{"id":2510,"date":"2014-08-15T15:20:49","date_gmt":"2014-08-15T15:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?p=2510"},"modified":"2017-01-05T16:42:29","modified_gmt":"2017-01-05T16:42:29","slug":"taking-time-to-celebrate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/2014\/08\/taking-time-to-celebrate.html","title":{"rendered":"Taking time to celebrate"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Delmi<\/a>
Delmi and Carlos had a birthday cake for Tripp and I<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“It was fitting\u00a0to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother\u00a0was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:32 ESV).<\/em><\/p>\n

In the parable of the prodigal son, the older brother complains to his father about the party that’s being planned to celebrate the return of his younger brother. His killjoy spirit reminds me of the way Judas responded to the extravagant gift that Mary\u00a0gave Jesus, when she anointed his feet with a pound of pure nard and wiped them with her hair.<\/p>\n

Both the older brother and Judas were party-poopers!<\/p>\n

Or maybe there was something more going on in these men.\u00a0Both of them revealed a kind of bitterness and bankruptcy of the soul. They questioned extravagance in anything: Extravagant giving, extravagant celebration, extravagant forgiveness… extravagance\u00a0seemed wasteful to them.<\/p>\n

Yet, God takes the time to celebrate. He took a day off\u00a0on the seventh day of creation. He certainly wasn’t tired, so perhaps\u00a0he just\u00a0wanted to take the time to celebrate. He looked\u00a0over everything he had made and said, “Good job! It’s good.” And he taught us to do the same. He made it one of his top ten: “Remember the Sabbath.” Set it apart. Make it\u00a0a day when you rest from your labors to celebrate God’s good gifts.<\/p>\n

We recently took a team on mission to Guatemala. Our going to Guatemala was a kind of celebration. We were putting Christ’s call to go to the nations ahead of our own concerns.\u00a0Pulling away from our own stuff and our own effort, we went to Guatemala. True celebration, true worship always involves\u00a0pulling one’s\u00a0affections off their own stuff\u00a0and putting them on God.<\/p>\n

While we were in Guatemala they\u00a0had a birthday party for me and another team member. They had a cake with candles, they sang, they even put off\u00a0firecrackers. They took the time to celebrate with us.\u00a0We felt special and loved.\u00a0The Guatemalans may not be as wealthy as Americans, but they are very rich\u00a0in\u00a0knowing how to celebrate.<\/p>\n

Taking time to celebrate may seem extravagant. Some would say it’s a waste of time and\u00a0money. Yet, God desires it.\u00a0He\u00a0has\u00a0given us many gifts, but certainly the most extravagant is Jesus. When we take time to worship Jesus, we are expressing our love and thanks to God.<\/p>\n

Celebrating\u00a0God’s Son\u00a0we join in heaven’s joy. We admit our dependence on God and our inability to save ourselves. For we were once dead and now we are alive. We were once lost but now are found. We cannot add to this through our own effort. But we can take time to celebrate it.<\/p>\n

Here is a video report of our Guatemala Mission Trip. We offer it as a kind of celebration for\u00a0the extravagant joy that we have in serving Christ and carrying his gospel to the nations.<\/em><\/p>\n