Although I enjoy the humor of comedian Jim Gaffigan, I caught him on a commercial the other day and his comment irritated me. I don’t even recall what he was promoting, but he was comparing things that were good with those that are not, and said something was “like church.”
The implication was that church is dull and bad. Worshiping God is boring and restrictive, and there are many, many people who believe that whole-heartedly. Lots of people believe God does not like fun.
But in Exodus God outlines certain activities for the Hebrews. What instruction does God give in these verses?
While it is true that there are certain rules to life, and God is not a god of “anything goes,” still the fact remains that God calls us to celebrate and have a good time. These three feasts are just the basics in God’s party plan. There are other opportunities to celebrate throughout the year.
It isn’t that God doesn’t like a good time. In fact, I believe God is one of the best at providing reason and occasion for celebration. What God wants, however, is that we keep our lives and our celebrations in perspective.
There are times of work and sacrifice. There are times of hardship and struggle. But there are also times of celebration and party. What is most important in all these seasons is that we keep God as our priority and confess that all things are of God.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread celebrates that God saved His people, whom He loved. He also saved us. The Feast of Harvest and the Feast of Ingathering both recognize that God has given us what we need and continues to provide.
As we consider our faith, our worship and our offerings, we must remember that all of the good we have comes from God. Our celebrations are permitted and encouraged, but God must be honored first in all things.
DAILY CHALLENGE: Is worship a joy or a burden to you?
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