Parties, Praise, & Purification in the New Year

This certainly is a very joyous and wonderful time of year... full of excitement and merriment, time spent with family and friends, remembering the good things at life that so often get lost in all the shuffle. And on New Years, it is often tradition to move from the celebration of the holidays into the hopes of the year to come. Many times we get lost in the parties of the season, forgetting the deeper more meaningful aspects of this special season. Reading Zephaniah today, I was reminded of the importance of all three... parties, praise and purification.

Instead of getting lost in hosting many parties, we need to take time to move beyond... into praising God for the gifts and wonderous blessings... and both accepting and praying for the purification that Jesus offers us, that will make all of the difference in the upcoming year.

Parties

¹⁴ Sing, Daughter Zion;
shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
¹⁵ The LORD has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm. ~Zephaniah 3:14-15

Singing, dancing, shouting, being glad and rejoicing... Zephaniah draws a pretty clear picture of a beautiful party. Laughter, merriment and joy. That's what we all wish for holiday parties. We're usually pretty good about making sure this happens during the holidays. Sleeping in late, making all of our favorite holiday foods, giving gifts, watching the classic "A Christmas Story", etc.

But these parties oftentimes aren't as joyful as they could be. This joy is deeper when we remember what it's all about. After all, as one of my favorite verses states, "the joy of the Lord is my strength." When our Christmas festivities are filled with the joy of the Lord, our lives are strong... and so are our parties. The reason for this joy is of course what Christ has given to us. Verse 15 explains that "the Lord has taken away your punishment." We no longer need to live trying to earn our keep in the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus has given us the gift of eternal love and acceptance. Now that's a reason to laugh, sing, dance, rejoice, and party!

Praise

⁵ The LORD within her is righteous;
he does no wrong.
Morning by morning he dispenses his justice,
and every new day he does not fail,
yet the unrighteous know no shame. ~Zephaniah 3:5

¹⁷ The LORD your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.” ~Zephaniah 3:16-17

It makes sense that we would be moved to praise the Lord who is righteous and just, (v. 5) and at the same time loving and mighty to save (v.17). The Lord has shown his righteousness to His people in many ways. He has shown His love and saving grace to me, and I hope that He has shown it to you. If you haven't felt it in a very powerful way, I'm praying for you this Christmas... that you may open up your heart to feel the most amazing change in your life... that Christ may come to show you the way He can change you this new year.

And when you have truly felt what God offers to you, I am sure that you will be moved to praise Him. Praise is the exaltation of the most Holy God for who He is! We often connect thanksgiving with praise, because thanks is often what moves us to praise the Lord our God. For instance, I am thankful today for safe travels, time with family (cousins, parents, brother, and in-laws too), rest after a long semester, and my first Christmas with my wonderful husband who I love so much. I am so thankful for all of these good gifts that I will praise the Lord for His character that has blessed us and also given us the gift of His son.... the ultimate gift that has changed, renewed and refreshed my life- the power of the Holy Spirit to work in and through me.

Purification

⁹ “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
that all of them may call on the name of the LORD
and serve him shoulder to shoulder.
¹⁰ From beyond the rivers of Cush
my worshipers, my scattered people,
will bring me offerings.
¹¹ On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame
for all the wrongs you have done to me,
because I will remove from you
your arrogant boasters.
Never again will you be haughty
on my holy hill.
¹² But I will leave within you
the meek and humble.
The remnant of Israel
will trust in the name of the LORD.
¹³ They will do no wrong;
they will tell no lies.
A deceitful tongue
will not be found in their mouths. ~Zephaniah 3:9-13

This section of Zephaniah as well as others in previous chapters mention the humbling of the people, but I chose this verse here due to its explicit mention of purification by God. First, verse 9 mentions that the Lord will "purify the lips of the people". This is meaningful to me, because we often think of "purification" or "repentance" as a difficult, burdensome task. But just as He has promised, the Lord's "yoke is easy and His burden is light." When we ask the Lord to enter our hearts again and again, accepting the freedom that comes from His forgiveness, it is not all on our own. Instead, the power of the Holy Spirit works in us, purifying our lips, our heart, our minds.

Now, purification or repentance is not often thought of during the holiday season. But I believe, just as Zechariah poses, that it has a very important place. We are celebrating and praising the Lord, thankful for all He has done for us. But when we truly recognize the Lord and open our hearts to Him, He will move us beyond praise to repentance... encouraging us to change and become more and more like He was.

Year after year, we hold the tradition of establishing New Year's Resolutions, to eat this or that, to exercise more, to spend more time with family. All of these are fine goals. But this year, I challenge us all to make Christ-Like Resolutions. Pray about what changes Jesus would want to see in your life. Make a list of those things. Pray continuously and work at them, so that we may bless our brothers and sisters through our new purified spirit. Perhaps we need a little more patience, a kinder outlook, more time giving to others, a more missional attitude for our church, a consistent daily quiet time in reading the Bible and prayer. After all, Christ is the reason for the season. By making Christ-Like Resolutions, we recognize His presence all year round... keeping that strength with us. "The joy of the Lord is our strength!" (Nehemiah 8:10)