Advent Day 2: Pre-Christmas Bash

“And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant…” (Luke 2:69)

                I once heard a young lady from Great Britain asking a college student about our Thanksgiving and its history.  I was mortified to overhear the lack of historical reference from the American student but jumped in and tried my best to explain about the small group of people who came in search of religious freedom.  How they survived their first winter…had a celebration of Thanksgiving to God.   Well, that’s the short version.  Her response, “I always thought it was just some kind of pre-Christmas bash”.   I can still hear her saying that in her beautiful British accent and I still laugh a little each time I remember that encounter.  Back then I was freaked out to think that this was the interpretation of our traditions.  The massive commercialization of Christmas was sucking Thanksgiving into its black hole of want instead of worship.

                This year, I had an experience on Thanksgiving morning that has completely rearranged my thoughts on Thanksgiving being a “pre-Christmas Bash”.  In its true sense, it is.  Not in the it’s time to shop and buy stuff kind of way, but in the truest form of worship, we must first be thankful.  We must come before His presence with thanksgiving.

Advent Heart prep day 2: Bring your present of Thanksgiving into His Presence at Christmas

                On Thanksgiving morning, I was doing the obligatory search to read some beautiful verses about, well, thanksgiving.  Using my Bible app, I searched and found the “usuals” in the list of references and then something caught my eye.  Psalm 105 starts with the exact wording of another reference that popped up way back in 1 Chronicles 16. In my curiosity as to why these verses matched, I flipped to Chronicles and there I found what I would now like to refer to as the first “Pre-Christmas Bash” or dare I say: Christmas Party.  What I read just before the words that also appear in Psalm 105 was this: “on that day David assigned…to give thanks to the Lord.” (1 Chronicles 16:7)

On what day?

The day God’s presence was with them or should I say reunited with them? 

                David and his people had just defeated the Philistines and were heading home with the ark of God!  This was HUGE because the ark was a symbol of God’s presence and it had been gone for years!  Now they are heading back with it and this was a time for great celebration.  There’s music, dancing, and David not only wears a new outfit, but gives out gifts, which included raisin cakes (aka fruit cakes) to the people! (1 Chronicles 15:27-16:7) He appointed people to sing and play instruments, he appointed the family of Asaph to lead the people in thanksgiving.  The thanksgiving that was overflowing because God was with them. 

   Fast forward to the book of Luke.  Mary is told her son will have the throne of His father David, Zacharias’ words of worship (Luke 1:68-79) include the words “the house of David His servant”.  The Word was made flesh!

   David was worshiping at a time when the people had to wait for the Messiah and had just the ark to sit in the tent/temple and wait for the presence of God to fall.  But he trusted that in the future God’s prophecy would be fulfilled and He would come not in a tent of fabric, but in the tent of human flesh.  Jesus, Immanuel would walk among us!

  Now in our New Testament era, we have so much to celebrate this Christmas.  We not only have the baby in the manger, we have the life He lived, the death He conquered, the Holy Spirit that He sent!  We have the overwhelming joy of living with God’s presence in our lives if we are believers.  Jesus promised He would send the comforter to come and He is here. (John 16:7) He is with us.  We so often live in restless defeat, but our comfort and joy has come! 
So Rest and be Merry Gentlemen & Ladies!

   We have much to celebrate this Christmas!  Many times, we go to all the events at Christmas with mundane, overwhelmed, reluctance, but this year, as you go, remember David and in your own heart, make it a celebration to God who sent His son to be with us.  Think of David bringing home the ark of God, worshiping because they had that “piece” of His presence, but we have the real, full, PEACE with His presence. 

In the days leading up to Christmas morning, go out, get dressed, eat all the festive sweets, with a heart of worship during this extended time of the Pre-Christmas Bash!

-Melissa Pyle

12/11/18