Celebration and thanksgiving can be looked at as the two sides of the same coin; they go hand in hand. Thanksgiving is an acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness; it is the act of giving thanks, a prayer expressing gratitude. Celebration refers to the remembrance of what God has done in our lives; it is the action of celebrating an important day or event. When we celebrate, we bless, exalt, extol, glorify and magnify God for His wondrous acts and interventions in our lives.
There are scriptural references, where God expressly commands celebration of certain events - such as the Passover (Exodus 12:1-18), the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Harvests and the Feast of Ingathering (Exodus 23:14-16)- to mention but a few. However, ample examples abound where individuals break into a celebration of God’s goodness either for something done in their corporate or individual lives. For instance, Hannah enthusiastically celebrated God’s providence to her (1 Sam.2:1-10) after years of being taunted of her childless estate by her mate, Penina; and following the answer to her vow to God (1 Sam. 1:10-11). After the epoch-making crossing of the Red Sea, Moses and the children of Isreal celebrated the mighty hand of God (Exodus 15:1-19), and Miriam and the women would not want to be outdone: “Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them:
"Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
he has hurled into the sea." (Exodus 15:20-21)
In the New Testament, following the angelic announcement of her divine election as the vessel of Christ’s earthly conception and birth, Mary magnified the Lord (Luk 1: 46-55). Her cousin, Elizabeth, did same when God removed a long-standing reproach from her life (Luk 1:24-25). The wealthy man in the parable of the Lost Son, celebrated the return of the son (Luk 15: 22-24). Jesus was celebrated with a triumphant entry into Jerusalem - prelude to His crucifixion, death and resurrection – three events that confirm His purpose and assignment as the Savior of the world (Mark 11:1-10)
For our context today, God has done and continues to do great things for us. As basic as it may seem, and captured in Lord’s Prayer, He continues to make daily provisions for us. Behold, God has brought us to the month of December, the climax of 2024 which of course began in the month of January. We’re still standing in spite of the global and local upheavals in politics, the economy, devastating effects of war, terrorism and insecurity. The theme of our five-part series for the month of December is “Celebration!”, and we are thanking God for His goodness and mercy. Join us this and every Sunday, on-line or in person, as we explore the theme.
#Celebrations #Faithfulness #AppreciateGod #DivineGoodness #MercyOfGod #DecemberSeries #EdenSquareChristianAssembly #EdenSquareTv #BasilChukwuezi #JoinUsThisSunday
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