Christian Revelry

Revelation 19:6-8

6 “Hallelujah!

    For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

7  Let us rejoice and be glad

    and give him glory!

For the wedding of the Lamb has come,

    and his bride has made herself ready.

8  Fine linen, bright and clean,

    was given her to wear.”

We are now in my favorite season. Football, hunting trips, temperatures that are not brutal. All serves as a background, to bring people out of themselves and to each other. The season ends in a feast of Thanksgiving. It is a time of year that gatherings occur, opposed to summer, when scattered schedules can leave us starved for fellowship. And though this world does not lack suffering, we have much to celebrate with one another.

While introspection is often necessary, it can leave us feeling lonely and isolated. Alone our problems can seem insurmountable; our failures seem more numerous; our suffering can become a heavier burden. The gospel message is that we are not alone, that we were never meant to be on our own. The loneliness we feel is a disunion from God when our sin forced us into self-inflicted exile. We are not meant to suffer alone, nor are we meant to celebrate alone.

Christ has made our union with God possible once again. And we experience the first fruits in each other as the Spirit works out to us and through us. The love Christ has for us, fosters love to pour fourth from us. The hope we find in Christ is the missing piece, and the reunion with God is joyful. God invites us to his table to celebrate, whether it be feasts in for Old Testament holidays, a wedding amongst the faithful, or a gathering in fellowship to enjoy each other and the gifts He has provided. God enjoys a gathering of his people because it connects us, in Him, where before we were disconnected in ourselves.

Whether its dinner with friends or a group viewing of a football game; include the Lord in your gatherings with prayers over meals or in conversation with a spiritual check-in. Take advantage of the season, turn to fellowship and witness the Spirit’s work amongst the throng.

Thomas Goodrich