Celebration

A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to join in a sequence of celebrations. The first phase was a bachelor party for my good friend Matt Tavani. We spent the day rock climbing, participating in an epic scavenger hunt involving cold weather, nighttime canoeing, eating meat, and sharing the ways that we have seen God work in Matt’s life. A few days later I got to attend Matt and Mya’s wedding. It was a joyous occasion in which we witnessed the joining of their lives. The event was one that pointed to the work that God had done in each of them that led them to marriage. While a lot of my time was spent having fun with friends that I hadn’t seen in a while, I couldn’t help but think that the way that we were choosing to celebrate Matt and Mya differed from the out-of-control, self-serving style that is depicted in culture. This celebrating reflected who Matt and Mya are. They have built their lives on the one who created them, and that informed the celebration.

            I have always enjoyed celebrating. I like birthdays, holidays, special events that mark achievements, and anything that involves people gathering to be together. When I was growing up, celebrations were not much more than times for me to get my extrovert fix. I didn’t care why we were gathering, just that I got to be with people. I have fond memories of playing tag around ponds or wrestling in yards while the adults visited at the countless parties that were graced with my presence. Disappointment filled me when my parents decided that it was time to go. To this day, the thought of going to any type of celebration excites me and a large part of this is because I have such fond memories of going to parties as a child. Now that I am older, celebrations mean much more to me than just a chance to be around people. When done well, celebrating is one of the best ways that I have found to worship God. It took time to learn to do this, but now it is one of my favorite things.

            My journey toward a more complete celebration practice began with Power House, a weekly student-led worship at Messiah College. I rarely missed a Thursday evening of corporate worship during my freshman year. I would travel across campus and take up my unassigned assigned spot in the center of the balcony in Hostetter Chapel in anticipation of the passionate night of corporate worship. The song, Boldly I Approach (The Art of Celebration) by Rend Collective, became my unofficial theme song. It felt like the worship team played it weekly. The bridge goes: “This is the art of celebration Knowing we’re free from condemnation Oh praise the One, praise the One Who made an end to all my sin”. I would close my eyes and imagine singing this out in the throne room of heaven accompanied by all other believers and angels in the presence of almighty God. Having been redeemed, I would be able to stand before him and sing his praise. From that point on, my celebratory practices continued to mature. My sophomore year, I found myself as a member of the Loft team. The Loft team was an intentional community of students under the leadership of Wendell Witter, who navigated life together as we worked to serve other student leaders on campus. One of the many lessons that I learned from Wendell and Teri, his wife, was how to celebrate the work that God is doing. Twice each year they would host “To the King” night. We would gather with goblets filled with sparkling grape juice and take turns sharing the ways in which we witnessed God at work in our lives. We would toast our King Jesus. This was one of my favorite traditions. The act of setting aside time to reflect on the good that God was doing in my life was one of the best ways that I found to worship. The language of “To the King” has even become a part of my everyday life. When I hear about what God is doing in someone, this phrase is the first to come to mind. (I talk more about this form of celebration in my post, “To the King”; if you are interested in learning more about this practice, check it out.)

            Today is one of the biggest celebrations of the year. Back in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln officially declared it a national holiday, (Congress establishes Thanksgiving) and since then it has become a time to enjoy some turkey, some football, and some family. While these things are good, by themselves they are a bit shallow. When we slow down in the midst of the tradition and take time to give thanks to the creator of all things, we give Thanksgiving real meaning. I believe that when we give thanks to the Lord, we are worshipping him and that is what we are created for. What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than to take time to confess our blessings before the one who blesses us? I want to encourage you to take time today to move beyond the tradition that is the Thanksgiving celebration and give thanks to the giver of life. This could mean writing a gratitude list or toasting to the King or sharing around the dinner table the things that you are thankful for. Regardless, allow this to be a day of worship and of celebrating.

Please share in the comments some thanksgiving practices that are meaningful to you or things that you are thankful for today so that we can join together in giving thanks.

Works Cited

National Archives and Records Administration. (n.d.). Congress establishes Thanksgiving. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved November 25, 2021, from https://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/thanksgiving.