Scripture: (Lev 23:23-25 NKJV)  Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, {24} "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. {25} 'You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.'"

Observation: There were seven annual feasts that the Israelites were to celebrate, beside the weekly Sabbath: The Passover and Unleavened Bread, The Feast of First fruits, The Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.  While they all were Sabbaths, that is, rest-days, some of them were great days of celebration.  For instance, the Day of Atonement was a very solemn day, a day of judgment, while the Passover was a festivity as they remembered God’s miraculous deliverance from the slavery of Egypt.  The Feast of Tabernacles reminded them of the long, forty-year journey through the wilderness, but it was also a celebration of God’s protection throughout all their journeying.  All the feasts included time for rest – Sabbath – family gatherings, and family celebrations.

Application: In our day, regardless of where we live, there are annual times for rest, gathering, and celebration.  In the United States there are patriotic holidays such as Independence Day (July 4), Memorial Day, and Labor Day.  There are also religious holidays such as Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  Many also gather during other times to celebrate birthdays or to have family reunions where relatives from many places gather together to get reacquainted, to remember old memories, and to build new ones.

As families, we should take advantage every year to find ways to gather with our loved ones to remember and celebrate.  Vacations serve that purpose – we celebrate our jobs and having time off from them to spend time together in a more restful setting.  Birthdays give us another opportunity to gather together to celebrate a year of life that just passed and to look forward to a good year of life just beginning.
    Find ways and times to gather and celebrate together as a family

A Prayer You May Say: Father, thank you for all those special times when we have gathered and been together with our families to celebrate special occasions or simply to be together.  May we have many more of those opportunities throughout our lives.

Used by permission of Adventist Family Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.