Today we are going to be continuing on in our series on the spiritual disciplines called “Sacred Rhythms.” We are studying the spiritual disciplines because they help us to live a Christ-centered life all the time. We are studying the spiritual disciplines so when we respond to the crises of life that response comes from deep within us, this response will be natural because it is who we are. Today we are going to examine the spiritual discipline of celebration.
It might seem strange to think that celebration is something which we might need to grow in, or that it is helpful for us, or that it is something which God wants to cultivate in us! You might perhaps think that this is surely the wrong discipline for us to focus on this week because of recent events, but it is not. Celebration is closely related to joy and if you remember from our series on the Fruit of the Spirit, joy is not based just on circumstances. Celebration is not just based on circumstances too! We can celebrate no matter what because our celebration is based on our relationship to God. Hebrews 12:3 says:
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Joy was a huge part of Jesus’ life and ministry, and it seems that He wants it to have a large place in ours too!
Although Jesus could see what was just up ahead – He didn’t enter the gates of Jerusalem like some defeated, dejected has-been, but with all the joy and celebration which a Triumphant King deserves. When Jesus rode down the slopes of the Mount of Olives on the donkey, Luke 19:37 tells us
“the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen.”
This is the true discipline of celebration – it focuses on what God has done! And here’s a question for us: How much do we focus our joy and celebration on noticing what God has done and is doing in us and around us?
We should begin thinking about the discipline of celebration from the understanding that our God is a joyful God. When we read the opening sentences of Genesis and we see that God is a joyful God. God saw what He had made and it was very good. Which is another way of saying that God was very happy, very pleased, even ecstatic with what He had made- and it was good! G.K. Chesterton says we will not understand God until we understand this – that “God is the happiest being in the universe.”
God also knows sorrow, of course. Jesus is remembered among other things, as “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3 KJV) But the sorrow of God, like the anger of God, is His temporary response to a fallen world. Joy is God’s basic character. Joy is God’s eternal destiny. God is the happiest being in the universe. And God’s intention was that His creation would mirror His joy. And as products of His creation, creatures made in His image, we are to reflect God’s joy in life.
After teaching on the need for obedience, Jesus in John 15:11 told His friends that His aim was that they should be filled with joy, but not just any kind of joy:
“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
The problem with people, according to Jesus, is not that we are too joyful for God’s taste – but that we are not joyful enough. C.S. Lewis said, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” The Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:4 wrote “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” The bible puts joy in the non-optional category. Joy is a command. Joylessness is a serious sin.
So we are invited to rejoice in every moment of life, because every moment of life is a gift. And that means we may well have to cultivate that practice of enjoying every moment, if it doesn’t seem to be part of our nature. Joy is also necessary for our spiritual strength. Nehemiah said in Nehemiah 8:10 “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” We all know that when we are joyful people we are much stronger – in every way – (and much better to be with) than when we are sad, disheartened, dejected, mournful. So joyfulness and celebration is a discipline well worth training in.
So to end on a practical note – how can we grow in joyfulness? Here are a few suggestions which I stole and adapted from John Ortberg’s book “The life you’ve always wanted”.
1. People who want to pursue joy need to practice the discipline of celebration.
This is why we see so much emphasis on the different Feasts in the Old Testament. Times of feasting were to be times of transformation. We should party more often. Find an excuse to have a party – any excuse will do, – and use it to reflect on and celebrate God’s goodness. If you’re having an anniversary – use it to give thanks to God for His goodness to you for whatever you celebrate.
2. People who want to pursue joy need to start pursuing joy today.
Begin now! The psalmist says in Psalm 118:24 “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Today is the day to rejoice, not yesterday, or tomorrow – do it today. If we are going to know God’s joy – then it must be today. But true joy doesn’t come to those who have turned away from the pain and sorrow and injustice of the world – but those who know it is there and have devoted their lives to something greater than just their own personal happiness – and that is by serving Jesus Christ and His purposes.
3. People who want to pursue joy need to find a joy mentor.
Or else find people who exude joy and make you joyful, and spend time with them. They breathe life into us, don’t they! And its’ important to spend time with them because we all know that there are other people who do the opposite. They are like black holes which easily suck the joy right out of us, if we are not careful. We need to love them as best we can, but we also have to be careful not to let them shape us.
4. People who want to pursue joy need to set aside a day of the week to be a personal joy-filled day, filled with pleasant things.
One day of the week eat foods you love, go and watch a fun movie, listen to music that you love, read books that you love and that refresh your spirit, wear clothes that make you happy and feel good, surround yourself with beauty – and as you do all these things , give thanks to God for His wonderful goodness. Take time to experience and savour joy, then direct your heart toward God so that you come to know He is the giver of every good and perfect gift.
5. People who want to pursue joy need to discipline their mind to view life from a biblical perspective – even when we live in a pain filled world.
This discipline involves remembering the promises of God, and especially the promises which come at the end of the Bible. The Bible ends on the note of victory and praise. The battle is won. At the end of this age God will dance with His people. As John the apostle says in Revelation 21:3-4
“God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’”
In the beginning there was joy, and in the end when all is fulfilled, there will be joy. Some of us completely understand the idea that CELEBRATION is a discipline. WE don’t always FEEL like celebrating because we are going through a time of trial and suffering. To a Christian, JOY does not come from mere “positive thinking.” We have reason for confidence and JOY even in the middle of suffering. In fact, it is often the very people closest to suffering who have the most powerful joy. That’s because true joy, comes only to those who have devoted their lives to something greater than personal happiness. One test of joy is its compatibility with pain – joy in spite of something. Karl Barth called joy a “defiant nevertheless” set against bitterness and resentment.
May we learn to recognize and celebrate the joyful moments in our lives. May we be filled with gratitude so that we can thank God for those moments. May God fill us with His joy so that others who don’t know Him yet will be drawn to Him.
