Your Spiritual Journey
A Major Celebration
“Observe the month of Abib and [a]celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.” Deuteronomy 16:1
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” Philippians 4:4
Have you ever visited a church and felt that the atmosphere was more appropriate for a funeral procession than for a group of people who had something to celebrate? I presume that many of us have experienced this before, but it doesn’t need to be this way.
I have been preparing some Bible classes for the kids that are focused on spiritual disciplines. In my preparation one of the disciplines that comes up throughout scripture and in multiple sources is celebration. Celebration is a discipline, and it is something that Christians need to practice when it’s easy as well as when it isn’t.
We should recognize that the good things we have are gifts from God (James 1:17) and that they should be celebrated. God invented joy and celebration, and we should not feel bad about enjoying the gifts that He has given us. If we ever feel like we have run out of things to celebrate, let us not forget that God has given us the gift of eternal life with Him.
But there are going to be times when we don’t feel like celebrating. In Acts 16 Paul and Silas were able to celebrate and praise God even while they were in prison. And Jeremiah (known as the weeping prophet) had this to say in the midst of his lament:
“Surely my soul remembers
And is bowed down within me.
21 This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses [a]indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:20-23
We are surrounded by reasons to be downcast. But like Jeremiah we can find reason to delight and hope in God even during our times of lament. He knew that the joy set before him ran deeper than the brokenness around him.
Celebration is an important discipline for Christians to practice, whether it be by sharing meals, listening to music, serving, worshipping, or a number of other activities. Let us remember to celebrate all of the good gifts as we receive them, and to also celebrate God as we go through trials.
Sean
