The Discipline of Celebration Announcements for May 6 Fine Dining May TODAY at the Loft at the corner of Pioneer

and Del Amo Kingdom Causes Annual Celebration Dessert Tuesday May 8th, 7-8:30pm at Bethany Christian Reformed Church Please RSVP to anishimoto@kcbellflower.org Cost: Free, Purpose: To share with others what God has been doing through KCBellflower. Mothers Day, Sunday May 13 - no class. Sunday May 20, LBRM - Meet at the High School/Jr. High Rooms @ 9am. Directions will be available then. Should be back to church by noon at the latest. Anticipatory Set Joy is the serious business of Heaven. - C.S. Lewis 24 Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. - Ecclesiastes chapter 2. The Dee Dah Day Story Ortberg pg 63-64 I had no answer. I had nowhere to go, nothing to do, no meetings to attend, no sermons to write. I was just so used to hurrying, so preoccupied with my own little agenda, so trapped in this rut of moving from one task to another, that here was life, here was joy, here was an invitation to the dance right in front of me -- and I was missing it. Are we ignoring the invitation to dance? Is the offer of joy just before us and are we neglecting it? Orberg notes that we often divide life into two categories. Time spent living and time lost waiting to live. Examples: Traffic, standing in line, waiting to graduate high school, waiting to turn 18, waiting to turn 21, waiting to graduate from college... (WAITING FOR THIS CLASS TO END). Too often we are simply killing time. We neglect the so-called empty moments and fail to see in them the opportunity to live. Imagine if God were to act the way we often act. Imagine if he, allowed the joyless attitude that we often carry with us to permeate His day. What if that were the spirit in which He created the world. John Ortberg tells such a story. In the beginning, it was nine oclock, so God had to go to work. He filled out a requisition to separate light from darkness. He considered making stars to beautify the night, and planets to fill the skies, but thought it sounded like too much work; and besides, thought God, Thats not my job. So he decided to knock off early and call it a day. And he looked at what he had done and said, Itll have to do. On the second day God separated the waters from dry 1

The Discipline of Celebration land. And he made all the dry land flat, plain, and functional, so that - behold - the whole earth looked like Idaho. He thought about making mountains and valleys and glaciers and jungles and forests, but he decided it wouldnt be worth the effort. And God looked at what he had done that day and said, Itll have to do. And God made a pigeon to fly in the air, and a carp to swim in the waters, and a cat to creep upon the dry ground. And God thought about making millions of other species of all sizes and shapes and colors, but he couldnt drum up any enthusiasm for any other animals - in fact, he wasnt too crazy about the cat. Besides, it was almost time for the Late Show. So God looked at all he had done, and God said, Itll have to do. And at the end of the week, God was seriously burned out. So he breathed a big sigh of relief and said, Thank Me, its Friday. The truth is that our God is a joyful God. He is an exuberant and enthusiastic God. Think about how often God is compared to a bridegroom on the day of his wedding. In the Discipline of Secrecy we learned to glorify God with our secrets by letting Him have the glory. In the Discipline of Celebration we are learning to glorify God by living in the Joy of the Lord. Think - Pair - Share

John 15:1-11
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9 Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Fathers commandments and abide in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. Discuss Some of my thoughts: Joy is a part of Gods character and we are made in the image of God, meant to be reflections of Gods character (and, therefore, his joy). We are commanded to abide in Gods love. How? By keeping his commandments. Jesus points to his own example, that he has kept The Fathers commandments and dwelt in the love of the father. Scriptural on Celebration

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Ask for volunteers to read and then discuss with class. Deuteronomy 14:22-26
New King James Version (NKJV) 22 You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. 23 And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. 24 But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the Lord your God has blessed you, 25 then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 26 And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. The OT covenant blessings and cursings in chapter 28

Deuteronomy 28:45-48
New King James Version (NKJV) 45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. 46 And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants forever. 47 Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you.

Nehemiah 8:8-11
New King James Version (NKJV) 8 So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading. 9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor,[a] Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. 11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.

Some thoughts from C.S. Lewiss Screwtape letters.

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Practicing the Discipline of Joy Private Practices 1) Practice Obedience When we commit acts contrary to the will of God is not only grieves His heart, but our own as well. The old hymn says it best, Trust and Obey, for there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus than to Trust and Obey. Trust, btw, is part of obedience. Christi didnt suggest that we not worry about tomorrow. He commanded us to trust in God for our every need. When we practice obedience and faithfulness we are tilling the ground of our hearts to reap a harvest of joy. 2)Prayers of Worship Taking empty moments captive and directing our hearts to worship God in those moments is a way to redeem the time. The Scripture commands us to, Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. (I Thess. 5) So often we hear, Pray without ceasing and the context is abandoned. Both before and after the command (IN THE SAME SENTENCE) we are instructed to rejoice and give thanks. We are called to be mobile worship centers, praising God and rejoicing in Him always and in all things. http://blog.ransomedheart.com/john/2011/09/experiencing-jesus.html

