A time to celebrate

[Apolojedi (Daniel Eaton)]

Bear with me as I pull an Andy Rooney and ramble on a bit. We celebrate the 4th of July. Not very profound, I know. LOL We also celebrate birthdays. We celebrate anniversaries. We celebrate Christmas, Easter, and even Groundhog Day. We even celebrate the Lord's supper. We celebrate with fireworks, costumes, music, showers, parties, and on and on. All this celebrating makes me wonder if the word has any significance any more. Do we actually celebrate these *days*, celebrate *on* these days, or are we just remembering something special or significant can *calling* it a "celebration" just because we are not the only ones doing it at that particular time?

I wonder if our focus on celebrating events has not limited us to celebrating on special days instead of continually. We are to give thanks in *everything*. We are to pray without ceasing. We are told to remember different things, but it doesn't seem to be limited to a "celebration" event in the New Testament. Seems like more of an Old Testament idea. Makes me wonder if this event-driven "celebration" is something we are *supposed* to be doing. I'm not suggesting doing away with celebrations like the JW's do. I'm just wondering if the important things that we are supposed to remember are things that we are to continually remember, and not shuffle off to a Hallmark moment or something like the "celebration" of the Lord's Supper where we've all but turned it into a choreographed funeral-esque musical.

All this thinking of celebrations made me wonder what the Bible had to say about it. So I did a search on "celebrate" in the NIV. Out of 67 occurrences, over 60 were in the Old Testament. One referred to the celebration in Revelation when the two witnesses are killed. One was in Matthew where it references a celebration of the Passover. The rest were in reference to the Prodigal Son coming home. "Celebration" is mentioned only a few times, and the only reference that seems to address this point is in Colossians 2:16 where we are told "...do not let anyone judge you...with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day."

So all this random thinking rambling as me wondering. What should we celebrate. When should we celebrate? How should we celebrate? Or is our current idea of "celebration" one based on tradition and not theology? Should "the church" celebrate secular/political things? Other than thinking that I've way over-thought this, what are your thoughts?

[Rey Reynoso]

It may be helpful to look at the festivals that the Israelites participated in and note that they were also part of communal remembrance and teaching. The Lord's Supper being a proclamation and reenactment of the Gospel should be one of the Church's festivals. Baptism as well. The other festivals aren't things that Christians should be bound by, but they might be important for the cultural ommunity or for the Church.

So these other festivals, I think are a matter of freedom and there may not be anything wrong with them. Some of them remind the culture that they are part of a historical stream. Christians, I think, should be concerned for that aspect as part of their vocation.