The Sabbath of Celebration
“This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” — Psalm 118:24, NLT
When was the last time you actually stopped and celebrated something? God built celebration into the life of His people. Israel had seasons for grief, repentance, and fasting, but they also had Passover, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Booths, Sabbath rest, shared meals, and days set apart to remember what God had done. In other words, God never intended His people to live with their heads down all the time. Yet some of us finish one task and immediately open another tab in our brain. We accomplish something and instead of saying, “Thank You, Lord,” we say, “Yeah, but I still need to…” We are very good at moving the finish line on ourselves. Work could be better, finances could be stronger, the house could be cleaner, the kids could be doing more, and somehow we become experts at noticing what is unfinished while forgetting how far God has already brought us.
There is a time to grow, repent, plan, and work hard, but there is also a time to stop beating yourself up and receive the life God has given you with gratitude. Celebration is not laziness, and it is not pretending everything is perfect. Biblically, celebration is an act of remembrance. It says, “Before I rush toward what is next, I am going to recognize what God has already done.” Celebrate finishing the week. Celebrate the child who got the job, passed the test, made a wise choice, or simply made it through a difficult season. Celebrate the friendship that has lasted, the prayer that was answered, the marriage that has endured, or the ordinary dinner where everybody actually showed up at the same time, which may qualify as a minor miracle. Joy is not something Christians should feel guilty about. It is one of the ways we receive God’s goodness without constantly demanding more from ourselves.
And Christians have the greatest reason to celebrate. Every Sunday, Word and Communion call us back to the finished work of Christ. We do not gather because we finally performed well enough for God. We gather because Jesus has already done what we could never do for ourselves. Sin is forgiven, death has been defeated, grace has been given, and our future is secure in Christ. Christianity is serious, but it is not meant to be joyless. So sometime this weekend, find a reason to celebrate. Go to dinner, watch a movie, sit around a table, laugh with people you love, and thank God without immediately turning gratitude into another assignment.
You do not have to improve every moment of your life. Some moments are meant to be enjoyed as gifts from God.
Your friend,
PC