Word of the Week - Celebration

“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”.  Psalm 118:24

Celebration is one of the most exciting aspects of our Christian heritage that I find most believers overlook.  It simply means to set time aside to remember and rejoice in what God has done.  It was common practice in the Old Testament.  The Jews were known for having multi-day festivals to celebrate and commemorate the work of God in their lives.  These celebrations were communal as well as theological.  In modern terms I would call this a party with a purpose, whereby we gather to recognize our blessings and give proper honor and thanks to the Lord and to those who have helped us along the way.  Taking time out to count our blessings as we walk through the journey of life.

Being from South Louisiana, I grew up in a culture that valued partying and probably took it a little too far.  It was “fun” but after the party was over there always seemed to be a feeling of emptiness.  As I have grown in my walk of faith, I have learned that our God is a God of celebration.  There are many examples throughout the old and New Testament of people coming together to enjoy life and celebrate together.  The big difference is that they are coming together to celebrate with a heart toward God and using the celebration as an opportunity to give thanks and honor to God.  I believe there is something holy and meaningful about taking the opportunity to set aside time and resources to celebrate what God has done and looking forward in faith to what He is going to do.  To take time out of our day-to-day schedule to celebrate victories and mark milestones in life. In our family we call this having a “Donner moment”.  This is one of the joys of life.  All too often we are so busy achieving we forget to take time out to celebrate. 

Heart of Gratitude

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances: for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  One of the keys to our walk with the Lord is to have a healthy perspective of God as our provider.  All things come from Him and it is good and healthy to continually count our blessings and give proper thanks to the Lord.  As noted in this verse, we should make this part of our daily communion with the Lord.  It is also important that we set aside time to celebrate special occasions such as big life victories, milestone birthday & anniversaries and the like. 

God’s principle of Sabbath

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His”. Hebrews 4:9-10  God is so good that He desires for us to enjoy this life and fruit of our labor so much so that He commands us to take time out to rest, rejoice and restore our souls.  Rest for our souls is at the core of Sabbath but it is also a time set aside to celebrate the goodness of God in fellowship with those we love and are close to us.  It is hard for most of us to relate with the reality that God is divine and Holy and to be feared but He is also loving and relational and desires for us to Rejoice in His goodness and celebrate.  To set aside time specifically to enjoy the fruits of this life and those who we are doing life with.

A Time for Everything

“A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;.” Ecclesiastes 3:4  Celebrating life is part of our worship. We engage in celebration when we enjoy ourselves and our lives in conjunction with our faith in light of God’s greatness, beauty and goodness.  We see our lives as simply a part of God’s great plan.  Typically this means that we come together with others who know God to eat, drink and relate stories of God’s blessings and work within our lives.  To honor God and those who have shared the journey.  Holy delight and joy is the great antidote to despair and is a wellspring for genuine gratitude.

“A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their work.  This too, I see is from the hand of God.” Ecclesiastes 2:24

God is great so let’s celebrate and rejoice in His goodness!!!!

-Duane