Festivals

Celebrate a festival in My honour three times a year. Observe the Festival of Unlevened Bread. As I commanded you, you are to eat Unlevened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, because you came out of Egypt in that month. No one is to appear before me empty handed.
Also observe the Festival of Harvest with the first fruits if your produce from what you sow in the field, and observe the Festival of Ingathering  at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field. 
Bring the best of your first fruits of your land to the house of The Lord your God.

Exodus 23:14-16,19

Festivals were held to: 1) remember and 2) to honour God.

Festivals are fun and celebratory, with food and wine and rest.

We all like festivals. Our towns and cities have usually instituted some form of festival.

In Australia we have: Easter,
Christmas and New Year, Australia Day and Anzac Day.

Easter is a time to honour and remember our saviour's sacrifice, Anzac Day follows closely as a clebration to remember the sacrifice of our forebears in the Wars.
Christmas we celebrate our Saviour's coming, New Year is self explanatory and soon after in January 26 we celebrate Australia Day.

Even though our Lord was involved in all theses He rarely rates a mention,
Except for a few Christmas carols.

When God gave the Israelites the above command He reminded the people to have 'all the males appear before Me,' in verse 17. The males were not to be off at war or too busy doing their own thing, this was to deal with th root if rebellion.

We need to come back to the start from where our God first found us. Remember what that was like. I will never forget the joy of finding my Lord. How about you? That joy sustains me and compels me to honour my God with my presence and my first fruits. How about you? Enjoy this Sunday before Him. Amen!

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