There are several months in the year that are almost devoid of any sort of annual celebration. We start out strong, though. We have New Year’s Day and Jill’s birthday on January 1st and Valentine’s Day in February, as well as my bithday – and then March gives us a little break, unless you look at the advent of spring as a celebration, which, come to think of it, we should! And, depending on the year, we may have Easter, but that special day can also happen a month later.
And then comes April! In our family, that means there is a string of dates that happen one after the other. We start out on April Fool’s Day and then follow it right up with Janet’s birthday on April 2nd. That’s what we were celebrating yesterday. We have spent almost every birthday together since the early 70’s and they keep getting better and better. Today, April 3rd, would have been my parent’s 68th anniversary, but they only made it to 30 years before Dad passed away back in 1978. Lots of great memories, though, and I remember when Janet, my two brothers and I threw their 25th anniversary party.
Then, tomorrow, April 4th, would have been Dad’s 93rd birthday, Yep, he got married to Mom a day before he turned 30. Some of you reading this tonight are lucky to still have your parent(s) around, but Janet and I are longer a part of that group. In any event, we have a string of remembrances all in a row and years ago, the celebrations came right after one another for almost the whole first week of April.
Aside from the birthdays and anniversaries, spring is supposedly right around the corner although it was been pretty cold and windy here the past several days. The flowers are starting to peek their heads out of the ground and soon, we will be cherishing the beginning of new life and observing God’s creation. This happens after the dormant winter and the advent of spring in all it’s glory awaits us all.
The bottom line is that each day of each year is special. Sure, we have pre-determined celebrations each year – the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas and a host of others, but every day should be a special celebration. That’s because every day is the Lord’s day and no two days, no matter how similar, are exactly alike.
In tonight’s verse, the psalmist reminds us of that very fact. We are told, in Psalms 118:24, “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” And that means every day, no matter what day it is… My encouragement this evening is that God made each and every day for us to rejoice in! My prayer is that you won’t take any day for granted – after all, the Lord is present in each one and He wants to draw close to you as you engage in a deeper relationship with Him. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…