Celebration Found

Read:

Luke 15:21-24 (LSB)And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet, and bring the fattened calf, slaughter it, and let us eat and celebrate, for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate.

What is it saying to me

(If you are not familiar with the story of the prodigal son, head to v. 11 of this chapter first.) The prodigal son is still dusty and dirty from the road, probably still rehearsing his little speech about not being worthy anymore in his head, and the father cuts him off before he can even finish it. And not with a lecture. With a party. He calls for the best robe, a ring, sandals, the fatted calf (translation: the works). This isn't a private party, a quiet welcoming for the redeemed son. It's loud. It's extravagant. It's a full-blown feast thrown together on short notice, because celebrating that someone was lost and is now found needs an immediate party.

Jesus tells us in the verse before this story starts that "there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Heaven throws a party. I think it's important for us to remember that the day we gave our lives to Jesus, there was rejoicing in the eternal realm. That is quite remarkable.

When was the last time you actually celebrated something God did, instead of just nodding along and moving on to the next thing? Like a real celebration, the kind that costs you something and takes up your time. If heaven can throw a party over one sinner who repents, it seems fair to ask if we shouldn't be celebrating victories more.

Christianity made a mistake when it began to view a solemn attitude as more virtuous than a celebratory one. Someone once said that we get more of what we celebrate. So what are we celebrating? What do we want more of? Let's celebrate a spiritual victory. A bad habit broken. A hard-earned truth. An answered prayer. And obviously, a newly minted saint. And let's not skimp on it.

What is it saying to you

What has happened to you recently that is worth celebrating? Did you?

What victories have those around you had?

How could you celebrate with them?

What are we going to do about it?

Throw a party. Celebrate.