A few years ago I had a dinner party for some girlfriends and at each place setting was a laminated quote to set the tone for the evening. I don’t always put quotes at the table, but this had been a particularly difficult season for many of the women, and I wanted our dinner to be a celebration. It wasn’t anyone’s birthday or a holiday. It was a celebration as an act of worship for the goodness of Jesus even when circumstances aren’t good. It was an act of war against all the struggle, strife, and hardships endured by the women in attendance. Following is the quote I placed at each place setting:
“To gather joyfully is indeed a serious affair. For feasting and all enjoyments gratefully taken are at their heart acts of war. But the joy of fellowship and the welcoming comfort of friends new and old, and the celebration of these blessings of food and drink and conversation and laughter are the true evidence of things eternal – and are the first fruits of that great, glad, joy that is to come. All will be well. Nothing good and right and true will be lost forever. All good things will be restored. Feast and be reminded, take joy.” Every Moment Holy (Vol. 1), A Liturgy for the Feasting with Friends by Douglas McKelvey.
The struggles and the heaviness didn’t disappear, but for an evening they were no longer center stage. Each woman had the opportunity to celebrate friendship, and laughter became a victorious battle cry over circumstances that wanted top billing in each woman’s life. Deciding to enjoy great food and fellowship was an act of war against every unright, untrue, or unholy aggressor.
It’s all too easy to cancel or not plan a celebration when things are heavy. While sometimes cancelling or postponing is the right and appropriate course of action, celebrating can be exactly what our hearts need in times of heaviness. What if gathering with friends, family, and enjoying the goodness of fellowship, great food, and a time of rejoicing is an act of war against all that comes against us?
Dallas Willard wrote in his book, The Spirit of Disciplines, the spiritual discipline of celebration “is the completion of worship, for it dwells on the greatness of God as shown in his goodness to us. We engage in celebration when we enjoy ourselves, our life, our world, in conjunction with our faith and confidence in God’s greatness, beauty, and goodness…. We come together with others who know God to eat and drink, to sing and dance, and to relate stories of God’s action for our lives and our people”.
I remember pondering my view of celebrations as a young adult. Odd, I know. I suppose I was considering how differently people approach celebrating birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, good news, etc. and I was wondering how I should approach these events. I found myself looking for a black-and-white celebration worldview. Again, odd, I know. As I was making my way through the New Testament, I found that Jesus celebrated throughout His ministry. He secretly traveled to Jerusalem to teach in the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2,14). Jesus also celebrated the Festival of Dedication, which is Hanukkah (John 10:22-23).
He celebrated Passover as a child (Luke 2:41-42) and early in His ministry (John 2:13; 6:4; 11:55). But the fact that He celebrated Passover while also walking one foot in front of the other to the cross is what I find most striking. Jesus almost seamlessly went from the Passover meal, to sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, to being arrested, beaten, and crucified. His heart was heavy even while He celebrated the lamb’s blood smeared on the doorposts of the Israelites in Exodus. He knew He would soon become the lamb sacrificed to take away the sting of death once and for all. He is so beautifully our example of celebrating as an act of worship and war. He didn’t cancel the celebration; He used it to propel the greatest gift to be celebrated since He created us in His image in the Garden (Genesis 1:26).
We live in a fallen world and there will be very few times in our lives when everything is as we think it should be. But if we wait to celebrate until everything is “right” we may miss out on many opportunities to give our hearts gladness, if even for a few moments.
As followers of Christ, may we be a celebratory people as we remember what the Lord has done… AND WHAT HE’S GOING TO DO. Yes, we have plenty to rejoice over as we remember what the Lord has done in scripture, and in our own lives. But there is more coming. Revelation 19:6-7,9 tells us to get ready to celebrate:
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder shouting:
“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.
Then the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’”
What a promise! May we be found celebrating as an act of worship and war.
Dear Lord, Thank You for the gift of celebrations as an act of worshipping You. You are a God of celebrations and increasing joy – even when our circumstances are difficult. Lord, we love that celebrating You is also an act of war against the enemy who seeks only to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). You prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies, Praise You, Lord (Psalm 23:5). Jesus, You celebrated even as You were the Lamb sacrificed in our place. May we enter this holiday season with grateful hearts ready to worship You and wage war against evil. And may we look forward to celebrating with You forever in Your victory over all that is sad, evil, and untrue. Thank You for inviting us to the best party there has ever been and will ever be! Maranatha! Amen.
