September Discipleship Challenge: Celebration

“Applause, everyone. Bravo, bravissimo! Shout God songs at the top of your lungs!”

Psalm 47:1 (The Message)

The Challenge

The world is filled with reasons to be downcast. But deeper than sorrow thrums the unbroken pulse of God’s joy, a joy that will yet have its eternal day. To set our hearts on this joy reminds us that we can choose how we respond to any particular moment. We can seek the pulse of hope and celebration because it is God’s reality. Every small experience of Jesus with us is a taste of the joy that is to come. We are not alone- and that in itself is reason to celebrate.

The Practice: Try One of the Following

-Find a Joy-Filled Place... Identify a local place or hobby where you easily connect with God. Is it in nature? Making a craft? Mowing the Lawn? Listening to Christian music? Participating in worship services? Make an effort to go to that place. Tell God about the joy you receive there. Then tell a Christian friend and ask them about where they celebrate their relationship with God.

-Celebrate a Person... Take time for the people who bring you joy. Ask God how you might celebrate them in a way that encourages them. Maybe you’ll celebrate an important person’s birthday or a special milestone or moment with them this month. Let this celebration be an opportunity to tell them how precious they are to you and to God.

-Celebrate God... Consider how God loves you. Even when it is hard to find things to thank God for, you can always find a way to praise God for being God. Read Zephaniah 3:17. Then be still and listen to how God is celebrating you! Celebrate the God who celebrates you.

-Come to the Committee Fair... Attend the Union Committee Fair after church on September 20. Celebrate all the ways Union is already the hands and feet of God. Look for a committee where you can get involved, celebrating all that God has done for you by giving back to him and his people!

The When and the Why

We are called to celebrate because God celebrates. He invented delight, joy, and

celebration. One way we enter into the divine life of the Trinity is through celebration.

Whether solemn or exhilarating, formal or spontaneous, celebration can enlarge our

capacity to enjoy and serve God, freeing us from criticism and negativity.