Emphasis Preaching Journal

It has been rightly noted that Christians should often do the opposite: when everyone else is celebrating, they should be about serious things; when everyone else is despairing, they should be celebrating. Nevertheless this passage has always called up the need to celebrate -- in this case because of the presence of Christ (with his Passion just around the corner). It is unfortunate that in our earnest attempts to be faithful to our calling we most often are deadly practical, when extravagance in life/worship is called for and vice versa.