Look and Celebrate
Do you remember the first time you saw a firework display? The power, the beauty, the volume, possibly the fear? With something as awe-inspiring as a professional fireworks display, it's tough not to be taken aback by some combination of these emotions when you're first exposed to them.
When I was younger back in Colorado, we used to plan our whole day around making sure we had the best spot for the fireworks, and we'd lay out blankets and just revel in the sheer awe of the display our city put on. It was a highlight of every Summer to watch and listen and enjoy that display.
But over the years, the amazement (along with the willingness to prepare and sacrifice to enjoy it) has faded. I've seen them on every Independence Day, and at many ballgames, and at the state fair, and sometimes in the neighborhood, and on TV, and they've lost some of their mystique. The awe is gone.
This past 4th of July, a bunch of us went to watch fireworks from a Costco parking lot. We went there mostly because there was a fantastic exit strategy to avoid traffic after the show. As we were arriving, several of us were discussing how, if it weren't for the kids, we might not have come at all. It's kind of sad, but the sheer awe of having something rocket into the sky and terminate in an explosion of color and light and sound just doesn't blow many of us away anymore.
Brothers and sisters, may that NEVER be the case with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's really not a problem at all if we don't enjoy or maintain our awe about fireworks. But it is NOT ok if we grow familiar and progressively less excited about the person and work of Christ. We must ever be cultivating a growing sense of awe and wonder at what He's done for us. And when we come together on Sundays, we must come, not preparing for the easiest possible exit or the minimum hassle. We must come preparing our hearts and asking the Lord for a fresh vision of Christ, ready to celebrate as we see him and his Gospel again.
May the cries of God's people in Luke 19:37-38 be ours as well:
As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Here are the songs and Scriptures we'll be recounting this Sunday to help us to remember all the Lord has done:
Call to Worship - Psalm 63:1-7
Behold Our God
Look and See
Communion - 1 Peter 1:3-5
His Mercy Is More
Here is Love
Sermon from Colossians 4:2-6
