Title Let's Have a Happy Chuseok
Contents
Let's enjoy Chuseok
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
The exact origin or origin of Chuseok is not known, but we can guess its roots from the ancient beliefs about the moon. In the ancient society, the sun that illuminates the world every day was taken for granted, but the moon that forms a full moon once a month was a grateful existence. When it is dark at night, the approach of wild beasts cannot be known and the attack of the enemy cannot be seen with the naked eye, so the dark night was an object of fear and fear for humans. In the midst of this, the full moon was a human being, and as a result, a festival was held under the full moon. However, the 15th of August, which is the biggest full moon of the year, has come to be regarded as the biggest holiday of Chuseok. Festivals were held under the full moon, and games such as tug of war, ssireum, and Ganggangsullae were naturally formed.
Therefore, in the era of longing for and revering the full moon in ancient times, Hangawi, the brightest month of the year, has come to be regarded as the nation's largest festival. Later, it became a ritual and saw the establishment as a holiday, and it can be said that it has been handed down to this day.
Anyway, Chuseok is a traditional Korean holiday. So, how should we believers celebrate Chuseok? How would you like to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival (the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival)?
一. Chuseok should be a holiday to give thanks to God and worship (verse 10)
“Now, O LORD, I have brought the firstfruits of your land. and you will put it before the LORD your God and worship before the LORD your God.” Chuseok and Thanksgiving have something in common to express gratitude for the first fruits. On Chuseok, unbelievers make wine and rice cakes from new rice, prepare various foods and five colors of fruit, pay tribute to their ancestors, and then visit Sansan to make a funeral.
However, the Thanksgiving Day of the churches of the world is based on the fact that the people of Israel in the Old Testament age gave thanks to God for the first harvest that they planted in Canaan, the Promised Land, after 40 years in the wilderness after coming out of Egypt. and culture.
It was the proper duty of the people of God to give thanks to the people of Israel without forgetting God's grace. The Israelites were originally slaves of Egypt. But God made them into a great nation and led them out of Egypt and set them free. However, just because a person is free does not mean he can live well. They must build up their strength to establish their own country and become independent.
So, God helped them to take possession of the promised land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. God, the owner of this land of Canaan, commanded the people of Israel to enter the promised land, settle down, cultivate the land, bring the firstfruits to God, and offer a sacrifice of thanks (1,2,3,9). Verse) This is to give back to God the first of the produce of the land in gratitude for the gift received from God. In other words, it is a symbol of giving back to God what God has given. This is the beautiful tradition of Israel's Thanksgiving story.
The original meaning of Chuseok, which we enjoy now, is to give thanks to the heavens and ancestors for the bountiful year of the year, and to enjoy a feast of joy with family and neighbors.
In the old days, people who did not know God's grace knew that abundance and peace were all the virtues of heaven and of our ancestors, but today we Christians know that all these things are the grace of God, not the grace of our ancestors.
Then, it is important to change the object of worship from the dead ancestors to the living and working God and to give thanks and worship God with all our hearts. Instead of focusing on our dead ancestors, we focus on God who has blessed us abundantly, and when we go out to worship with thanks and joy, there is the true meaning and blessing of Chuseok. Chuseok is meaningless unless it is Chuseok to please God and give thanks to God. Just as the people of Israel offered a sacrifice of thanks when they came to the land of Canaan and harvested the agricultural products they cultivated in the first year, so today, they rejoice in God's grace that He has given us and come to God by worshiping with emotion. I hope you have a Chuseok.
二. Chuseok should be a day to rejoice with everyone (verse 11).
“You shall rejoice with the Levite and the stranger who sojourns among you, because of all the blessings the LORD your God has given you and your house.” The people we should rejoice with are the Levites and the strangers who sojourn among them. The Levites and foreigners mentioned here refer to the weak and poor who belong to the Israeli community but do not have land to develop on their own. They don't have any land they inherited. Gentiles did not receive land as an inheritance because they were people who came from abroad and lived helping the Jews. When God gave the land to the Levites to focus on serving God, God did not give them any land. So everyone else is happy with the bountiful harvest, but they have nothing to reap. Therefore, there is no joy in farming and reaping a lot of its produce.
That is why God knows all of this and says that you should not be the only one who rejoices, but you should be able to share the abundant blessings that you have received so that these people can also enjoy a little bit. The principle to share is here.
In verse 12, we are told to share with the Levites, orphans, and widows, including the Levites, orphans, and widows, who were not benefited from paying tithes of their produce every three years. Sharing the harvested food with the underprivileged is the true meaning of the Chuseok holiday.
