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"And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God." -- Philippians 1:9-11

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Day 5: Celebrate!

I got to go to church today!  This might seem a little obvious since it is Sunday, but it has actually been a little while since I have been to church.  This is due to a few unplanned and one planned event in the form of a) ski instructor training weekend, b) a missed bus and another bus that didn’t stop to pick me up, and c) two Sunday services cancelled because of ridiculous amounts of snow.  As a result, my last day of church was January 18th.

So today I tromped through the snow at 7:30am and made it to Union UMC for the 8:00 service to join the voices of other early risers to praise God and give thanks for this day.  And this is cause for celebration.

In Luke 19:28-40, Jesus is riding into Jerusalem, in the moment we traditionally celebrate on Palm Sunday.  People are lining the path, laying their coats before Jesus, and celebrating God joyfully, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”  Then Jesus is challenged to stop the celebration, and he responds with the most interesting phrase, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

The stones.  Rocks?  Rocks praising God?  It sounds a little strange to me.  I remember talking with a friend once, and he told me that the ability to praise God is a gift.  The celebration of the life that God has given, complete with God’s ever-present and all abiding love, is a joy in and of itself.  Why would we hand-over such a treasure to the rocks?

With this mentality I come to join in worship.  Knowing that the ability to praise God, in whatever form that may look like for you, is a gift to fill your heart with joy, peace, and love.  How will you celebrate God today?


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