The victorious season of Easter is an ongoing party in Christ's Church. Lutherans know how to party. It isn't wrong to have fun or a good time.Did you realize that the lives of believers in the Old and New Testament revolved around the important parties of the year? They celebrated and threw a party - called a festival/feast - every chance they could.
Parties are not frivolous or just an opportunity to have fun. Rather, they happen because something needs to be celebrated and remembered.
We all remember the importance of our family parties that surround our birthdays, graduations, weddings, etc. The feasts we love are all prompted by very important events in life that need to be remembered.
The Seventh Day
The first and most important festival that was held was... wait for it... the day that God rested (Gen. 2:3), yes, the Sabbath. Remembering the seventh day (Ex. 31:17) of the week celebrates the gift of creation. It's the one that got everything started - literally. Later, it was used to remember that God delivered the children of Israel from Egypt's slavery (Dt. 5:12-14). It was also the day that the priests would replace the "bread of presence" in the temple (Lev. 24:8). We remember the bread in the temple because God provides for every need through creation.
Remembering the resurrection with celebrations of Christ's life continues today as the New Testament church rejoices in God's continued work on earth. This is how God saves His people, how He rescues us in the midst of a sinful/evil world.
However, the Lutheran party is not only remembering God's work for us from the past, but it is the present work of God for us in our lives and where He gathers us. While we are gathered in His presence in both Word and Sacrament, He gives us the life giving bread and wine from heaven, His body and blood. The feast in which we participate is a holy one that unites heaven and earth.
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