September 09, 2011 - Experiencing Jesus

Whatever else it is we need, or think we need, we need Jesus. He is our life, our restoration, our everything. To have Jesus is to have the greatest treasure in all worlds. So - how do we find him? How do we experience him? Just begin by loving Jesus. Make a practice of loving him. This will open up your heart and your life to experience him. For he said, "He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him" (John 14:21). Love me, he says, and I'll show myself to you. It makes sense. I mean, you don't go around opening up your heart and your life to just anyone. The people in your life that get to have you, have the real you, are the people who love you most. As it ought to be. Well, the same holds true for God. Now yes, yes - he extends us extraordinary amounts of grace and mercy, and he reaches out even to those who hate him. However, those who get to know God intimately, those who get to experience Jesus are those who love him. So, just love him. As you move through your day, just turn your heart to him in love. "Jesus, I love you." As we make a practice of this, we experience more of him. Which is the best thing in the world. Corporate Practices - Primarily from Foster 3) Dance, Sing, and Shout The OT examples of this are sufficient. Psalm 150 -read

The Discipline of Celebration In Exodus 15:20, Miriam the prophetess leads all the women of Israel in dancing in worship. Judge 5 - Deborahs song (probably not enough time to read, but encourage them to read it one their own). 2 Sam. 6 - David leaping and whirling before the LORD Interesting to note the role of pride and Self-consciousness in the conversation between David and Michal. You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever. Psalm 30:11-12 4) Laughter

Psalm 126:2-3
New King James Version (NKJV) 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them. 3 The Lord has done great things for us, And we are glad. 5) Play We who follow Christ can risk going against the cultural tide. Lets with abandon relish the fantasy games of children... Lets play, sing, laugh. The imagination can release a flood of creative ideas, and it can be lots of fun... Let us relish the creativity of others. Those who create sculptures and paintings and plays and music are a great gift to us. We can organize art shows to display their work... Why not! It is great fun and builds community. - Richard Foster 6) Transform family events into times of worship and celebration Its not just another family meal. We arent just celebrating another family birthday party. These events, great and small alike, are not just bullet points on a list that we are checking off. They are opportunity to experience joy, to glorify God, and to enjoin others to worship as well. 7) Sanctify and revel in our cultures holidays. Halloween isnt just for the enemy. Valentines Day isnt just for the playboys (or just for those with significant others). Every holiday is an opportunity for the church to sanctify the event and recommission it to the glory of God. People should look at the church and recognize that we are people who are intimately familiar with and committed to joy. Because our God is an infinite and joyous being. Some clarifying points: There is a time to grieve and that is ok. Ecclesiastes in the OT, makes it clear that there is a time to mourn. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. He knew what he was talking about. Jesus is also remembered as the Man of Sorrows. In

The Discipline of Celebration Genesis 6, God is so grieved by the evil of man that he regrets creation and sends a flood to destroy mankind - sparing only Noah and those in the ark. What is important to remember is that this is not the regular state of Gods spirit. Grief and sorrow are not his nature. Our Gods character is joyful. Be sensitive in practicing joy. Sometimes, others around us are grieving and our joy can actually be a turn off. Instead of drawing the other person into celebration and worship, we can actually turn them away from the joy of the Lord. In Romans, the Apostle instructs the saints to,

Romans 12:15
New King James Version (NKJV) 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. So be sensitive to those around you, who are legitimately mourning and grieving. In that case, the best way that you can minister to them, glorify God and grow in Christ is to fellowship with them in their grief. And the same goes for those who are freaking out also. People in the grasp of fear do not want to be told, Jesus loves you, Celebrate! We must be loving to others and that means being sensitive to their real needs. James talks about this in his Epistle.

James 2:16
New International Version (NIV) If one of you says to them, Go in peace; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? Sanctified Hedonism Vs. Worldy Hedonism. John Piper talks a lot about this in his book, Desiring God. Christian Hedonism is sort of his thing. But the point I want to make here and the warning clarification that I have for you is that the Discipline of Celebration IS NOT mere Hedonism. If you look to book, food, drugs, sex, games, etc. to make you happy,... if you are living just to please yourself and feed the appetites of the flesh than you will never be happy. You might have fun from time to time, but it cannot bring you joy. Rather, the Discipline of Celebration enjoys the good things that God has created within the bounds that God has created and for the purpose that God created those good things. Sex outside of marriage will never be an example of the Discipline of Celebration in practice. A good litmus test is to (1) ask yourself if the activity in question is disobedient to the express will of God, and (2) is this going to bring me to a place where I can celebrate the good things God has created. If I eat myself sick at a restaurant, Ive not practiced the Discipline of Celebration, rather, Ive succumbed to the sin of Gluttony. The Painter I think about this like an artist putting on a show of his work. If we praise the artist for the work, but it doesnt actually move us... were being hypocritical. The truth is that the artist doesnt want us to simply nod and applaud because he made it, but because we are genuinely moved by the beauty of the artwork. On the other hand, if we were to ignore the artist, disregard him, do violence upon him (perhaps in an attempt to steal the piece of art) because we come to

The Discipline of Celebration value the art more than the artist... well, thats not good either. God doesnt want us to play hypocrites. He made everything and cried out, IT IS GOOD! And this is God, if He says something is good, let me tell you, He knows what Hes talking about. So celebrate, and enjoy, the good that God has done. But dont allow that to become a stumbling block in your relationship with God. Dont try to steal the art for your own purpose. Rather, give the artist His dues. When we practice the Discipline of Celebration, we are enjoying the good that God has created in order to bring us to a place of worship. We enjoy them, not merely because they are good, but because He who made them is GOOD and we are excited to share in His creation. Is the celebration equipping us to love greater, or is it making us selfish?