Laced With Grace – Christian Devotions

Celebrate Good Times!

By Heather C March 6, 2009 Devotion

As Easter draws near, we are working on a set where we will re-enact  Jesus’ last days before the crucifixion.  It includes a garden, Pilot’s home, Calvary’s hill and the tomb.  I know it’s a somber month as we prepare our hearts to remember this most important moment of history – the day salvation came to man and grace flowed from heaven so we might be free from sin.  Memorial dates like Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and Good (or sad) Friday focus on the solemness of the occassion and remind us of God’s greatest sacrifice.

Sometimes as a church, we keep that somber attitude all year long though, as if Jesus never rose from the dead.  Church is serious business and we visualize Jesus as a solemn man, who was always serious as he taught the masses the truth about God’s character. 

But the Pharisees were quick to point out that Jesus wasn’t quite somber enough for their religious standards.  He partied too much and hung out with people of unsavory character while he skipped the days of fasting in order to enjoy the company of his disciples.  How religious could that be?

Jesus said a few things in contradiction to this idea that God’s followers should be serious all of the time.   Instead, we need to take time to celebrate and throw off the boring solemn faces of Sunday morning!  Jesus’ disciples should be known by their faces – faces of joy, peace and hope.  Here’s why.

Before Jesus even went to the cross and even before the resurrection, he said there was something to party about:  His presence.  He told the pharisees that this (his life – his incarnation – his time on earth) was all like a big wedding feast to Him.  He was a groom enjoying His bride (the church, his disciples).  Why in the world would he fast and look depressed when he was so happy he could burst?  Finding people who were willing to follow Him and who wanted to find new life through Him brought Him so much joy He couldn’t hold it inside. 

That’s why they accused him of being a party animal.  But, He was just celebrating His people and the pleasure of being with them and seeing them delight in God.

Then He told everyone that there are parties in heaven too (shocking?).  Those angels party it up every time someone chooses to believe in God’s power to change lives.  Every time a person finds new life through Christ, there’s a big whoop-it-up, dance around, holler and jump for joy party going on in God’s house.  And if they are partying in heaven, I think we ought to be celebrating with them!

After Christ’s resurrection, when the disciples first saw Jesus alive for the first time and after the shock wore off, their joy was contagious.  They couldn’t hold it inside – they had to tell everyone about this amazing story – that God came to earth as a man, that He chose to die for us and that He proved His power over death by the resurrection. 

I wonder, if we’ve heard the story so many times or if our own salvation happened so long ago that we’ve forgotten what GOOD NEWS it is.  What a great reason to celebrate!  Even if everything else is going wrong in my life today, I have a reason to party!

I think at the end of our Easter preparations, we should spend as ma ny days celebrating as we have getting everything (including our hearts) ready for the day.  Yes, we celebrate at church and maybe at home with a nice dinner and some treats, but if we’ve spent 40 days being solemn, shouldn’t we spend as many days rejoicing?

Celebrating with you today,

Heather Cox

5 thoughts on “Celebrate Good Times!”

  4. eph2810

    Amen to that, Heather. You are right, we often don’t express a joy in our salvation…we should ‘whoop-it-up’ every single day 🙂

    Thank you for putting a huge smile on my face at 5am 🙂