Are you glad?

 Psalm 126:1–6 (ESV):  

1  When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, 

we were like those who dream. 

 2  Then our mouth was filled with laughter, 

and our tongue with shouts of joy; 

  then they said among the nations, 

“The Lord has done great things for them.” 

 3  The Lord has done great things for us; 

we are glad. 

 4  Restore our fortunes, O Lord, 

like streams in the Negeb! 

 5  Those who sow in tears 

shall reap with shouts of joy! 

 6  He who goes out weeping, 

bearing the seed for sowing, 

  shall come home with shouts of joy, 

bringing his sheaves with him. 

You can only really appreciate what you have got when you have gone through times where you have suffered. This psalm tells of the dream-like joy the people of Israel felt when they returned to their homeland after being in captivity. They had suffered physically and emotionally, they had been apart from familiarity, their homes and community, their routines disrupted, and faith shaken. Then, God made it possible for them to return - can you begin to imagine the joy?! They laughed and shouted in happiness, acknowledging that ‘The Lord has done great things for us’! Suddenly the joy of reconciliation and restoration outstripped the pain of suffering and exile. This had now been exchanged for the joy of reunion and restoration of their souls, faith and homeland. The Israelites would not have experienced that extent of happiness if there had not been the sowing in tears (v5). The depths of misery that they had known meant they could really appreciate coming ‘home with shouts of joy’. How much more beautiful does home seem when you have been away for a while? Imagine that magnified, due to being forced from home and prevented from returning, having been held captive elsewhere. The Israelites experienced that as a whole nation, imagine the noise of their jubilation; the singing, dancing, laughter, shouts and cries of joy. 

Through this time of great gladness, the people could clearly see the hand of God. They did not just express exuberant joy over the changed circumstances, they also acknowledged and celebrated how the situation had changed. They knew this restoration could not have been possible without God. He had taught them, protected them, favoured them and led them home. Therefore He was at the centre of their celebrations. It was so obvious that God had transformed the circumstances for Israel, as even those ‘among the nations’ declare, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The successful deliverance of Israel had far-reaching impact among nations! The joy, protection, and restoration of God’s people travelled to unnamed nations so that those not of God’s people, those with different faiths and cultures, could see and appreciate that there had to be a God involved in this rescue mission! What an amazing acknowledgement - that things like this do not happen unless there is God involved. Miraculous, unbelievable, unmerited favour and deliverance can only be from the hand of God. This can be seen even by those who do not yet know Him, who seem far off. Yet they are observing the lives of the people of God, and they notice what happens, and how they respond. The Israelites' experience and reaction shows other people outside of the nation that these people - they have the favour of Almighty God with them! What do people notice as they observe your life, attitude and responses? 

Are you telling people the stories from your life that celebrate God’s favour? You have things that you can joyfully tell people, about God's goodness, love, grace and power. There are incredible blessings, times of favour and deliverance you have experienced, so do not be shy about telling others about them. Whether the hearers are believers or not. For your stories could influence others to also see that God is still doing great things for His people, because of the great things He has done for you. 

So, celebrate and allow yourself to be glad, laugh, and cry with joy, for ‘The Lord has done great things for us’. Even when you are in a season of sorrow, lack or difficulty, you can be certain that there is a joy to come. This psalm explains that you will sow tears, lose fortunes, you will weep and mourn. Yet you will also bear fruit, sow seed, shout with joy, laugh and know abundance! All because of the love and favour of God! So, whether your season is one of joy or sorrow, keep your eyes fixed on Him and live to earn His favour. You don’t want to miss out on the shouts of joy, singing, dancing and laughing because life got hard and you turned your back on God, do you? 

Celebrating God

 Psalm 81:1–16 (ESV):  

1  Sing aloud to God our strength; 

shout for joy to the God of Jacob! 

 2  Raise a song; sound the tambourine, 

the sweet lyre with the harp. 

 3  Blow the trumpet at the new moon, 

at the full moon, on our feast day. 

