Reason to Celebrate....

Traditions, how many do we have? How do we celebrate them? Traditions can be a good or bad thing. Good being -remembrance of an event, keeping us from forgetting something important. Bad being - celebrating something but forgetting the real reason behind it. And these celebrations can be both good and bad at the same time. An example of this would be Easter. We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. It could also be seen as bad because there are many people who don’t even know the “why” behind it. They think it’s about the Easter bunny, searching for hidden eggs, and food. Another example of forgetting what a tradition celebrates is Mardi Gras. It was supposed to celebrate the beginning of the Lent season, but unfortunately it’s gotten so distorted that it’s blasphemous. In New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro it can be seen as the perfect example of sinful behavior on display. And the world flocks to join in. The purpose of tradition of the Israelites was always to remember what God did for them. Whether it be rescuing them out of Egypt (Passover), or for Messianic Jews, the taking of bread at the Last Supper in communion, or to the tradition in today’s passage in Esther, Purim, the entire point is to remember what God did for His people. Our job is to celebrate by not forgetting God, which usually means putting Him first in our lives. When we celebrate and forget why we celebrate, or substitute in any other reason other than the real one, the tradition becomes a “religious” activity, that will separate us from God, not bringing us closer to Him. Today, examine the traditions you celebrate. See if you’ve forgotten the real purpose for the celebration. If you have forgotten, ask God to forgive you for forgetting Him, and to help you see all that He has done and continues to do in your life. Traditions are great, fun, and a time to fellowship with family and friends, but make sure you know the real reason why you celebrate. It will mean so much more to you and to others.

20 Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to the Jews near and far, throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes, 21 calling on them to celebrate an annual festival on these two days. 22 He told them to celebrate these days with feasting and gladness and by giving gifts of food to each other and presents to the poor. This would commemorate a time when the Jews gained relief from their enemies, when their sorrow was turned into gladness and their mourning into joy.23 So the Jews accepted Mordecai’s proposal and adopted this annual custom. 24 Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews, had plotted to crush and destroy them on the date determined by casting lots (the lots were called purim). 25 But when Esther came before the king, he issued a decree causing Haman’s evil plot to backfire, and Haman and his sons were impaled on a sharpened pole. 26 That is why this celebration is called Purim, because it is the ancient word for casting lots.So because of Mordecai’s letter and because of what they had experienced, 27 the Jews throughout the realm agreed to inaugurate this tradition and to pass it on to their descendants and to all who became Jews. They declared they would never fail to celebrate these two prescribed days at the appointed time each year. 28 These days would be remembered and kept from generation to generation and celebrated by every family throughout the provinces and cities of the empire. This Festival of Purim would never cease to be celebrated among the Jews, nor would the memory of what happened ever die out among their descendants.29 Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote another letter putting the queen’s full authority behind Mordecai’s letter to establish the Festival of Purim. 30 Letters wishing peace and security were sent to the Jews throughout the 127  provinces of the empire of Xerxes. 31 These letters established the Festival of Purim–an annual celebration of these days at the appointed time, decreed by both Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther. (The people decided to observe this festival, just as they had decided for themselves and their descendants to establish the times of fasting and mourning.) 32 So the command of Esther confirmed the practices of Purim, and it was all written down in the records. Esther 9:20-32