A celebration  –  2019.10.15

A celebration  –  2019.10.15

Then you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household: you, the Levites and the foreigners among you.
5 Moses, Deuteronomy 26, 11

The Israelites knew why they had to eat, why they we able to live in freedom and why they were special to God: He Himself created them as a nation, He watched over them, He took them out of the slave house of Egypt, led them through the desert and brought them to the land of milk and honey. He, their strong God, protected them with His strong arm, commanded the land to be fertile, sent rain at the right time and blessed them in everything they needed. And now they come together and celebrate the feast of the harvest. They all celebrate it together, even the strangers in their midst, the foreigners, who are taken along with them to this feast of joy and this feast of joy breaks all boundaries.
We do not want to talk about the policies pertaining to foreigners, but about our dealings with people from abroad. They too are people created by God. They are in our midst and we want to share our joy with them. Of course, we have reservations when something is foreign. But we have our God who helps us to jump over walls and trenches.
The harvest festival is to remind us that we have everything from God: Fertility and work, bread, milk and wine. Cars, airplanes and many luxuries that other people don’t have. Good roads, railways, telephone, computers …. our lives are good!! Even though our people have not always walked God’s way, even denouncing the Israeli people, God has still blessed them richly; – how many years have we been free from war!
What if God withdraws His strong hand? Weather catastrophes. Controversy. War. Hunger. Chaos. Fear. Civil war. Sin without end. Lies, fraud, theft, sexual perversions and bondage, addictions. The youth is broken, has no solid ground to stand on anymore. It would be terrible if God had nothing more to say. Let us continue to pray for our country! And let us be thankful for the good times we are experiencing, for this undeserved blessing.

Thank You Jesus, You are the ruler of the universe. Thank You for the peace, the joy, for giving us all we need! Lord, let us accept strangers as Your creation and rejoice with them! You are good to us!!


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