Joyful Rebellion
The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be—and experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God’s people.
Luke 14:12-14 (The Message)
When the hardest times hit, celebration can seem frivolous or foolish. Could anything seem sillier than a festive brunch spread when the cancer diagnosis comes or popping champagne after the pink slip?
What if we could see celebration as a form of worship—a necessary, life-giving acknowledgement of God's goodness? When we are surrendered to the great Author of our stories, our worship doesn't depend on the happy ending.
We no longer celebrate desired outcomes. Now we celebrate God's provision, power, and presence in the process.
We’re not minimizing the pain, but we are making much of the Healer. We can joyfully rebel against fear when we gather together, put out the good china, and feast in good faith that the famine won't last forever.
