Scriptures: Deuteronomy 12:7-8
You will have a feast there, each of you and your families, in the LORD your God’s presence, and you will celebrate all you have done because the LORD your God has blessed you. Don’t act like we’ve been acting here lately—everyone doing what seems right to them…
Thought for the Day: As I am still feeling the ramifications of my multiple trips to the refrigerator for leftovers, I am thankful for the feasting I have done with my family. This passage comes at a turning point – the people preparing to enter the Promised Land. The Lord does not say to the people, “Shape up, change your ways and then you can feast.” Feasting is not used as a prize or a carrot, but as a place where reflection through thanksgiving occurs. As we feast, it is hard not to appreciate the food set before us. It is also difficult to ignore the stories of those who have nothing, those hospitalized, those waiting for test results, those in places of war and great poverty. The feast pushes us to a place of both appreciation and action. We should not continue in the ways that are destructive to community, but seek to enrich and strengthen the lives of others. Let the feast be enjoyed, but also let the feast challenge us and let it strengthen us for the work that lies ahead.
Prayer: Thank you for being the Source and Master of our feast, Lord God. Thank you for all you provide. As we enjoy and celebrate, let us also hear your call to bring the feast to others so that they can feast upon the food, the loving fellowship or the encouragement found in community. This we ask in the name of the one who was and is the Bread of Life. Amen.
THIS SUNDAY
IS THE FIRST SUNDAY
OF THE ADVENT SEASON
