by Ebby Watkins
The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad. -Psalm 126:3
Often, when we talk about following the Way of Jesus, we mean following a path through a world in pain—reaching out to those on the margins, caring for those in need. Following Jesus means acknowledging hardships.
But to rejoice, to celebrate, to come together in gratitude — these are also the things that God calls us to do! Rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances, writes Paul in 1 Thessalonians; “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” And in Romans he exhorts: be patient in tribulation AND “rejoice in hope.” He isn’t just calling for gratitude during dark times, but specifically reminding us to give thanks in times of abundance.
Why does he (and why do I) feel the need for that reminder? “Hey, God wants you to be happy in happy times!” Uh, kind of obvious, right?
Except sometimes, I don’t think it is. It can feel quite difficult to take the time to celebrate something good happening while we are walking that path through a world in pain.
I know that I have always shied away from thankfulness exercises; as a perpetually anxious person, celebrating my abundance quickly flips into guilt over all the people who don’t have those things and my particular unworthiness to be so much more blessed by comparison. But this week I read something that broke through that anxiety and truly changed my mindset.
“Though we are hungry for joy as any famished laborer is for his repast, we feel guilt at granting it to ourselves while others suffer,” muses writer Talia Lavin in a recent blog post. (The blog is secular and ostensibly about sandwiches, but I found it to be profound in its words of wisdom!) She goes on to describe a vision of a table with food for everyone who hungers and a soft place for everyone to sit. “I would invite all the world to such a table, and rejoice in their plenitude, and my own. … There is no benefit to starving your heart,” she concludes. “Only from plenty can we imagine plenty.”
This makes me realize that celebration is what makes our work of ministry possible. Only from appreciating God’s abundance in our lives can we imagine it for others—and then help them see it for themselves. Only from our own joy in God’s goodness can we share how good the Good News is!
This coming Sunday we will gather for our Annual Meeting. Its purpose is administrative, yes, with its minutes and financials, its reports and elections. But its purpose is also, very deliberately, to celebrate: to rejoice in hope, to give thanks in our circumstances. Coming at the end of a tumultuous inauguration week and the flurry of sweeping changes that has already brought—many of which target and harm our most vulnerable siblings in Christ—we might feel a pang of guilt over taking the time to celebrate all the blessings and resources we are enjoying. We might want to rush past instead and “get back to work” on the Way of Love. But this IS part of the work, beloved ones, and it makes the rest of the work possible.
There is no benefit to starving your heart. Let us feast together; let us rejoice.