Celebration
Robert Louis Stevenson, the Scottish author who lived from 1850-1894 wrote: “There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy.” Of all people, God's people have the most reason to celebrate.
Taking cues from the world, many Christians think of celebration as legitimized over-indulgence. Gatherings of family and friends for seasonal holidays often feature a meal as the centre of the celebration. Abundance extends to the point of excess, but feasting need not be equated with excess. If we need to have more than we need, we can find less fortunate souls with whom to share the bounty and thus increase the celebration.
The activities or festivities associated with celebrating should never be allowed to overshadow what we are celebrating. Celebration is only significant when we keep in mind the reason for our engaging in it. Perhaps the best example is “celebrating” the Lord’s supper. Too often people focus on the particular familiar ritual as much or more than on the act of remembering the Lord's victory over our sin at the cross.
Celebration is a broad concept that has to do with observing or honouring a day, a person, an event, an achievement or a milestone. It is typically associated with happy emotions of joy and gladness. For Christians, celebration is part of worship. It serves as a reminder of God’s past faithfulness and stimulates our hope for anticipated blessing.
We need not fear that celebration is unbiblical. There are many examples of corporate, family and private celebration. Here are a few examples:
- In Ezra 6:16 we read that "the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy."
- Nehemiah 8:10 gives us his instructions to the people: “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
- Jeremiah 30:19 suggests that celebration is associated with vocal expressions both singing and spoken word. "Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving, and the voices of those who celebrate. I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will make them honored, and they shall not be small."
- In the familiar story of the prodical son we read of the father's directions to his servants: "'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate." [Luke 15:22-24]
- The last one we'll look at doesn't use the word "celebrate" but the idea is clearly there. The words of the preacher: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: ...a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance." [Ecclesiastes 3:1... 4]
Celebration proclaims our satisfaction with God. When we celebrate we acknowledge God's ultimate redemptive power. That's why we can celebrate even in the worst of circumstances. We believe that God can redeem any situation for His glory and our good. In a way celebration releases our circumstances to God - reminding us of His sovereignty. When we celebrate, we are letting go of things and giving them to God. Because of this it lightens the burdens of life. We are responsible and accountable for our actions, but knowing that when our best ideas fail, and our best efforts are inadequate, and our best attempts at life often fall short of being our best, God is there to pick up the pieces and move us forward.
For the biblically minded, celebration reminds us of the concept of Jubilee and the restoration of all things. Deliverance, freedom and restoration are the great themes of that particular concept and powerful motivators to celebrate. Celebration also breaks the chains of hyper-productivity, 24/7 availability, and unrealistic concepts of success. Everything does not depend on us. We can give time to God and other people and still accomplish all we need to in life. This is really the only way to live and taking time to celebrate reminds us that God wants us to enjoy Him and the life He gives us. Finally, I'd suggest that celebration breathes vitality into all of the spiritual disciplines which would otherwise become drudgery.
For some, there may be a hazard in celebration if we become unduly familiar with God and lose “the fear of the Lord.” But if we engage in this spiritual discipline appropriately, we won't fall into that trap because we put God in His proper place.
To engage in authentic celebration we really have to know God. That includes knowing Him personally and then knowing both what He has done for us and what He promises to do for us. Remember to exercise faith in God, not in some predetermined specific outcome. Those can disappoint. God never does. Express gratitude. Share with others. Exude hope. Live life at the optimistic end of the realism scale.
Practically, you can start looking for the things for which you can praise God even in bad circumstances. Start looking for the lighter side of life instead of focussing on the heaviness and darkness which would oppress you. Laugh hard - at least once a day. Developing a healthy sense of humour takes us a long way in the right direction - enjoying the life God gives us without taking ourselves too seriously. Lastly, get together with a few good friends and plan a celebration of God’s goodness where you can all participate freely and enthusiastically.
Ron Hughes
© August 2008
