Focal passage: Psalm 100:1-5
Growing up in church, I remember reading about the feasts of Israel. I imagined royal halls swirling with people, gold goblets, jewels, foreign instruments and troupes of dancers. More like a scene from a medieval time period piece, people would laugh and move around one another in an orchestrated, almost cinematic way. I remember reading the word feast and not quite feeling like I would belong there.
But if we had been part of Israel, we would have belonged there – amidst the others, thanking the Lord for another season of His providence and goodness, worshipping through warm celebration and togetherness.
Even now, as we move into our holiday season – thawing turkeys, prepping casseroles and rolling out pie dough – we have a place at the feast of thanksgiving. The same God who provided throughout the generations of scripture has provided for us. We, too, like Psalm 100, can make a joyful noise to the Lord: the early morning clatter in the kitchen, the feet of toddlers and children pitter-pattering down the hall as they wake, the chaos of too many people in too small of a space and then the quiet rest when everyone is full or outside playing.
We still serve the Lord with gladness, thankful for those He created in His image and blessed us with. We come into His presence with singing, maybe even a few Christmas carols because we just can’t help ourselves. We know that the LORD, He is God, the keeper of covenants throughout many generations, up to ours and those we raise and beyond. We huddle together, like cozy sheep, gathered because of the care and protection of our good Shepherd. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
We, too, enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! We look around, thankful to have room at our table, however marked up it is with hot pink paint and glitter from a little one’s crafts, inviting others to share in all God has given. We think, “This, Lord, is good. You are good. How faithful you are to generations!”