Let's Party
’Tis the season of the Christmas party. We have parties at the office, parties in the neighborhood, parties with close family, and parties with extended family. Parties that we are glad to go to, as well as a few that feel like a chore. Why so many parties? From a secular perspective it is about the here and now, a festal time to pause our work rhythms and celebrate a little. From a Christian perspective, we know what we are celebrating. We celebrate the greatest gift ever given. Christ has taken on flesh to dwell among us, and to redeem a people for Himself!
One thing I try to remember in this party season is that every party is a precursor to the party that is prepared for us by our God and Savior. Listen to what God says through the prophet Isaiah: On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation." (Isaiah 25:6–9)
As children of God, all of our Christmas parties are a reminder that we are headed for the greatest party ever thrown! There will be no sadness or tension. We will all be delighted to be there and delighted with one another! The food and libations will be like none we have ever experienced. And all this because the Lamb will be in our midst, He will be the life of the party! We will be caught up in His Glory!
This week we will look at John 2 and John 11 as we contemplate what it means that Glory is unleashed in the person of Jesus. We will be drawn in to the power of Glory and what it means for the story that we are in. And while it may be true that our parties are like an acorn compared to the oak of The Party to come, may our senses explode with the fullness of a life in Christ! "This is the LORD; we (are waiting) for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash