My goal in this series is our greater joy in Jesus, even in complex struggles intellectually, emotionally, relationally, etc.  So, each time I will offer a buffet on 8 ‘P’s of good news.  Chew and savor whatever helps your joy in Jesus.  “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” (Isaiah 55:1) 

For the rest of Christian Joy 105 we’ll open with another image of Christ’s purpose below.  It illustrates God’s fifth “P”, calling us in for worship and the sixth “P”, sending us to others as we’ll see in Christian Joy 106.

The 5^th part of Purpose in Christ is pictured in the Feast of Trumpets:  “Proclaim Me”.  All aspects of purpose address the question of “why”:  our treasure hunts that get us up day-after-day, whether our loves are actually solid gold, mere gold-plating, or even fool’s gold. (Matthew 6:19-21)  Remember our three metaphors of paradigms:  basketball, playing in a band, and driving?  Our “why” could be to enjoy that experience, to be the best, to interact with others, to make money, to follow the rules, to counter our fears, to pursue several of those or completely different ones.  But Jesus said only He can be our day-to-day and eternal purpose. (Matthew 5-7, Mark 10:17-31, Luke 9:23-36, John 14:6)

If you’ve been following this series, you may’ve noticed that the festivals in Leviticus 23 parallel key historical events:  the Sabbath in the creation week, Israel’s exodus, their entrance into Canaan, and their abundant first harvest.  That’s no coincidence.  The weekly Sabbath and spring festivals outline the basic story of Christ and His people illustrated in Israel’s history.  The list of fall festivals, however, departs from this pattern.  The Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement also teach key parts of the gospel but not via specific historical events.  And Tabernacles (the greatest festival, highlighted by Jesus in John 7:37-38) is out of sequence.  God willing, we’ll look at Tabernacles in Christian Joy 105 (7 of 7).  But for now, note that anytime God’s Word seems odd, He’s calling us to examine it more closely for the centrality of Christ in God’s purpose.  (Luke 24:44, 2 Timothy 3:14-17, 2 Peter 1:16-21, etc.)  So, the unusual structure of the fall festivals highlights an overarching truth:  all of Leviticus 23 is about Christ for our faith via the past, our love in the present, and our hope for the future. (Matthew 5-7 and 10:5-23, 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, Hebrews 8:1-10:1, etc.)  And the first of the fall festivals, Trumpets, calls us to “proclaim Christ” and the full message of His good news – past, present, and future.  For all of God’s promises are “yes” only in Him. (Hebrews 13:8)  Consider the video.

And the 5^th part of Christ’s Purpose – “Proclaim Me” – has practical and specific joys, too.  Lauren and I discuss some of these in the next video but primarily highlight the importance of proclaiming Christ clearly and fully.  For many propose partial messages of “faith and love” without sacrifice and obedience.  That’s why Jesus often said, “…but I tell you…” or “Truly, truly, I tell you…” so His followers would share the whole truth of why His Father sent Him. (Matthew 5:17ff, 10:34ff, Luke 5:32ff, etc.)

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