Soul Care - Celebrate
by Mary Elsbury
Who doesn’t love a good party?
It’s natural to get together and let go when honoring milestones. The Jewish culture celebrates the coming of age with Bar and Bat Mitzvah; Hispanics celebrate with the Quinceanera; and southern US families hold cotillion balls. Many commemorate turning 16 and 21 and 30 with a party.
God takes great delight in you. According to Adele Calhoun, celebrating for Christians “is a way of engaging in actions that orient the spirit toward worship, praise, and thanksgiving.” Theologian Dallas Willard calls celebration one of the most overlooked spiritual disciplines. There are many stories in the Bible that give us vivid pictures of instructions on when to celebrate – the Year of Jubilee, planting and harvesting crops, winning battles, weddings, and homecomings – the list could go on.
King David rejoiced and danced and delighted in God. He was chastised by many for his party habits, however, he commented in 2 Samuel 6:21-22 that “I will become even more undignified than this” as he celebrated before the Lord.
Celebrating God doesn’t mean everything is happy and perfect. Look at Jeremiah. He was called the weeping prophet, and he wrote in Lamentations 3:20-23:
…my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
There are many examples of celebrating in the New Testament. In the story of the Prodigal Son, one son wants his fortune now, gets it and takes off. The other son works hard while the first son squanders his gift. Once the prodigal realizes his mistake, he runs home to his father, and gets a huge party. We have the example of the wedding feast where many are invited but don’t show up, so the “common folk” are given the opportunity to revel. The Last Supper was a gathering celebration where, according to Henri Nouwen, “…the invitation to a meal is an invitation to intimacy with God.” They are stories of God’s extravagant grace that demonstrate great love, regardless of where we are in life.
So, what makes a good celebration? I think there are many ways, not just throwing lavish parties. Part of it is your mindset. You might be into loud, boisterous affairs or you might prefer a small, intimate get-together. I’m part of the Tech team at my church and we work hard every weekend to allow others to experience the joy of the Gospel. It gets tense when technology isn’t going smoothly or there are fire alarms that go off. Once the situation is resolved, we laugh at terrible Dad jokes, share a meal, and do it all over again. Not for ourselves, but for the glory of God.
Maybe sitting down over a cup of coffee with a close friend to talk about life or holding a baby and marveling at the new life created is your idea of the perfect celebration. I’m thankful that I can live my life by not taking myself too seriously, and can enjoy traditions like birthdays and holidays, all while recognizing that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above.
One of my favorite Scriptures is Zephaniah 3:17.
The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
Now that’s a great way to celebrate!
