Without a joyful spirit of festivity the Disciplines become dull, Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline
death-breathing tools in the hands of modern Pharisees
We have a disadvantage, today, when it comes to understanding the Spiritual Discipline of Celebration because we have become stimulated in this area. Americans celebrate everything: football games, parades, holidays, birthdays, freedom, CD releases, movie grand-openings, etc. In fact, we celebrate so often that celebration has lost much of its meaning. Scripture points out that “the joy of the Lord is our strength” (Neh 8:10). Richard Foster further states that, “Celebration brings joy into life, and joy makes us strong” (Foster, Celebration of Discipline, 191).
I find it very sad to see people who make a habit of “church hopping” in order to find a church home where they can be “happy.” “Joy is not found in singing a particular kind of music or in getting with the right kind of group or even in exercising the charismatic gifts of the Spirit . . . Joy is found in obedience” (Foster, Celebration of Discipline, 193).
Often, Christians try to “pump people up with joy.” It is as if we expect that followers of Jesus should always be joyful and happy. However, it is possible to try to “pump people up with joy” too quickly. We must always allow God time to work in people’s lives. Genuine joy is manifested when we are obedient to God’s will for our lives. Yet if we have not developed a pattern of discipline in our lives that frequently places us in a position where God can uses us, speak to us, and grow in us, then what reason do we have to celebrate? “Joy is the end result of Spiritual Disciplines’ functioning in our lives. God brings about the transformation of our lives through the Disciplines, and we will not know genuine joy until there is a transforming work within us” (Foster, Celebration of Discipline, 193). However, if we do not allow our practice of Spiritual disciplines to produce joy in us, then sooner or later, we will give up on them.
In the spiritual life only one thing will produce genuine joy, and that is obedience” (Foster, Celebration of Discipline, 192.
To elicit genuine celebration, obedience must work itself into the ordinary fabric of our lives. . . For example, some people live in such a way that it is impossible to have any kind of happiness in their home, but then they go to church and sing songs and pray “in the Spirit,” hoping that God will somehow give them an infusion of joy to make it through the day. They are looking for some kind of heavenly transfusion that will bypass the misery of their daily lives and give them joy. But God’s desire is to transform the misery, not bypass it (Foster, Celebration of Discipline, 192-3).
The means that God uses to teach us joy is through “redeeming and sanctifying” our run-of-the-mill, everyday, ordinary lives. So let us now look at how God infuses us with joy in our everyday lives.
The Apostle Paul tells us to:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! . . . not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 6-7).
To possess inward solitude means that we do not fear being alone, for we understand in the depths of our being that we are never and will never be alone. In the same regard, it also means that we do not fear being with others for they have no sway or control over us and our beliefs.
So what exactly does he mean by “Rejoice in the Lord always”?
Luckily, Paul goes on to answer this in the verses following. To be able to “rejoice in the Lord always,” we must first of all learn to “not be anxious about anything” “We have been trained since we were two years old to be full of care. We shout to our children as they run to the school bus, “Be careful,” that is, be full of care. The spirit of celebration will not be in us until we have learned to be ‘careful for nothing.’” (Foster, 195). We can only learn to be carefree when we learn to trust in God and rely on Him completely. When we rely on Him and take everything to Him “by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,” then “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard [our] hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:7).
Yet, “Prayer and trust by themselves are not adequate to bring us joy” (Foster, 195). Paul goes on to tell us that we must guard our mind and thoughts:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4: 8-9).
By focusing our lives on the good things that God has provided and by constantly thanking Him for these things, we will become joyful; we will realize our reasons to celebrate. And once we decide to focus on these things, we will become so full of these things that most of our problems will seem small and insignificant.
Learning the Discipline of Celebration is crucial to our spiritual health. For without joy, we will not be able to persevere in anything we do. However, the three things Paul mentioned: 1) to not be anxious about anything, 2) to take everything to God and to trust in Him to supply all of our needs, 3) and to focus our attention on the excellent things of God are all acts of the will. They are things that we must deliberately choose to do, and this is why celebration is a Spiritual Discipline.
The Discipline of Celebration is meant to add “a note of gaiety, festivity, hilarity to our lives” (Ibid, 196). Of all people, Christians should be the “most free, alive, and interesting. Unfortunately, many deeply religious people are known to be life-less and boring. It is true that our souls “can become weary with straining after God just as our body can become weary with overwork” (Ibid, 196). But celebration is meant to fill us with joy.
“The most important benefit of celebration is that it saves us from taking ourselves too seriously” (Foster, 196). It give us a new perspective. It teaches us to see that “the causes we champion are not nearly so monumental as we would like to believe” (Ibid, 196). Once we are freed from our “inflated view of our own importance, we also are freed of a judgmental spirit” Others do not look so awful, so unspiritual. Common joys can be shared without sanctimonious value judgments” (Ibid, 196-7).
Finally, one of the best characteristic of celebration is that it naturally multiplies itself. “Joy begets joy. Laughter begets laughter” (Ibid, 197).
I would like to mention a word of caution. We must be careful to avoid false-celebration: celebration when there really is nothing to celebrate. In the same light, we must also watch ourselves against pretending “to celebrate when the spirit of celebration is not in us” (Foster, Celebration of Discipline, 193).
Our children watch us bless the food and promptly proceed to gripe about it—blessings that are not blessings. One of the things that nearly destroys children is being forced to be grateful when they are not grateful. If we pretend an air of celebration, our inner spirit is put in contradiction. (Foster, Celebration of Discipline, 193-4).
True celebrations springs forth from a heart of joy. It is not something that we must force. Practice yes, coerce no.
We practice celebration by allowing ourselves to sing, shout, and dance. “Because of the goodness of God, the heart breaks forth into psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Worship, praise, adoration flow from the inner chambers” (Ibid, 197). Think of how little children celebrate. They become so excited that they cannot contain themselves. They sing, and dance, and shout, and laugh. How many adults do you know who act this way when they are excited. There is nothing wrong with this type of behavior at the appropriate time just as there is nothing wrong with silence at the appropriate time. Everything that God has created is good. Anything can be misused and abused, but in and of itself, God created us to be filled with joy and celebration in His presence.
This article completes my review of Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline. It is a wonderful book with many insightful tips on incorporating the practice of the Spiritual Disciplines in one’s life. I hope that these articles have inspired you to draw closer to God in your own spiritual walk.
May God fill you with His peace and joy as you continually seek him.
Love,
Ryan
