Isa.25:6 – Now the LORD of armies will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain;
A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow,
And refined, aged wine.
I recently saw some late night Christmas party people stumbling down the street with their jingle bells and adult beverages. I was struck with the thought, what exactly are they celebrating? Is it the birth of Christ? The disturbing thing is that the true celebration is reserved for those who know Him. The Lord has come and has brought us out of darkness into light. He has provided a true Christmas feast or celebration for those who have eyes to see. Here is how Spurgeon describes it.
“We have nearly arrived at the great merry-making season of the year. On Christmas-day we shall find all the world in England enjoying themselves with all the good cheer which they can afford. Servants of God, you who have the largest share in the person of him who was born at Bethlehem, I invite you to the best of all Christmas fare—to nobler food than makes the table
groan—bread from heaven, food for your spirit. Behold, how rich and how abundant are the provisions which God has made for the high festival which he would have his servants keep, not now and then, but all the days of their lives!”
So let’s pause for a moment and review the menu for this magnificent Christmas celebration. We will start with the drinks. He has served for us the best wine of all, it is the drink of His precious blood. This is where our feast must start, though we are all stained from our sinful lives His blood has washed us and made us whiter than snow. The next drink is the greatest spritzer of all, the Living Water of the Spirit. Whoever drinks this water will never thirst again, actually it will become a fountain of life bubbling up on the inside of us. Next on the menu is the bread of Life. Christ is the bread of heaven, He is our daily staple. We eat this bread and it nourishes our soul, it causes us to lose our taste for the foolish pleasures of this world. Next on our menu is the main course, the Lamb of God. Christ Himself is our food, just as the children of Israel ate the Passover Lamb the night before their journey, we feast on this Lamb everyday, He is the very strength of our lives. We finish our gospel feast with more wine, the new wine of the Holy Spirit. The world drinks a poor substitute, the intoxicating fruit of the vine. We drink the new wine of the Holy Spirit, the more we drink the greater the celebration. Christ become more dear to us and our hearts are overflowing with His Christmas joy.
