We Like To Party

By Sunday afternoon, my father – no doubt surprised at our extended slovenly behaviour – reminded me that my 16th birthday was not an attempt at a Jewish feast.

1 Kings 8.62-66

Reference:  v.65b They celebrated it before the Lord our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. (NIV Bible)

Explore:  For my sixteenth birthday I invited four of my closest school friends to stay over for the weekend.  We commandeered our living room, covered the floor with mattresses and basically ate and watched videos all weekend.  By Sunday afternoon, my father – no doubt surprised at our extended slovenly behaviour – reminded me that my 16th birthday was not an attempt at a Jewish feast.  Now, having read how Solomon celebrated the dedication of the Temple, I can see where Dad was heading.  In today's standards, a party is considered extreme if it goes all night; in Solomon's day, a party was considered standard if it went all week!  Our party planners could certainly learn a thing or two from the Jewish celebrants.

Application:  All the parties I can think of celebrate other people.  What kind of party would we put together to celebrate the Lord?  This could not be just any kind of party, we would be worshipping and honoring God through our celebration.  What a joyful time it should be.  I wonder if it would be a glimpse of Heaven, to spend extended amounts of time worshipping and celebrating God.  I realise that as Christians we dedicate every day to God but the regularity often makes it mundane.  Do our worship services add an element of celebration?  Does our quiet time promote a party atmosphere?  Our God has given us all things, surely He is worthy to be celebrated in the best way possible.

Prayer:  O Lord, you are worthy of all our praise.  May we celebrate you today with thankful hearts.  Amen.

What would you ultimate worship party look like?

1 Kings