It’s time to get good at celebrating!

Nehemiah 12:27-47 is all about the celebration.

The wall is finished! Nehemiah and the people have achieved the impossible, overcome major obstacles, worked as a team. What relief! What joy! What gratitude to God!

At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres.  Nehemiah 12:27

They celebrate together. They celebrate joyfully. With singing. A lot of singing. And music. Thank God for music. What would a celebration be without it?

They give thanks. They have much to give thanks for. They know who is behind all that they have achieved and they dedicate themselves and the work to Him –

When the priests and Levites had purified themselves ceremonially, they purified the people, the gates and the wall.  Nehemiah 12:30

Look at this early version of surround sound! –

I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks. One was to proceed on top of the wall to the right, towards the Dung Gate……..The second choir proceeded in the opposite direction…….Nehemiah 12:31, 38

But they all end up in the same place – the presence of God. In the end , the celebration is all about God –

The two choirs that gave thanks then took their places in the house of God; so did I, together with half the officials, as well as the priests…..    Nehemiah 12:40-41

And from that place of gratitude, they give. And they rejoice. The two go hand in hand.

And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.  Nehemiah 12:43

They rejoice so much, the sound can be heard far away.

They give so much, people have to be appointed to manage the gifts –

At that time men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits and tithes.   Nehemiah 12:44

The celebration is on a grand scale because their great God has done so many great things. They have much to celebrate.

Just like us. For we have much to celebrate, don’t we?

This is what people think of when they think of Christians in our land today, right? Celebration? Good news? Giving thanks to God? Gratitude? Singing and music? And giving? Giving generously? Sharing? Rejoicing?

No?

Well, this is what people think of each one of us as an individual, then? Someone who gives thanks to God for all the good things in their lives? Someone who looks for the best? Someone who rejoices and gives in response to all that God has done for them? Someone who knows how to celebrate?

No?

Actually, in life, it’s easier to join in with the moaners, isn’t it? It’s cool to be critical. It’s easy to pick fault. We can always find a way to feel sorry for ourselves. To feel everyone has it better. To feel hard done to. Just listen to a conversation in a staff room. Or have a look at your Facebook feed.

It’s hard to speak positively into that negativity without sounding like a Polyanna type freak. I know, because that’s how most people see me. It’s really difficult to say positive stuff about how things are in your life without sounding smug or appearing superior. I want to share when it’s good, without it becoming a comparison or a competition. I want to give the glory back to God. There must be a way.

Let me tell you about Christmas morning.

Christmas morning was a miracle. Hard to describe, because miracles are. Supernatural, therefore beyond words. You can easily explain it all away, feel free, but those of us that were here know what I mean. We all experienced it.

Christmas was setting itself up nicely to be a disaster. We don’t do Christmas well. Never have. The mix of stress and emotion and exhaustion and money worries and pressure to make it perfect and expectations to play the perfect family always get the better of us. And this year, our oldest son, Luke, wasn’t going to be with us for the first time ever. And Andy’s parents weren’t able to come on Christmas day as planned. And we’d all been ill with a sickness bug earlier in the week that was still lingering. And I’d been at work so many hours that I was exhausted and the house wasn’t tidy or ready for Christmas. And we’d had a phone call from social services that was unsettling in reminding us that our kids are never our own, when they are adopted. And we’d seen hardly anything of Courtney. And Andy had had to spend some of the night Christmas Eve at hospital with a friend. I had zero expectations that we could make anything special of Christmas Day at all.

And that’s where God stepped in. I really believe that because what happened was beyond us. It felt like a sense of blessing was pouring down on our house. Everyone was calm. Everyone had a good sleep and woke up rested and refreshed. Everyone enjoyed opening their presents and appreciated what they got. Everyone felt loved and special. We all affirmed each other and there were no digs, no sarcasm, no jealousy, no unpleasantness. Andy and I treasured the cards and gifts from the children in a very special moment. We felt like family. We were all happy. All content. All grateful. All at peace.

This never happens. We kept looking at each other in disbelief, waiting for this amazing indescribable feeling of blessing and God’s goodness to melt away. It didn’t till the heated discussion over Christmas dinner – about 2:30. But by then, we’d experienced something we’d never experienced as a family before – our very own Christmas miracle. The best present Andy and I could have received. One we will never forget.

So how do I shout about that? How do I make a soundbite out of that? How do I give the glory to God for all that He has done? And without sounding smug or trite? I don’t know. I really don’t know.

I just think we need to find a way to celebrate. More often. Rejoice more. Share more. Give more. A culture of celebrating (without dismissing the very harsh reality that some people are going through at any given moment also – there must be a way for the two to live alongside each other in our lives and in our churches). It’s not a competition. Never a comparison. Because it’s all about God and what God is doing – nothing to do with how amazing we are…..

We have much to celebrate. God is good.

There’s no doubt about that.

It’s time to get good at celebrating!