Advent

My church asked me to write a special blog for this portion of scripture to be read during Advent.  This is not a typical blog posting from me, but I wanted to post it anyway.  After reading this particular scripture and then spending time praying over what to write, this is what came pouring out of my heart.

Zephaniah 3:14-20

The Message (MSG)

^14-15 So sing, Daughter Zion!
    Raise the rafters, Israel!
Daughter Jerusalem,
    be happy! celebrate!
God has reversed his judgments against you
    and sent your enemies off chasing their tails.
From now on, God is Israel’s king,
    in charge at the center.
There’s nothing to fear from evil
    ever again!

God Is Present Among You

^16-17 Jerusalem will be told:
    “Don’t be afraid.
Dear Zion,
    don’t despair.
Your God is present among you,
    a strong Warrior there to save you.
Happy to have you back, he’ll calm you with his love
    and delight you with his songs.

^18-20 “The accumulated sorrows of your exile
    will dissipate.
I, your God, will get rid of them for you.
    You’ve carried those burdens long enough.
At the same time, I’ll get rid of all those
    who’ve made your life miserable.
I’ll heal the maimed;
    I’ll bring home the homeless.
In the very countries where they were hated
    they will be venerated.
On Judgment Day
    I’ll bring you back home—a great family gathering!
You’ll be famous and honored
    all over the world.
You’ll see it with your own eyes—
    all those painful partings turned into reunions!”
        God’s Promise.

Christmas is almost here, it's just a few short days away.  There is a lot on my mind.  There are gifts to buy for others--neighbors, friends, and family.  There's food to prepare and plans to be made.  It's a busy, crazy, fun time of year.  And yet through all the hubbub of Christmas, I always take the time to settle down and spend quality time with the person whom this particular season is all about.  It's important for me to remember Him.  To thank Him with a grateful heart, to keep Him at the forefront of my mind and not shove Him into a closet for the next couple of weeks, only to get Him out later and dust Him off--just in case I need Him.

I don't want to have that kind of a relationship with Him.  I want my relationship with Him to be one where I sing out loud and clear for all the world to hear.  He is the center of my life.  He's more important to me than anything else on this earth.  The reason for this season.

As I read these verses in my Bible I heard something that maybe some of us have missed in the past.  Or maybe we didn't miss it, but we've forgotten about it.  Or maybe we haven't even forgotten, maybe we've just chosen not to acknowledge it.  Sometimes it's simpler that way.  What we close our ears to--well, maybe we can pretend we aren't responsible for.

However, as I study the scripture I notice that it says something akin to a command--it has a thus saith the Lord quality to it.  We are told to sing!  To raise the rafters, to be happy, and to celebrate!
Are you doing that?  Am I?
And, because of the birth of Jesus, we are told that God has sent our enemies away!  We have nothing to fear ever again!  And yet--do we really believe that?  And, if He is ever present with us, why are we so afraid?

Personally?  I refuse to live that way.  Why?  Because I believe in what the Bible has to say.  I believe in the holy scripture, I believe that Jesus came and died for me.  I believe that when I am told to sing, praise, rejoice, fear not, hold on, hang on, that I am commanded to do it all.  What stands out to me most in that scripture are the singing and fearing not parts.  Have you ever thought to count the times in the Bible which we are told to sing and fear not?  I have.  In fact, I think the more you sing, the less you fear.  Huh!  Go figure!  So yes, I believe in every last promise in this holy book.  I guess I figure that if Jesus gave His life for me, well, that's a mighty big statement.

He died so that I might live.  He loved so that I don't have to ever again live in fear.  And I won't.  I'll continue to live this fearless life of mine--no fear, for all of my burdens have rolled away, all of my enemies--are gone!  For He is the mighty warrior who saves, and He did that for all of us--that day long ago, the day He was born.

I have been a Christian for over 50 years now and part of the Covenant church for almost 20 years. What drew me in though was the denominational motto—where is it written?—with the Bible being our source for what we believe in.

So, I did a little research and I thought you might be interested in a few statistics.

The word celebrate is used 68 times in the Bible

worship-108

sing-121

rejoice-235

and the word praise-340 times.

Sing, celebrate, rejoice, be happy, live fearlessly--and this Christmas raise the rafters praising our God, our Creator, our Father, our King.  Don't be afraid!  Just sing!