25 Days to Celebrate

Warriors Arise: December 1, 2021

Luke 2:8-20 (NKJV) Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, 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, goodwill toward men!” 15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

My youngest daughter turned 10 yesterday. She is all about celebrating EVERYBODY'S birthday. No, really. She likes to celebrate birthdays, even if it is not hers. We make homemade birthday cards. It is the most special gift each sibling gives. She will start working on a card for someone a week or more before their birthday, then forget where she hid it. She has been heartbroken on more than one occasion when she spent all day looking for the card she made. She loves to celebrate people on their birthday! This year when we were preparing for her sister's birthday, which was three weeks ago, she asked, "Mom, why don't we have a birthday cake for Jesus' birthday?" I didn't have an answer for her. My gift to the kids has always been their birthday cake. They pick out a theme and I try to get creative with how I am going to decorate their cake. I make it after they go to bed the night before we are doing to celebrate. This year, for Charis, I was up much later than what I intended. Even though it was a simple cake, it was time consuming; because I had to make three cakes the exact same size using one pan so the cooking time added up. I didn't get to bed until 5:30am. The look on her face was priceless! She stared at the cake and took it all in. She forgot we were waiting on her to blow out the candles!

As we concluded our 30 days of communing with God yesterday, I would like to focus on what it would look like to celebrate with God. What kind of a birthday party do you think they throw in heaven? When Charis asked me why I didn't make a birthday cake to celebrate Jesus' birthday, I began to contemplate what the celebration must be like in heaven. It was a big day! I can't imagine that the angels could comprehend what God was doing when He sent His Son to earth knowing He would be crucified. They had heard the prophets of old. They knew what Jesus would go through. What was so special about mankind that God would send His Son to be the Savior of the world?

There are some celebrations God instructs the people in the Old Testament to set aside two weeks for a certain celebration. Do you think we could indulge in celebrating Jesus' birth as the Redeemer of our world, of our lives for 25 days?

How does that hit you? 25 days of celebrating Jesus' birthday, His coming to earth to be our Savior, Redeemer, Messiah, King of kings and Lord of lords, Prince of Peace, Almighty God, Emmanuel, Lamb of God, and Lion of Judah. He is the Rock our Salvation, the First and the Last, He is the Alpha and the Omega, He opens prison doors, set the captives free, releases people from bondage, conquers fear and makes the impossible possible. He is the Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the Darkness, the God who leads us into triumph, and calls us His own. He delivers me from all evil. He puts a hedge of protection around me. He calls me His own.

What if you and I celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ for the next 25 days? I know Charis could. What about you? What if we took the list of 25 from above and celebrated His coming to earth to bring us what we needed to receive what God promised?

What does God do to celebrate Jesus' birth? If He only invited those who knew how to celebrate the birth of other's would you be invited? Think about it: who wants someone at their birthday party who doesn't know how to celebrate the value of people. I have had to learn to celebrate the value of others.

True confession. I used to be terrible at remembering other people's birthdays. Honestly, I rarely remembered my own nor my age. Someone would ask me how old I was and I would turn to my husband. I remember saying I was 47 for three years! When I was 45, I said I was 47. When I was 46, I said I was 47. I was relieved when I finally was 47, because then I was right! Too funny! But too true! I have hurt some friends terribly because they knew how to celebrate birthdays and I didn't. I forgot. Sometimes I would get the right month but the wrong day. Other times I had the right day but wrong month. It was ridiculous! I had to learn to value others. This summer I turned 50 and a friend told me, "You have entered your decade of Jubilee!" Oh yea, that's what I am talking about! The years of Jubilee!

I am still learning to celebrate birthdays. That is the day God chose to bring them on the earth for a specific purpose. God's love for each one is overwhelming. He is amazing. In all that we do for Christmas and teaching our children why we celebrate the holiday, I had never thought to make Jesus a birthday cake. I spend half the night making my kids their birthday cake as my gift to them and they understand the time I invest in that cake and it being specifically made for them in that particular year, demonstrating their value and their importance in my life. I don't know that God wants me to make a cake for Jesus' birthday, but it may be a demonstration of my love for Jesus that my kids can comprehend.

The next 25 day may stretch you. We do not tend to celebrate Jesus for more than a day or two during the Christmas season and then again on Resurrection Day. What about celebrating Jesus for 25 days? Will you join me?

Father, I am incredibly thankful You sent Your Son to earth. Who would want to leave heaven to come to earth? But He chose to come, because He loves You. His sacrifice for me is worth my adoration, understanding and celebrating the value of who Jesus is and what He did for me and all mankind. I bless the name of the Lord, my God, my Savior. I will worship You and You alone. Thank You for the gift of Salvation. Thank You for making a way out of my sinful life and into a life filled with value, purpose, and achievement. Jesus, You are my Savior and I will worship You. You are the One who saved me from my sin and set me upon the mountain, out of the the muck and the mire. I needed to be saved and You came for me and all mankind. I will worship You for saving me, in Jesus' name amen.

A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,

Veridee Joy Hand

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