Celebration!

PRAYER OF CONSECRATION

Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. 

Jesus, I belong to you.

I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.

Jesus, we belong to you. 

Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen. 

Luke 15:20–24

So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ so they began to celebrate.”

CONSIDER THIS

In the early ’80s the music group Kool and the Gang released a song called “Celebration.” Yes, I’m actually quoting a pop band in our devotional time. Singing the lyrics, we learned that there was a party going on, a celebration, and we were invited to bring our whole selves to it including our good times and laughter because they were going to celebrate with us. In our passage today, there is a party going on and we are supposed to celebrate and invite others to celebrate with us!

I have some good news for you today. Embracing a life of surrender isn’t something to be afraid of, but it is something that can bring great joy and peace within community. It’s in surrender that we experience the transforming power of God and so can those around us.

When the Israelites brought a peace offering for the Lord, a small portion was burned on the altar, another portion went to the priest, but the largest portion was shared with friends and family. When we develop a habit of giving our thanks to God, it spills out in the way we live in community. Our joys are shared as well as our prayers.

In our passage from Luke, we are reading the end of a story which is actually the end of a trilogy. Jesus has been teaching on the joy of finding what has been lost as a way to illustrate the elation of God when His children repent of their sins and come home to the grace that pursues them. It’s one of the most expressive parables in the Gospels. Within this story, we see the son who has walked away from his father and lived a sinful life, but who now asks for forgiveness. What I love in this story is that we don’t read that the father first lectures the boy on his life choices or tells him that he will accept him back only if the son promises to never do it again. No, the joy that is felt comes because the father loves so deeply and with great mercy and that is something to celebrate with the entire community.

When we give our thanks to our Father, we should share it with others. Give thanks to God in a celebration of worship. Give thanks to God by opening your home and sharing a meal. Give thanks to God by going out into your community and welcoming those who have not yet found their way home. Surrender your praise by sharing with others. There’s a party going on right here and it’s a celebration of salvation that comes from the unending grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a celebration that we offer as a surrender of thanks and through which transformation comes not just for ourselves, but those around us.

THE PRAYER 

Lord, we celebrate the love You have shown as a Father who runs after His children and we pray that we show the same outpouring of mercy to those around us who need to be loved. Let us be aware of those who also don’t feel included and may we be the ones that welcome them home in Your name. Amen.

THE QUESTIONS

When was the last time you celebrated the grace of God in your life? Who can you invite into a relationship with Christ so they can experience His compassion and mercy?

For the Awakening,
Susan Kent 

Subscribe to get this in your inbox daily and please share this link with friends.

P.S. Join J.D. and Dan this Monday for the prayer course!

On Monday, we begin the How to Pray Like Jesus course! J.D. Walt and Dan Wilt will examine Jesus’s life of prayer so that we can learn how to pray like him as we pray with him. You can sign up here! This is a live course on Monday evenings from 6–7:30pm CT, March 18, 25 & April 1. If you miss a session, don’t worry—all the recordings and bonus content will be in your Seedbed account.