Join us this week as we focus on generosity even in our celebration. When you think about themes in the Bible celebration might not rank high on your list. But Psalm 100 encourages not only to celebrate and worship God for what God has done but also for who God is. The writer of Ecclesiastes observes that there are times to grieve and times to celebrate.
Celebration is an important part of life. The people of God in the Old Testament celebrated with regular festivals. One of Jesus’ greatest stories (Luke 15:11–31) was about a huge celebration, when the prodigal son returned and the father said, ‘Let’s have a feast and celebrate’ (v.23).
So we know that it is biblical to celebrate but why should we celebrate? Join us for The Generous Life: Celebration.
DYK?: The definition of celebration in the dictionary includes words and phrases like: to hold up, to honor, to perform publicly, sacramental, holy day and to demonstrate satisfaction.
The Life You Always Wanted John Ortberg
You can live a deeper, more spiritual life right where you are.The heart of Christianity is transformation—a relationship with God that impacts not just our spiritual lives but every aspect of our daily lives. John Ortberg calls readers back to the dynamic heartbeat of Christianity—God’s power to bring change and growth—and reveals how and why transformation takes place.
John Ortberg, The Life You Always Wanted
21 He is your praise, and he is your God—the one who performed these great and awesome acts that you witnessed with your very own eyes.
Deuteronomy 10:21
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,glorifying you all day long.
Psalms 71:8
7 They will rave in celebration of your abundant goodness;they will shout joyfully about your righteousness:
Psalms 145:7
DYK?: In Leviticus 23 we discover that God commanded His people to celebrate 7 different festivals each year. Four of the festivals were held in the spring (Passover, unleavened bread, First-fruits, and Feast of weeks), then in the fall were the other 3 (Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles).
All of these festivals had a historical significance, a religious significance, and, as we understand as Christians, a prophetic significance pointing to the time when Christ would fulfill all of them.
PJ Point: First God commanded us to celebrate on special days.
10 And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
Nehemiah 8:10
PJ Point: Set aside one day every week to celebrate. Here’s what he said: “One day a week devote a specific day to acts of celebration: eat foods you love, listen to music that moves your soul, play a sport that stretches and challenges you, read books that refresh your spirit, wear clothes that make you happy, surround yourself with beauty and give thanks to God for his wonderful goodness. Take time to experience and savor joy, then direct your heart to God so that you come to know He is the giver of every good and perfect gift.” Look for any excuse to celebrate.
PJ Point: Second God commands us to celebrate every day.Even more than setting aside one day a week for celebration, try this discipline: set aside one hour a day for JOY. God commands us to make CELEBRATION a way of life.
God cannot endure that unfestive, mirthless attitude of ours in which we eat our bread in sorrow, with pretentious, busy haste, or even with shame. Through our daily meals He is calling us to rejoice, to keep holiday in the midst of our working day.
~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
Philippians 4:4
PJ Point: Lewis Smedes wrote, “To miss out on joy is to miss out on the reason for your existence.” As Christians, we have every reason for JOY, no matter what is going on in our lives. So what is it that steals our JOY? The two biggest joy stealers are hurry and worry. In my world, maybe in your world they tend to be twins who often arrive together.
PJ Point: And then last God commanded us to celebrate today don’t wait for tomorrow.
24 This is the day the LORD acted;we will rejoice and celebrate in it!
Psalms 118:24
I tend to divide my minutes into two categories: living and waiting to live. Most of my life is spent in transit: trying to get somewhere, waiting to begin, driving someplace, standing in line, waiting for a meeting to end, trying to get a task completed, worrying about something bad that might happen, or being angry about something that did happen. These are all moments when I am not likely to be fully present, not to be aware of the voice and purpose of God.
~John Ortberg
PJ Point: The psalmist who wrote Psalm 100 reminds us that we celebrate not only because of what God has done, but also because of who God is.
PJ Point: We celebrate the greatness of God.We celebrate God is also a good God.We celebrate our God who saves.
6 When he arrives home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Celebrate with me because I’ve found my lost sheep.’
Luke 15:6,9,23-24
9 When she finds it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me because I’ve found my lost coin.’
23 Fetch the fattened calf and slaughter it. We must celebrate with feasting 24 because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life! He was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
Final Point: Celebrate God’s presence and God’s love. Celebrate the fact that God is with you, and will never fail nor forsake you.We need to celebrate; we need to rejoice in God’s presence and God’s awesome blessings. Remember Paul told the Philippians “Rejoice! I say it again, rejoice!” That is God’s command to you and I.
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