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Saturday, August 31, 2013

Celebrate Good Times (Come On!)



This weekend, my youth group put on a wedding-themed back to school bash. We had dancing (maybe 20 students, but still it totally counts…), music, a wedding cake prepared by a professional decorator and a message on the wedding of Cana. We had asked our students to dress up in their best clothes and come prepared for a party. This week we are preparing for a last man standing dodgeball tournament and we have a pretty great ‘party’ worship set planned.

This weekend, I also led worship for my church. We planned a pretty freedom-based party set.

Now, I love my church.

I’ve attended my church since I was two and have dreamed of working there forever. But as I was leading our congregation…

I looked out to a church that doesn’t quite know how to party.

I looked out to a congregation a tad bit uncomfortable with celebration.

Granted, we live in different times and what works in youth ministry won’t always or even sometimes work in what we refer to as “the big church”, but there’s a sense in the Bible that Jesus knew how to party.

 

In his first recorded miracle in the book of John, He turns water into wine to keep the party going. In His parables he speaks of fathers throwing Gatsby-esque parties when their sons return from being lost. In other places he says that when even one sinner repents, the angels sing songs in celebration.

Jesus knew not only how to party…

 But WHY to party.
 
And frankly, we, as the church, have the best reason to party.

God, the creator, loves us and redeems us through His son Jesus, who died for our sins so we can live eternally in communion with our father. If we truly believe that earth is a training ground for heaven, we better start learning how to celebrate salvation.

Here are a few tips, wherever this article finds you on your celebration journey:

1.                          Don’t be afraid to lift your hands. Especially if you are the only one. Now once again, lifting your hands is not celebrating exclusively, celebrating has much more to do with your heart. But lifting your hands is not a bad start.
2.                          Sing loud. For God’s sake. I don’t care if you have a William Hung voice. Do it for Jesus, wholeheartedly.
3.                          If you clap, clap with your hands high. I remember a worship leader at a camp I went to saying, “You have been saved by Jesus. So act like it and clap like it.”
4.                          Be authentic. Celebrating only happens when you are genuinely excited about what you are partying for. Don’t fake it, but don’t make excuses for being timid.

When we worship, we worship in spirit in truth. When we exalt God, we don’t move God higher, we begin to understand not only our lowness, but how despite our lowness God loves the heck out of us. Worship God in a spirit of joy and the truth that He chose you despite our unworthiness. 

-Ben Langevin