 4  For it is a statute for Israel, 

a rule of the God of Jacob. 

 5  He made it a decree in Joseph 

when he went out over the land of Egypt. 

  I hear a language I had not known: 

 6  “I relieved your shoulder of the burden; 

your hands were freed from the basket. 

 7  In distress you called, and I delivered you; 

I answered you in the secret place of thunder; 

I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah 

 8  Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! 

O Israel, if you would but listen to me! 

 9  There shall be no strange god among you; 

you shall not bow down to a foreign god. 

 10  I am the Lord your God, 

who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. 

Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. 

 11  “But my people did not listen to my voice; 

Israel would not submit to me. 

 12  So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, 

to follow their own counsels. 

 13  Oh, that my people would listen to me, 

that Israel would walk in my ways! 

 14  I would soon subdue their enemies 

and turn my hand against their foes. 

 15  Those who hate the Lord would cringe toward him, 

and their fate would last forever. 

 16  But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, 

and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” 

This psalm is a call from God to His people to remember to celebrate Him. To rejoice at the festivals that He has proclaimed and recall why they should be celebrated. God is reminding the Israelites that they have reason to celebrate. Recalling to their minds His salvation from Egypt, His provision and faithfulness. At times, we all need reminding that God deserves to be praised, worshipped and honoured. To take time to look at what God has done, consider His promises and recollect His works of the past. God instructs His people to make time to reflect and celebrate. For when you stop to consider, His marvellous character and unlimited kindness can easily be seen.

God recounted to the Israelites that He had set apart particular times to celebrate Him through feasts and festivals. This was so that they could not only recall the great things He has done, but that they could also have fun doing it. God wants His people to; rejoice, make music, sing, dance, laugh and be happy. What a great God! He not only does some amazing things, but He wants us to publicly celebrate together. Plus He joins us in those festivities as He says this is 'our feast day'. Not your day of remembrance, but 'our' day of celebration. In the fun and partying, God is there with us. As you celebrate who God is, He joins in - isn't that wonderful! So as God has given us set moments and festivals throughout the year in order to set our minds on Him, He is present. Therefore have fun celebrating His goodness. Participate in annual festivities no matter how old or young you are or how much you want to, because God tells you to, plus He will be there. You need to ensure that you make time to recall the works and character of God and the impact He has had in your life, across the World and throughout history. It is God's expectation that you do, and He will join you in it.

It is good to honour God through celebration. Getting together and enjoying yourselves through recollecting that God delivers and answers (v7) is a good thing and God recommends it, in fact He commands it, ‘it is a statute for Israel, a rule of the God of Jacob’. It is a duty of God’s people and His legal right to be celebrated! It is essential that God’s faithfulness is remembered. It is important because God is worthy of being rejoiced in - He deserves it. Plus it is essential that we learn to enjoy God and His works and wonders because we are good at going astray (v11-13). Therefore God tells the people of God that it is His right to be praised and to be celebrated, publicly and regularly, and it is good for you and I to remember His greatness for He does, ‘subdue their enemies’ and ‘satisfy you’. Therefore make it a part of your life to set aside time and make an effort to celebrate the wonderful breakthroughs, miracles, provision, consistency, love and faithfulness of God with others. 

No matter if you feel like life is easy or hard, it is important to set your mind to remember and celebrate God's goodness. Ensure that you set aside the time to attend celebration events that commemorate God’s works and goodness, get involved and enjoy God. The Israelites had a lot of festivals and events to commemorate through the year to help them recall His provision, love, mercy and salvation. In His kindness to us, God has set an expectation that we enjoy Him and His goodness by getting together to enjoy recounting His goodness and gifts with festivals and feasting. He has given us great reasons to party!

When are you next going to celebrate God with others?

What is special about Christmas?

 As it approaches Christmas, we all have the opportunity to consider what this time of year is all about. Many of us, whether we have ever been to church or not, or consider ourselves a christian or not, have probably heard something of the nativity, or the Christmas story. The odd and complex story of a baby, some wise men, shepherds, animals, angels and something about a star.  Yet, what was all of that really about?

