Introduction
 
Life is full of hardship, sorrow, and pain. Some people drown in despair because of that while others try to alleviate the situation by escaping or denying the situation. The former leads to a loss of hope while the latter leads to an unhealthy attachment to pleasure. Is there another solution? Yes, it’s called the discipline of celebration.

The discipline of celebration is one of the key disciplines of engagement (i.e., disciplines that we do with other people) that we can learn to practice in the midst of all the sorrow and pain in the world. It is the intentional enjoyment of our life with God by faith together with others. It must be balanced with other spiritual disciplines, especially disciplines of abstinence. Let us learn how we can practice this discipline in our lives.

Four Aspects of the Discipline of Celebration.

1. It must be intentional. – The discipline of celebration cannot happen unless we intentionally incorporate it in our lives as part of our lifestyle. It must be part of our bodily habits. Psalms 150:1-6 commands us to praise the Lord at all times.
2. It must be focused* on our life with God. – What we are celebrating is not merely life’s pleasures but our life with God. We are celebrating His goodness and love, especially as it pertains to all our spiritual blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-10).
3. It must be done by faith. – We celebrate our life with God, not just based on what we can experience with our five senses, but even more so with the eyes of faith through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is why we can still rejoice even during times of difficulty. (Romans 5:1-5)
4. It must be done with others. – The discipline of celebration is something we do with fellow believers in Christ. Yes, we can celebrate with others who may not know Christ, but true celebration is with God’s people. This is the reason why God’s people are commanded in Scripture to come together regularly to celebrate in the presence of the Lord, and not to neglect that practice. (Hebrews 10:19-25).

Conclusion

1. Emphasize the Turning Point – When we celebrate God together, we grow strong together.
2. Nudge to respond – Let us not become killjoys when it comes to life. But let us not become mere lovers of pleasure like the rest of the world. Instead, let us practice the discipline of celebration regularly together with fellow believers in Christ.
3. Direct the initial application – Let us practice this now by worshiping the Lord with our bodies. Let us lift up our hands and dance in the presence of the Lord.