Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. -Psalm 150

DANCE! When King David and his men brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, which held sacred items and symbolized God’s presence, they celebrated big time. 2 Samuel 6 says David was leaping and dancing before the Lord! My favorite verse of that chapter, verse 14, says, “David was dancing before the Lord with all his might.” When was the last time you let loose and danced around? Dance during an upbeat worship song at church or in the car. Dance when you’re in a room by yourself at home and nobody’s around to judge. Just move your body! Embody the joy of the Lord, let His goodness fill your body and soul, and let that compel your body to move in celebration of the Creator. 

REMEMBER! Another way you can celebrate God and inject some joy into your life with Him is by remembering how He has worked in your life. How has God been faithful to you? How has He seen you through hard times? How has He drawn you nearer to Himself? How has He taught you things about yourself and about Him in the ups and downs of life? Find a way to keep track of these special remembrances. When Joshua led the 12 tribes of Israelites through the Jordan River, he instructed each tribe to take a stone from the middle of the river and carry it out to the other side. The stones were made into a memorial, which could forever remind the people and their offspring of when God miraculously stopped the flow of the Jordan River to bring the people through safely. Many of the Israelites’ holidays were focused around remembrance, too! During the Feast of Booths, they lived in temporary huts for a week to remember their journey into the Promised Land. During the Passover, they ate a certain meal to remember the night God saved and delivered them from slavery in Egypt. We can celebrate God by remembering his work in our lives. 

GIVE! Also at Jewish festivals, like the Feast of Booths and the Passover, part of the rituals included giving offerings and sacrifices to the Lord. Giving was an integral part of the celebrations. This might feel a little backward since in today’s day and age, celebrations more often include receiving gifts! But it feels so good to be generous, doesn’t it? Have you ever given somebody something and felt angry or sad about being generous? In my experience, generosity is paired with joy, and joy is definitely paired with celebration. We can celebrate the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness by giving. Maybe that means an extra financial contribution at church or to a person you know who’s in a tough spot. Maybe it means giving your time to a friend or colleague who needs help moving or watching their children or who just needs a listening ear. Maybe it means giving your time through service at a local homeless shelter or hospital. I’m willing to bet that doing any of these things will fill you with joy. If you’re intentionally celebrating God’s work in your life, one way to do that is certainly by finding a way to be generous.

GATHER TOGETHER! While some celebrations are okay to do alone, celebrating is quite often done in community. In the Bible, we see people gathering together for weddings, dinner parties and a variety of religious holidays. When you’re looking to celebrate God, one way is by gathering a group of people to just fellowship together. It could include intentional time talking about God, or it might simply be a fun time with fellow believers when talk about God or church comes up only occasionally in the midst of natural conversation. The next time God answers a prayer or shows His powerful hand in your life, choose to celebrate by inviting some believer friends to hang out. Share with them your news, and thank God together! Host a gathering at your house or apartment, plan an outing, get together at a restaurant, which leads me to….. 

EAT! We love to gather together around food. Well, I do, at least! People in the Bible did, too. They ate special meals, like the one we call the Last Supper, when Jesus ate with His disciples just shortly before He knew He’d be crucified. Jesus also celebrated the value and importance of all walks of people by sitting down at the table with many different kinds of folks. Matthew 9:10 says, “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.” And of course, many of the traditional Jewish celebrations and holidays included certain meals that the people ate and shared. We celebrate and remember Jesus today through the sacrament of holy communion at church, certainly a special meal, and we can celebrate by sharing meals with our small group members, our Christian mentors and mentees, our families and our friends. Most of us probably celebrate holidays like Christmas and Easter with a big family meal, but eating together with fellow believers can be more small-scale and casual, too. Gather a few girlfriends together for coffee, and celebrate God by chatting about what He’s been teaching you lately. Food is a fabulous addition to any celebration!

Living a life of following Jesus does not mean giving up everything fun. The Christian life does not have to be stuffy and serious. The Bible shows us many different kinds of celebrations, and especially when those celebrations help us recognize and commemorate God’s goodness in our lives, they have so much value. If you won the lottery, how would you respond? At the very least, you’d crack a smile… There would possibly be some jumping, dancing and shouting involved, too, right? So why would we not similarly celebrate when God showers us with blessings, faithfulness, deliverance, wisdom, direction and salvation? I dare you to show the world around you that faith in Jesus can involve happiness, smiles and fun.