It was a pretty grand experience if you think about it. How many babies are greeted on Earth in the same way? 

This baby must have been special, all babies are, but this baby, born over 2,000 years ago and still talked about today - surely that is significant, but why? 

Babies are weak, helpless, vulnerable, dependent and messy. So why celebrate above the norm about this child, born in unusual, chaotic circumstances, under a bright star, welcomed by shepherds, angels and wise men? Well, those things for a start show that this child is different! How many baby’s do you know that were born with such a lot going on? Not only this, but this baby was expected. He was awaited for centuries. Before this baby was born, Isaiah, a well-renowned prophet wrote over 700 years before this baby was born, ‘Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel’. 

This was the baby that we celebrate being born that night in a hidden corner of Bethlehem amongst the mess and chaos. Over hundreds of years other prophets have foretold the birth of this baby, and they all match up to point to this baby, this child. 

We can read the account of this birth in Luke 2:1-14;

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. *2*This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. *3*And all went to be registered, each to his own town. *4*And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, *5*to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. *6*And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. *7*And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 

*8*And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. *9*And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. *10*And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. *11*For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. *12*And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” *13*And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 

*14* “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 

This is the brith of the expected child, the Immanuel. Immanuel means God with us, and what is is significant and important about the birth of this baby is that he is the son of God. God was incarnated - put on flesh - became human to become Immanuel - God with us, God dwelling with us. As John in his gospel puts it - 'the Word became flesh and lived among us’. 

This baby born in an unknown place in the midst of busy town was not an ordinary baby. He was also God. That is what makes this child so special. God; almighty, powerful, creator, dependable, majestic, gigantic God became a weak, vulnerable, messy, adorable, small, helpless baby. He swapped his divinity and strength as the limitless son of God to become dependent and vulnerable in limited human form. 

This is why christians celebrate Christmas! It is about the incarnation - God putting on flesh, becoming human in all it’s limitations. To be Immanuel - God being with us and dwelling with us. It is not just that God became human - He did not come to us as a fully formed and functioning human being, but he came as an incapable, vulnerable, dependent baby. The sin of God gave up all the luxury, riches, power and responsibility to become a helpless, lowly, dependent baby not even in control of his own bodily functions. The almighty creator God put himself in the hands of his created ones - he truly gave up all his majesty to be birthed in those conditions.  

Why would God do that? 

Why would the God of the universe, creator of all things, all-knowing, all-powerful, choose to give up all his deity, power and influence to become a dependent, messy baby? 

He did it so that;

- He could identify with you and I. He became human so that he knew the limiting factors of being so. He had to; learn, develop, grow, navigate relationships and puberty as well as experience emotions, triumph, temptations and trauma just like the rest of us. 

- As Jesus identified with us, he he also demonstrated how we too could live a God-honouring life. As he was fully God and fully man, Jesus could show how to live really giving God the glory. He is a great role model through the way he lived, spoke, taught, acted as well as how he suffered and died. 

- Jesus died, after being cruelly tortured and killed to be our salvation. This is why when he was born he was referred to as a ‘saviour’. Jesus life was intended from the beginning to save us. He died for every wrong you and I have ever committed, he paid the cost of the guilt and shame and separation this brings between us and God - Jesus could be the only one to bridge the gap because he is God and man, and so he obediently did it.

- Ultimately, Jesus did all of this to express God’s love for us. He could only do it properly by becoming a man - how would we relate or understand otherwise? Jesus gave up all of his divine power, knowledge and capabilities to become a limited, frail, vulnerable baby in order to show you and I how much he loves us. 

That is the reality of the incarnation, or what Jesus being Immanuel is and what Christmas is all about. The God of the universe limited himself to the life of a baby to rescue you, restore you and remain with you all your days. Is it any wonder that christians get excited at this time of year?! It is a chance to celebrate and be grateful for the reality of who God is and ti celebrate his love for us all.