Friday; October 29

This weekend, Jeane and I celebrate the beginning of our sixth year in Southern Maryland. It is hard to believe we have been here for five years already. While I am not looking for someone to throw us a party, I do believe there is value in celebrating successes and marking anniversaries. We have seen the value of it in things like national celebrations (such as the Fourth of July) as well as the personal affirmation of remembering special days in our lives (such as sobriety anniversaries). No, we should not get stuck merely remembering the past, but by celebrating events and accomplishments, we can keep important things in mind.
One example of this is the Christian tradition of meeting on the first day of the week. While the Jews of the Old Testament had several remembrances, the most common one we find in the New Testament era is the weekly worship assembly. Each Sunday (the first day of the week in the United States), we are called upon to reflect on Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and His victory over the tomb. We have some insight into how the early church marked the weekly remembrance and we seemed to be challenged to do the same thing, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:23-25). I guess the reference to “the day” could mean a couple of different things, but I have always liked to attribute this verse to the weekly, regularly scheduled gathering of the church.

Let’s be excited about celebrating together – especially that special day that reminds us of the ultimate victory of Jesus over the grave.

Think About It!

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