“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14
Yesterday was a little bit sad. After all the work of setting up and enjoying the Christmas decorations, and without warning, Katie started taking them down. All those 23 boxes that were unpacked had to be RE-packed and placed into storage until next year. And the celebration of Christmas, at least according to the school calendar, isn’t even over!
If you’ve been to my house you know how beautiful Katie decorates it. With 8 Christmas trees and lights and decorations everywhere, it’s like a wonderland to me. But now, the bright corners have started to become dark. I am remembering that DE-lighting Christmas is NOT delightful! It feels kind of like the last day of a great vacation where the inevitable has arrived! It’s times like this that I envy the Old Testament celebrations God gave to Israel!
Today, Americans go Ga-Ga over Christmas for all the wrong reasons! It is SUPPOSED to be a time that we celebrate the birth of our Savior! Sadly Easter, our next Christian celebration, barely registers as a celebration in the non-Christians world. But back in the days of the Old Testament, God established SERIOUS celebrations with SERIOUS purposes in mind! SEVEN of them to be exact!
A study of the Festivals is an in depth look into the heart of God. I’m not going to go through them here, but you can see them at the link below. The point of all of God’s instructions is to show that God WANTS us to join Him and celebrate His love, grace, forgiveness and presence. And actually He wants us doing it ALL THE TIME!
How can ANYONE honestly not believe that God isn’t like a party animal! Even the Bible verse today encourages us to FORGET what was yesterday, and PRESS ON toward a PRIZE! An ETERNAL Christmas where Christ WILL be EVERYTHING…ALL THE TIME. And WE will be WITH HIM FOREVER! Light celebrating Light!
Admittedly, I don’t care for the de-lighting after Christmas because it reminds me that a special time is over. But I LOVE God’s idea and motivation to LOOK FORWARD toward an even BIGGER celebration that will never end. THAT kind of anticipation gives me cause to serve Him even more in the here and now!
So… what are YOU looking forward to?
