She gathered together her friends and neighbors and said, “Rejoice with me!”

Why do we gather…we gather together to rejoice in a life found in Christ. Luke 15: 9 tells this story: “…she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ In a similar story, Jesus tells about the great celebration that takes place when the lost sheep is found, “…he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Jesus said that there is more joy in Heaven over the onethat is found that any other – It commands a party!

There is something magical that happens when we gather in celebration. We put aside the obstacles of this world and we rejoice in what is possible in Jesus. We rejoice in redemption, in mercy and in the grace of a loving Father. We rejoice in thanksgiving to life’s sorrow that God has turned to joy and laughter. We rejoice in our Sisterhood that cannot be broken. We rejoice in the truth of God’s Holy Word and His adoring presence.

So I ask you, friend and neighbor, “Will you come gather and rejoice with me!”