What is celebration? What can be celebrated? Who can be celebrated? What is the significance of celebration? When is the time for celebration? How do we respond to God in celebration? These and many more are the questions we would attempt to answer in the course of the series for this month, All-Round Celebrations!
Growing up, many years ago, I remember the joy and wonder that accompany the month of December; especially for the celebration of Christmas. It was a time to look forward to new clothes, specially prepared food, gifts, the company of friends and relatives; far and near. It was generally a time for celebration of life, highlighted by commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Today, and for most adults, it appears this celebration has been subdued by the grind of everyday life, especially in a developing country as ours. But it ought not to be so. The iconic gospel music artiste, BeBe Winans in one of her songs alludes that Christmas is timeless and should be celebrated every day. And not just Christmas; everyday we are alive calls for a celebration! We should cultivate a lifestyle of celebration, even in the midst of challenges (Psm. 118:4-5). The Apostle Paul, writing to the Philippian church tells us, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). I like the perspective of Jesus, speaking to His disciplines in John 16:21 “A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world”.
As the calendar for this year comes to an end, you may be wondering if there is a reason to celebrate. But if God could end over four hundred years captivity of the Israelites by Egypt in one night, He is more than able to give you a reason to celebrate. No wonder Moses, following God’s instructions declared to the Israelites, “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance” (Ex. 12:14). For us in the New Testament Church, Christ is our Passover Lamb and He commands us to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)
Our four-part series for the month of December, “All-round Celebrations” is a discourse on the faithfulness of God, who sees us through challenges and gives us reason for celebration, always and in every area of our lives. Join us this Sunday as we celebrate Jesus and conclude the series.
God bless you.
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