HAPPY FESTIVE SEASONS!!!

WHAT DOES FESTIVALS MEANS?

There were seven annual festivals prescribed in the law of Moses, arranged at three different time slots (a) spring: Passover (Exod. 12:12-13) “For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” Unleavened Bread, (Exod. 12:17) “So you shall observe the feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.” First fruits; (b) summer: Harvest; (c) Fall: Trumpets, Day of Atonement, And Shelters. These festivals resolve around harvest times (Haggai 1:6) “You have sown much and bring in little; you eat but do not have enough; you drink but, you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages earns wages to put in a bag with holes.” which was very much in keeping with an agricultural society. Another festival, Purim, developed during the time of Esther.  In addition other festivals were held on such occasions as a weaning, a marriage and a family celebration. In the church, the Lord’s Supper likely centered around a festive meal (Matt. 26:26-29) “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to His disciples and said, “Take eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My father’s kingdom.” But as the world transforms with time keeping the religious festivals often became empty rituals- celebrated hypocritically rather than sincerely and thus were criticized by the prophets (1 Sam. 15:20-23) “And Saul said to Samuel, But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took off the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” So Samuel said: “Has the Lord has great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.” See also (Isa. 1:14) “Your New Moon and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them.” But more important than keeping the religious festivals is treating one’s neighbor justly, in love and in mercy (Deut. 1:16-17) “Then I commanded your judges at that time saying, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between  a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him. You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you bring to me, and I will hear it.”

THE LORD’S SUPPER

The Lord’s Supper was the last gathering Jesus held with His disciples before His death on the cross and He admonish them to do it often in remembrance of Him and His disciples continued to observe that (Acts 20:7)”Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.” Although the phrase “to break bread” could mean an ordinary meal, it more likely refers to the observance of the Lord’s Supper in obedience to Christ’s command. The “first day of the week” was a special day, celebrating the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Since the believers in Troas had gathered together to break bread, they also used the occasion to hear the Word of God expounded by the apostle Paul. Intending to leave the next day, he had much to say to them for their instruction and edification. The meeting’s central feature, the breaking of bread, is reminiscent of what the Gospels tell about the Lord’s institution of this ordinance. The Supper did not last as long as Paul’s message, but the form of expression shows it to be the primary purpose of the gathering. From this we learn that the Lord’s is not a perfunctory addition to a service, but an integral part of the meeting of the local church. As it is written (1 Cor. 11:26) “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”

THE FEAST OF PURIM

The feast of Purim or known as Esther and Mordecai’s feast was introduced on the fourteenth and the fifteenth day of the month of Adar i. e. the month of December when the Jews armed themselves to defend themselves against their enemies who were to destroy, kill, annihilate and plunder their properties; the first decree that was made by Haman who was no more (Esther 8:16-17) “The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor. And in every province and city, wherever the king’s command and degree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them.”  On the thirteenth day of the month of Adar the Jews destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the citadel plus ten sons of Haman. On the fourteenth day the Jews gathered again to defend themselves (9:15-17) “And the Jews who were in Shushan gathered together again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed three hundred men at Shushan; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.  The remainder of the Jews in the king’s provinces gathered together and protected their lives, had rest from their enemies but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. And on the fourteenth of the month they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness.”  Because the province was big, large and wide, they had two days to feast in the city and other provinces (V.18-22) “But the Jews who were at Shushan assembled together on the fourteenth day; and on the fifteenth of the month they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. Therefore the Jews of the villages who dwelt in the enwalled towns celebrated the fourteenth day of the month of Adar with gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and for sending presents to one another. And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews , near and far, who were in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and the fifteenth day of the month of Adar, as the days on which the Jews  had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending present to one another and gifts to the poor.”

BEHOLD THE BABY

The birth of Jesus Christ is a day that was marked and celebrated yearly every twenty- fifth day of the month of Adar (Luke 2:8-14) “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”  The angel speaks of future joy and blessing coming to humanity through the birth of a child in Bethlehem. This place was spoken of as the “city of David” because David himself was born there. It was fitting that Jesus who was of the house of David, should be born in Bethlehem, in fulfillment of a prophecy made six centuries earlier (Mic. 5:2)”But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” The baby is proclaimed as “a Savior” because that will be His ultimate work on the Cross, and also as “Christ the Lord.” The Greek word “Christ” means “Anointed,” as does the Hebrew word “Messiah.” Hence the divine messenger is stating specifically that the infant is indeed the long-promised Messiah, who will usher in the divine kingdom among mankind. As a baby, this Messiah s identified fully with human beings, but as the Anointed Savior and Lord He will demand the full royalty of His people.  John said (John 3:17) “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

FOR UNTO US, A CHILD IS BORN

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us, a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom” (Isa. 9:6-7) In this triumphant song Isaiah rejoices as though the promised Child of the house of David has already been born. Beloved, let us join prophet Isaiah in joy and gladness, feasts and celebrations but only let’s do it wisely and differently this season by remembering the poor, needy and destitute in our neighborhood. Let’s forget all the uncertainties and circumstances that we may have gone through and let us dwell in the present and future. For our God is a faithful and merciful Father; and He alone hold our tomorrow.

I wish us a Fabulous Festive Seasons with Joy, Gladness, Peace and Hope!!!

“Grace to you and Favor from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with us all. Amen and Amen and Amen.”