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Psalms 118:24 This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Almost every week Kristi and I get either a visit, a call, or a FaceTime call from one of our grandkids wanting to share with us an accomplishment or important happening in their little life. It is so much fun as we celebrate with them. Their smile grows larger, they seem more confident, they appear more joyful. On one occasion as the grandkids came over, they burst into the house, yelling, “Mormor! Papa! MORMOR! PAPA, guess what?” They then found us in the family room and burst into dancing and we cheered them on. The others jumped in and so did Kristi and I. After a few minutes of this wonderful dance party, we asked why we were dancing. They then told us that they had just swam the full length of the pool! Awesome. We wanted to hear every detail about how they felt and and how they love swimming, and we let them know how proud we are of them. It was a joyful celebration, and important!
See, celebrations add much to life. Celebrations bring people together and therefore enhance connection, interaction, and a sense of belonging like birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings. Celebrations help us feel good and affirmed as we share common likes, common interests, and common beliefs like at a victory party, graduation, or business accomplishment. Celebrations also teach us and expand our understanding of our beliefs and heritage like with the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on an Easter Sunday.
Ecclesiastes 3:4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
God encourages us to gather.
Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
And like the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32, the father celebrated the prodigal son’s return even though the older son was not happy about it nor was he willing to come into the celebration.
Luke 15:32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
Easter week is filled with good, faith-building celebrations. Many churches meet on Maundy Thursday and/or Good Friday. Most every church holds a wonderful Easter Sunday celebration. These are times to gather and celebrate the victory and validation the resurrection of Jesus brings.
We have come through a time when many celebrations were discouraged due to the COVID pandemic. Though we still need to be cautious, we can and should gather for celebrations, it’s important!
If you do not already have a church to attend on Easter, we would like to invite you to view or visit Neighborhood Church. We are a welcoming church and would love for you to celebrate with us! Our website has all the information you need for times and locations of all our Sunday gatherings. You can also find us online at neighborhoodchurch.com. As well, if you would like to view any of our past worship gatherings or videos, visit our YouTube channel, or just search Neighborhood Church Cypress or Neighborhood Church Los Alamitos on their YouTube site.
Seeking to celebrate more along with you,
Mike
