Celebration with Kool and the Gang Christ
For those of you under 40, you probably have absolutely no idea what this title means, but for those of you born before the mid 70’s you know exactly who Kool and the Gang was and that Celebration was their smash hit. I was in California in 1982 on a college basketball road trip, and the band was playing at a venue near our hotel. In walking by, we could actually see the stage and performers. As soon as the first notes of Celebration were played, the place erupted.
One thing that has always struck me as being odd is that the world often celebrates life more than Christians do. I realize that our biggest celebration awaits our homecoming in heaven, but it seems that since we know the Giver of Life personally, we should be the quickest to acknowledge His power and love as He intervenes on behalf of His creation. Throughout the Old Testament, the Jews held numerous annual celebrations such as Passover and the Feasts of Booths so subsequent generations would know their history and God’s faithfulness in that history.
What did these celebrations include? Feasting! Food and joy go together throughout the scriptures:
- That they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor. – Esther 9:22
- Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness. – Acts 14:17
It is therefore biblically fitting that we enjoy this holiday season with great food. Neither should we feel guilty with the amount of food that God provides, as there were twelve baskets left over after the feeding of the 5,000. Did God not know how many were going to be there? Did He not have the power to have the exact amount for the exact number of people? The answer to these questions is obvious. This reality reflects that He is a God of abundance, and we should enjoy that aspect of His personality.
Second, these celebrations included various traditions like the father inspecting the Passover lamb for any blemishes — just as Pilate examined Jesus before pronouncing Him as without fault. The matzah was broken and then wrapped in a cloth — signifying the broken body of Jesus in the tomb — and hidden at the halfway point of the dinner. The children were later released to go find it, and when they presented it to the father — signifying the resurrection — they received a reward. Also, an empty place was left at the Passover table for Elijah, who the Jews knew would usher in a realm that would never end — fulfilled in John the Baptist.
It is fitting that parents initiate or continue traditions that are unique to their families. This not only gives the children something to look forward to, it also gives context for various holidays. For instance, in addition to the Thanksgiving meal, some families read the Thanksgiving Proclamation from Abraham Lincoln or read selected excerpts from Plymouth Plantations. Other parents use this as a homeschooling opportunity to teach drama, expecting their children to write dramas or speeches and then perform them together. Some fathers and sons hold their own Turkey Bowl football game. Traditions act like glue that holds the family together and encourages cross-generational transition.
Finally, every celebration should point our children to Jesus Christ, the Giver of every blessing and every family moment:
Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessing be on Your people! Selah. – Psalms 3:8
Focusing on God can be accomplished by attending a special holiday service at a local church or having everyone around the table share blessings from God in the past year. Dad or Mom can explain the origin of lights at Christmas by reading the account of the Maccabees in the historic, yet non-canonical, Apocrypha.
Many celebrations are merely social constructs made by man for personal gain or sentimental attachment. While I enjoy National Ice Cream Day, April Fool’s Day, or Homemade Cookie Day (I kid you not), these lack the lasting impact of days that celebrate God’s intervention into mankind’s history. This holiday season will be here and gone in a matter of a few weeks, yet the impressions of joy and peace will remain in their memories for the rest of their lives. While we want to respect our budgets, let us be exceedingly liberal in our expressions of God’s goodness. Forget Kool and the Gang. We have an even better reason to celebrate.
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