In fact, traditional holidays are enjoyable for both adults and children alike, but some people do not enjoy it. Even when everyone is rejoicing and having a feast, there are people who are lonely and lonely. Rather, there are people who suffer more because it is Chuseok. All others reap a bountiful harvest, meet their families, boast of God's blessings, and hold a feast, but there are those who are left alone. People without families will be more lonely. Those without material will be more humble. Those who are farther away will be more lonely. The Lord will be pleased if you have the heart to be considerate of such people.
But these days, holidays like Chuseok are not fun at all for women. Because there is a mountain of preparing and clearing food for many people, and this is the job of women. Everyone should be happy, but if only one is burdened, it will not be a tiring, irritating and enjoyable holiday. We hope that you will have a pleasant holiday by working together little by little.
In addition, scattered families should gather and have fun during the holidays, but there are families who only fight big and get angry. They fight over how much money they pay, who does what and how much, and they fight over inheritance, and there are many cases where they fight because of different religions. Because of the rites, arguing over religious issues is not a beautiful sight on a joyful holiday.
Today's Word of God tells us to rejoice with everyone. So whether we share material, food, or work, we need to be wise to avoid quarrels. In order to make the holidays enjoyable, unnecessary arguments should be avoided so that faith is not an issue. I hope that even if attacks against the church come pouring in, we can take it easy, laugh, and turn the topic off. Such an argument is futile. Rather, it blocks the door of evangelism. However, it is a good thing to take the opportunity and use it as an opportunity to meet and evangelize to family members after a long time. However, I know that you must prepare a lot through prayer. Anyway, I wish you and your family a happy holiday this Chuseok this year.
three. During Chuseok, we hope for more blessings and we should plant rice joyfully (verses 14-15).
After giving thanks for God's grace to worship and to share it with the Levites, orphans, widows, and the poor, Moses preached as follows.
“We have obeyed the word of God and did as he was commanded, so bless us and the land.”
It is a proper posture of prayer to ask for blessings after carrying out what I ought to do and obeying the Lord's commands. We should express the gratitude that God expects and expect blessings after we have fully worshiped. It is a natural posture before God to hope for grace after we have enjoyed together. Giving and sharing according to God's will, hoping for grace after giving, is proud before the Lord.
That's right. We may rejoice over the blessings that have been given to us in the past and present, but the Lord wants to see them rejoice in the hope of the spiritual blessings and fertile blessings of the earth that will come in the future. God is a giver. He is the one who gives you greater blessings. Therefore, we hope that we will be blessed and show an attitude of obedience to the Word.
The Chuseok holiday is a good day for everyone. It's nice to be able to meet the people you love and it's great to be able to have fun with everyone. And it is a good season to be able to look forward with faith that God, who has given us so many good blessings, will give us and our children even greater blessings in the future.
Those who look to the future blessings in hope must not forget God's promises. Verse 16 says, “God has commanded you to follow these ordinances and ordinances, so you must keep them with all your heart and with all your soul.” The blessings are immense when we keep our promises to our faithful God. Verse 19 says, “He will set them above all the nations he has made with praise and honor and glory… and will make them holy people of the Lord.”
One day, President Abraham Lincoln was traveling in a wagon with an Army Colonel from Kentucky. The Army formation takes a bottle of whiskey out of his pocket and invites President Lincoln to take a sip. At this point, Lincoln says:
“Thank you, but I will decline. I do not drink whiskey.”
Moments later, the colonel took a cigarette out of his pocket and offered one of them to Lincoln. “Thank you, Colonel. I do not smoke.” Then he said, "Why don't you tell me why I don't drink and smoke? One day when I was about nine years old, my mother called me to my bedside. My mother was very ill.
‘Abe, the doctor said I would never recover. I want you to be a great person. Promise me you'll never smoke or smoke for the rest of my life before I die,' my mother told me. Then I promised my mother that I would do it. Since then, I have kept that promise. You think it's okay for me to break that promise.” When the colonel heard this, he said, “Sir, I will be careful not to break that promise, no matter what happens in the future.
It is the greatest promise you have ever made.”
Keeping our promises with people is important, but if we keep God's promises, we can enjoy unimaginable blessings.
Conclusion Dear saints, I thank God for giving me a bountiful harvest this year too, I hope that there will be worship services that are enjoyable through Chuseok. I hope that it will be a festival where you can share the joy with all people and expect greater blessings by obeying the promises greatly. wish.
I bless you in the name of the Lord that you may overflow with blessings as the holy people of God who excel above all peoples above all nations with God's praise, honor and glory.