the Lord, celebrate all the people and events that need to be celebrated.
We don’t have to wait only on occasional days or events to give presents, give something of value-a call, a coffee/tea, a token of affection to a friend, brother, sister, or neighbour for them just being them, just to appreciate and celebrate knowing them. A freewill offering expresses thankfulness for God’s goodness and faithfulness.
Thanksgiving should be at the heart of every celebration otherwise it would be empty partying.
Celebrate your friends’ and loved ones’ achievements, growth and lives as much as you can, don’t wait for special days, make every day a special day.
Let the joy of the Lord flood in, it lasts longer and had more meaning to your celebration.
Shalom