Celebrating Milestones

Recently I had the huge honour and privilege of graduating from Seminary with my Masters in Theological Studies. It was a special event for me personally and for my family who persevered through papers, deadlines, occasionally books tossed across the room (some authors provoked more than a little response from me, Italian heritage aside I usually am typically mild mannered) and my seemingly endless pleas of please be patient, I am almost done.

To celebrate the occasion, my family – or as many of the family as were available – and some special friends gathered for the ceremony and then joined for lunch. I felt treasured, supported, encouraged, and thoroughly congratulated. Something else happened that also overwhelmed me. My church family hosted a congratulations after church dessert and coffee, meet and greet time. A few speeches, tons of hugs and a warm card and token of congratulations later the gathering was over, but the impact lasts if only because my extended family, my church cared enough to celebrate.

Community celebration is highly significant. Celebration is something that God ordains it is tied to the fellowship offering prescribed in the Old Testament.

The Fellowship offering or peace offering was an offering of thanks giving in which the fat went to the Lord and the meat of the bull went to the one offering it to hold a community celebration of thanksgiving for a day, (2 days if a promise of celebration before God was offered before an anticipated event.)1 Sam 16:5, Lev 7:11-19. The celebration was for everyone to celebrate God either fulfilling an earnest request (like please help me pass these tests) or for the serendipitous turning of events towards good fortune. Now, when it said the community was to celebrate that means everyone, not just friends and family, but the town, the stranger, the sojourner (traveller) who were willing to be clean before the Lord and celebrate to and before Him for the good blessing brought to the one hosting the feast - or in other words the one giving thanks. Celebration is taken seriously. It is done before the Lord. It is ordered as part of the regular sacrificial system.[1]

We do not have such as system presently much to our loss. What a testimony it could be to celebrate before God and return thanks to Him with a feast. The prodigal son received such a blessing when he returned home and his father sacrificed the fattened calf. Consider what a blessing we can be to others in celebrating momentous occasions truly before the Lord. Graduations, baptism, commitments among others are all totally reasonable occasions for providing a fellowship offering to God and before His people. It need not cost us a fattened calf, perhaps a hundred cupcakes, a large pot of coffee and some juice would bless the socks off of someone and provide an opportunity for thanksgiving being given to God before the entire community.

Elevating community involves celebrating. I thank my community for celebrating with me, I thank God for my community and for His gracious provision. Soli Deo Gloria.

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¾ [1] burnt (for atonement to make the altar holy and enable the priests to approach God – entirely burnt before the Lord – not consumed by man),

¾ grain (a thanks offering for provision and is consumed by the priests for their daily provision),

¾ sin (an offering to atone for unintentional sin, use of flesh varied according to who was involved in bringing the offering before the Lord)

¾ guilt (the flesh is burnt in the sanctuary and any male in the priests family may eat it, but the hide is burnt outside of the city in a ceremonially clean place)

¾ fellowship offerings (fat burnt to the Lord, meat consumed by community in a day or two)