Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 6:12-19, Luke 2:8-20, Luke 15:11-32, Romans 12:15, Philippians 4:8, James 1:17
Close your eyes and think of one of the best moments of celebration you’ve experienced. Was it winning the regional, state, or national championship with your sports team? Or nailing that tricky note in your solo? Maybe it was the warmth and wonder of family gathered together to sing “Happy Birthday” to a beloved grandparent.
Whatever the celebration, remember those moments of joy.
Joy is a deep and enduring state of contentment that is not contingent on circumstances. Joy is a fruit borne from abiding in the vine of Jesus. Celebration is a practice of joy—a habit of noticing all that is praiseworthy and rejoicing in the beauty, goodness, and truth of God and His creation.
We often hear around Christmas about the “good news of great joy…for all the people” (Luke 2:10). But it is also relevant for us right now because Jesus is with us in every moment. His sacrificial life gives ample reason for rejoicing, a reverent and delighted praise to the God who first loved us.
Celebration doesn’t take much—just a willing and open heart to Him.
I love to see and celebrate small things such as small accomplishments or victories. Life is too precious to wait for specific reasons to celebrate! God’s goodness abounds in everyday blessings, and focusing on the smaller joys makes a difference in our days.
Try making a list throughout the day so that at the end of it you can look back and see God’s presence, be thankful, and rejoice. The curl of steam rising from your coffee mug. The first breath of air in the morning. Sunlight that slants across the hardwood floor. Penning a letter to a friend to let her know she’s been on your mind.
A grateful heart ushers in celebration. And a celebratory heart is a thankful heart. The more we find to be grateful for, the easier it is to make a pattern of thanksgiving and celebration for all the ways we see God around us and for all we have seen Him do.
Celebrate the big things too! A long-awaited answer to prayer. A new job that fits your giftings. A marriage, birth, retirement, and even a memorial. All these moments lead to a significant life saturated in thankfulness to the giver of all good gifts.
Heaven rejoices when a new believer enters the kingdom of God. God Himself delights in His creation. We were made for celebration—at the coming marriage feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19) and at this very moment.
Train your eyes to see the wonder around you, to recognize the people God has placed in front of you, and to receive the grace freely given when you don’t feel worthy of it. We have plenty of reasons to celebrate, especially as followers of Jesus. He is the source of our joy.
His goodness abounds. We are known and loved. With God, there is always something to celebrate.
Written by Sarah Freymuth
