YOUR scrumptious Spirit of Feasting!

Do you have boundless Christmas spirit?

Was there a time when you celebrated gleefully as a child?

I must confess, I was always a person who celebrated all the holidays full tilt and loved it! There was something about celebration, the break from the usual momentum (especially school!), the sense of frenzy and excitement of people bustling around whether it be Christmas, Easter, Halloween... I cherished all holidays, entering colouring contests, creating crafts, decorative paraphernalia and dressing to fit whatever the occasion called for (even when it didn't!). I was carried away with the inspiration & the whimsical heart of any special occasion and took great pleasure from this.

As I grew older, some of this sparkle seemed to fade - perhaps it was the same for you?

Though I never fully arrived in the 'bah humbug' place, I recall definite turning points where the things that would have delighted my heart had less glow and lustre- the magical mystique had dissipated. I think a lot of this drab descent was a gradual conformity to the stresses, pressures & ways of doing things that the world teaches you as you grow older. I describe here the adult world where even a practical joke in the spirit of fun could be seriously punished within a work place setting (this did happen!). Even the church seemed to frown upon holidays in the sense of pointing out shameless commercialization (which let's face it will happen with every holiday & event) or raising questions about whether Christians should even be celebrating which added a twinge of doubt to any festivity within the increasingly grey forecast of adult life.

It is easy to get bogged down by the seriousness of the world where a to do list of productivity and performance or a sour religious spirit takes over and sucks out every last dribble of fun & joy. We may even believe this to be spiritually pious and holy when it resembles some form of miserable penance for a world gone wrong.

After some years of confusion and middle ground dreariness, as these varying realities culminated in a half hearted spiritedness, I now realize that the essence of any celebration is actually having spirit. The spirit of festivity reveals itself in merriment, joy, fun, celebration, feasting, togetherness, playfulness, childlikeness... necessary gems in life, goodies for all to enjoy :D

So Holy Spirit has been revealing to me how the festivity that I relished as a child is a wonderful thing after all! Celebration carries a spirit of thanksgiving and life and community and to have 'spirit' is actually a beautiful thing. I'm thinking now of the second ghost of Christmas past that visits Scrooge surrounded by luscious feast and candles. This spirit relishes in the merriment and glorious celebrating that Scrooge once enjoyed before drying into a brittle shadow of man, having lived too many years accumulating possessions without the pleasure of even tasting the spoils.

In every sense of the word, I invite you to resist any sense of poverty, dreariness, heaviness that you may have adopted or owned over the years. I bless you with the freedom to go back to those years where simple pleasures could bring merriment and to remember Christ our brother & Saviour who told us... my yoke is easy & my burden light! Let's cast our cares upon Jesus' very capable shoulders & sup with the trinity in the enjoyment of all times and seasons through the year. Jesus invited all to the feast which he also showed by dining with sinners, celebrating wedding banquets and bringing healing & rejoicing to people wherever He went. He was described as a bridegroom and even the person with most joy exceeding any person in existence, ever!

"You have loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows." (Hebrews 1:9)

Jesus was drinking from His union with the deepest trinity known to man and shared this with us all on the Cross. By opening His veins, literally offering us His body & blood, we were welcomed to the Good News Celebration and we are part of the banqueting company. He gave us the gift of refreshment, healing and an overflowing bounty as adopted sons & daughters, paying the dearest price by giving His very life. The trinity did this for all humankind because of love. The time for feasting & enjoying God is here! This is the celebration, the light, the salt (good flavour) we bring to fellow men and women. Tasting, sniffing, knowing who we are in Jesus, brings a good taste for the hungry one seeking for something more than what the world and religion are pushing. This is a good news Gospel, all sin forever has been taken care of through the stripes & trials of Christ, our human God, brother, King. He did what we never could and provided us continual feasting with the same celebratory message of life for brothers and sisters worldwide. I continue to be astounded with the implications of this Gospel as my mind is renewed to it- the old wine skin will not fit the new wine! We are new creations in Christ, meaning we have been made entirely new, nothing of the old remains. We are a new wine for the world and this is the only drink that will satisfy. Christ is the reason for all this celebrating. His crucifixion planned from the foundation of the world, provided us this most comprehensive feast which includes EVERY good gift, because God loved us that much!

So let's not waste a moment in drab grave clothes crying out as the prophets and people of old times did, it's time to celebrate! The season of celebration, rest, refreshment and partying is for every day. This is not the model of working like a mule, year round, waiting for that week or two holiday to finally relax and then press repeat. This often describes a great many people. Jesus provides a rest, refreshment and celebration that is valid for every day, whether it a statutory holiday or not! The season of merriment does not get old in the Kingdom but rather it is the very flavour the world has been given an acquired taste for... and it's a succulent one indeed (insert your favourite flavour here: candy cane, french vanilla, cinnamon twist, bavarian chocolate... ;).

I pray you will be able to enjoy the coming Christmas season in all it's glory with the full strength, light & glory that God has put within you. I declare that in every season through the year and season of life, you will bask in the enjoyment of the Lord, the Trinity and that beautiful festive spirit, His spirit, will take you through, bringing His great joy and light into every dark corner- this rejoicing spirit belongs to you!

You are so loved, so precious, so festive, so childlike, so beautiful!

Shine bright as that star topping the Christmas tree, infinite joy is yours

to discover!

Much love to you & MERRY CHRISTMAS!