How Do I Celebrate?

“How do I celebrate?”

In the words of the great, modern day thespian, Laurence Fishburne, in the critically acclaimed action thriller of 2010, titled ‘Predators,’ when he is asked, “How do we kill them?”

He answers, “However you can.”

So lets, “have some fun tonight!”

Personal celebrations versus, say… a family celebration of a birthday, graduation, or even a death, brings together a group for a ‘formal’ recognition of the occasion. Versus you, alone, celebrating a personal accomplishment like losing 10 pounds. Woo hoo!

Think of that birthday party for a youngster. There is Grandma and Grandpa, mom and dad, brothers and sisters, cake and ice cream, balloons and streamers, friends, games, and presents! Just because you turned 10. Woo Hoo!

But… what if you turn 10, or 40, or 50 and don’t have any of those things?

Does the answer, “However you can,” still be attainable?

How do I celebrate? Well, I’m learnin’.

The phrase, “How do I..” fired up the old grey matter, and I thought about how God set up his law, commands, and feasts, in the Old Testament. I thought I would look in the book of Deuteronomy to find out “how” God intended a celebration to go. A friend made a comment on my last article, that led me to the book of Zephaniah chapter 3 verse 14-17.

“Sing, Daughter Zion;
    shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
    Daughter Jerusalem!
^15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,
    he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
    never again will you fear any harm.
^16 On that day
    they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
    do not let your hands hang limp.
^17 The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
    but will rejoice over you with singing.”

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If you look at those few versus in Zephaniah you get a good picture of how God celebrates, and how we can celebrate an occasion or personal goal attained… you can…

• sing
• shout aloud
• be glad
• rejoice with all your heart
• do not fear
• do not let your hands hang limp (throw em’ in the air like you just don’t care)
• take great delight (in yourself or the person or the occasion being celebrated)
• in love
• rejoice over with singing

We didn’t spend a single dollar yet and it already sounds like a party.

What else?

Lets look at a few verses from Deuteronomy chapter 16. Verses 1-17.

Here is my position. Even though we are looking to the Book of the Law for understanding how we may celebrate, we have to understand we need to follow the spirit of the law… and not the letter.

For one… it’s impossible to follow the letter because, for instance, the place… the the physical temple is gone, and two… I don’t own no flocks, I have no sheep, goats, fattened calves or even two pigeons for that matter so… to the spirit of the law we go.

The first part of chapter 16 describes the three yearly festivals the men, and country, were to observe.

• The Passover / unleavened bread
• Festival of Weeks and
• Festival of Tabernacles / booths

Now… because we are not following the letter, (because we can’t) I would ask you to take the Word of God and place it at arms length, squint a little, and try to see the high lights of what he is saying. Pretend you are at the eye doctor.

We will glean from this exercise the items God has high lighted as important to a good celebration, and then our task is to take those items and apply them to (not only our remembrances of Him) but our own personal life victory celebrations.

• Verse 1 – “Observe the month of…” my take: take the time to stop and pay notice to the thing
• and celebrate… my take: it’s ok, and even commanded, to celebrate.
• Verse 2 – “Sacrifice a…” my take: (no letter, no sheep) but we can sacrifice a Thank offering of our lips.
• “at the place…” my take: set up a ‘special spot’, it can be at your dinner table, looking yourself in the mirror in the morning or just sitting in your car.
• Verse 3 – “because you left Egypt in haste—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt…” My take: Your ‘why.’ Remember your why, why are you celebrating?
• Verse 6 – “in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary of your departure from Egypt…” My take: be intentional, even if it’s only for a moment.
• Verse 7 – “roast it and eat it…” my take: have a little something.

Here’s a modern day example of a great group celebration…

• Verse 8 – “and do no work…” my take: we are too busy, take a moment, take a breath, let it out, and relax your brain.
• Verse 10 – “by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you…” my take: to me this one here speaks to all the little blessings we may not have noticed along the way to the finalized goal we are celebrating right now.
• Verse 11 – “And rejoice…” my take: Be happy. Express it, even if it is indescribable!
• Verse 13 – “after you have gathered the produce…” my take: appropriate timing after doing the work.
• Verse 14 – “Be joyful at your festival…” my take: do not poo poo on your own parade, don’t downgrade your accomplishment, do not consider it, or yourself, insignificant.
• Verse 17 – “No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed: ^17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.” my take: give back to God what He has given you, an acknowledgment, a Thank you, “…ask and you shall receive… give and it will be given unto you.”

Now for the application.

As of October 1st, 2019 I have passed the one year mark at my new job. Time certainly does have wings.

This article, along with a hot cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin, are my official observance of this milestone.

I remember my ‘why’ everyday. I say, “Thank you,” everyday. I remember where I was, and where I came out of. I have taken a moment to acknowledge the fact that I made it a whole year. (It was nip and tuck there for a minute… whew!) I continue to work on knowing ‘the letter,’ and have enjoyed a deeper personal relationship with The Spirit.

We still didn’t spend a dollar, did we? That is a beautiful thing with God.

If you can afford lavish… lavish on and rejoice… if not… no worries, if your heart can sing you can celebrate as big or as little as your heart desires!

Whether you have a magnum of champagne or a thimble full of water…

CELEBRATE, “How ever you can.”