I think churches have a complicated relationship with 'celebrating'.
The churches I grew up in rarely celebrated anything. And when we did it felt weird and maybe a little bit suspicious, like we were trying to big note ourselves.
So churches got planted, people became followers of Jesus, pastors and missionaries were sent out into God's harvest field, people matured as followers of Jesus, amazing events happened where the gospel was clearly proclaimed to many unbelievers... but we rarely (if ever) paused to share the stories and celebrate what God was doing. Yes, we did pray and give thanks, but to celebrate the work of God amongst us publicly felt a bit icky.
Other churches seem to celebrate everything! Every Sunday is an expectant event filled with celebration. Even when there isn't much to be celebrated (i.e. the gospel isn't being preached, people aren't coming to faith and are not maturing) they're still fizzing about other things that are happening. The challenge here is that the excitement runs the risk of being manufactured and inauthentic, shutting down other emotions we experience in a life following Jesus. A greater risk is we begin celebrating ourselves instead of God, who is the one sovereignly at work.
When we look to the Bible it is clear that there are moments that are worthy of celebration. Luke 15 features three parables all of which end in celebration. Jesus speaks about something being lost and then being found - a sheep, a coin and a wayward son. And when each of them is found (a metaphor for sinners repenting and turning back to God) it is cause for great celebration and rejoicing.
'Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.’ (Luke 15:23-24)
Now it is important for our churches to be authentic and places where people can share in the full emotional range of a life following Jesus. As Paul instructs in Romans 12, we're to 'rejoice with those who rejoice and to mourn with those who mourn' (Rom 12:15). We ought to feel able to come, as we are, in whatever emotional state we're in, and not worry about if we're going to 'kill the vibe' of what's going on.
But we also ought to be able to gather and celebrate what God is doing amongst his people, to have our hearts filled with the joy of seeing the good news of Jesus go out as people become and grow as wholehearted followers of Jesus. Who knows, we might even find our affections lifted and our eyes refocused by the celebration of God’s work amongst us.
This week there is much that God has done that we ought to celebrate and give him thanks for.
Our Hutt Church publicly launched on Sunday after years of planning, months of meeting and weeks of preparing. It was a fantastic afternoon where we welcomed 24 new people, where we were reminded from God's word what it means to be a 'city on a hill', and we shared in a dinner to celebrate the official opening of our newest congregation.
So let's celebrate!
Let's give thanks to God for his goodness in taking us thus far. Let's praise him for those we have been able to connect with and share the good news of Jesus. Let's ask him to use this new congregation (and our existing ones too) to grow his kingdom as people who were lost are found and come back into relationship with their Heavenly Father.
Grace & peace,
Andrew
eNews - 21st February 2025