Celebration

The Discipline of Celebration

Pastor Richard Hovey

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Apostle Paul, Philippians 4:4-7

Defining Celebration

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 concentrate on our life and world as God’s work and as God’s gift to us.

Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines

Celebration is not just an attitude but also something that we do. We laugh. We sing. We dance. We play. The psalmist described the joy-filled celebration of the people of God complete with timbrel and dance, with trumpet and lute and harp, with strings and pipe and loud clashing cymbals. In celebration we celebrate!

Richard Foster, The Making of an Ordinary Saint (Nathan Foster)

Practicing Celebration

Make a joyful noise this week in song, lifting your voice to the Lord our God in celebration; this may be done alone or with another.
If you like to dance, dance!
Use your creativity or enjoy the creativity of others by engaging in art, theatre, music, fiction.
Plan ways to celebrate key events on the church calendar such as Christmas and Easter.
Celebrate with family and friends around birthdays, anniversaries, and special events like weddings or the birth of a child – make the most of these events.

Resources

Thou Shalt Celebrate by Dallas Willard
Celebration is a Spiritual Discipline by Dorothy Greco

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