New Year Eve is so exciting! The whole celebration concept; gathering together with people in anticipation of the midnight hour, the countdown of the end of the old year and the "Happy New Year" shout announcing a brand new year. All across the world, at every midnight hour people will jubilantly celebrate the passing of the old year and the ringing in of the new with confetti and balloons dropping, fireworks popping, music playing, people dancing and shouts of rejoicing. I have rarely if ever seen anyone who was upset or depressed at seeing the old year go away and the new year come in! Because seeing the old and anything that has to do with the old that was less than good fade away and being able to start fresh with and new hope of something better always creates excitement and celebration.
I imagine that when God said in Jeremiah 31:31, 'The day is coming...when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the old one I made with their ancestors...they broke that covenant..." that there was a great anticipation in the heavens for the moment when the old covenant that condemned man would pass away and the new one would be put into place that would free man forever would be established. I am sure the Father was looking forward to a celebration when that day would come, because oh how He loves us and couldn't wait to see us enjoy the new covenant!
You can almost hear that excitement in His voice when He spoke it in Isaiah 43:18, "But forget all of that - it is nothing compared to what I am going to do, For I am about to do something new. See I have already begun! Don't you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland!" He knows how good the new thing will be and He is thrilled about it and He knows we are going to love it!
The excitement continues in Luke 2:10, when the Angel announces the new thing and he says, "...I bring you good news of GREAT JOY that will be for all people!" It was here! It finally was happening!
And thirty-three years later Jesus is gathered with His disciples, knowing He will be ushering in this new thing and even though He knows what He will have to suffer to deliver it to us, He is just as excited as the Father at that particular moment! I know it's hard to believe He excited He will suffer and later He will have to work through the emotions He has about it, but at that moment the prospect of this new thing is bigger than all of that. He says to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the Kingdom of God." And then He says it, "...this cup is the new covenant in my blood..." He is excited, the new covenant is among them - the old is almost gone!
Now we know and understand that His shed blood would cut a new covenant and His resurrection would make it lasting! No longer we would be under the old covenant of law and death - but standing in grace and life! Woohoo! Fireworks! Confetti! Blow the horns, drop the balloons and dance baby dance! This is something to celebrate! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ.!" More confetti, more balloons, more dancing!
I guess that is why the message of the New Covenant is called the "Good News!" And I imagine that is the emotion behind the scripture in Isaiah 52:7, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation!"
And perhaps this is why I believe that wherever believers are - that is where the party is! The next time you are worshipping, whether it is in a church service or by yourself - celebrate with the Father this new way! He is excited about it too! So, right now, let the party begin!
