Life of Celebration

Me

It’s great to be back in person isn’t it? Great to feel like our lives are going back to a “somewhat” normal state.

Last night Caitlin and I went to the movies, we wacthed Kong vs. Godzilla. Not too bad, very interesting, but man, it felt a little weird to be back in a movie theatre. But, Hey it was great to watch a movie with overpriced poporn in seats that are much better than my couch.

But you know as I was watching the movie, I wa trying to figure out how, if that were real life, people would react. You know, more bad news after more bad news.

And then I realixed, for the past year, we really hve only heard bad news and now, it’s got tot he poit that if we hear any good news then we are skeptical of it.

For most of us, we are waiting for the catch, the twist. The fine print on the good news.

Living like this takes all the fun, the joy, out of life. we stop living a life of celebration and just instead, live as though we are coastig though waiting for the next wave of bad news to hit us.

That’s why, over this past week, we encouraged you to celebrate others and yourself.

We

In the world that we live in, people can get lost in the sea of bad news, online criticism, bullying, negativit, that they loose the hope that they are seen, that they are known.

And that is what Celebrating is all about. Celebrating is about makinig sure oeople are konw, that they are seen, they are valued in this world.

IN one Definition, to celebrate someone is to praise (someone or something) : to say that (someone or something) is great or important.

You ko, we celebrate birthdays. I think allof us love brithdays, wheter we admt it or not. I do belive hwoever, that sittig their while everyone sings happy birthday to you is one of the most awkward things in this world.

Like what do you do in that moment? I just sit their and *Make face* and nodd along.

BUt hey, birthday’s are great becasue a bunch of people are sayig that they are so glad that you are born that you are here, that God created you.

Celebrations amke pope feel seen, feel kown, feel valued.

But what if we didn;t jst wait to have celebrations on certain events or holidays?

What ifwe broke the rules and celebtated people whenever. What if we loved people like the rules we made up, dont apply?

What if we sent bollons to a our friends on a thursday, what if we bought a cake for a person on a staurday afternoon. No hhliday or evetn, just celebrating that the person simply exists.

What if we actually had christmas in July?

What if we, every single day, made an effort to show people that they are seen, that they are valued, that they are loved.

God

You see Jesus did this. Everywhere he went, he made an effort to make sue people were seen and valued.

IN fact, JEsus often went tot he outcasts, the pepoe who were forgotten by society, rejected by communites, and blettled by meighbours. That’s wher Jesus went.

Adn there is this story, personally one of my favourites of Jesusl where he changed a person’s life just by wanting to have dinner with him.

Take a look.

Play video.

Pretty crazy eh? Jesus became the guest fo the man whom everyone despised.

BUt lets dig a litte deeper. You see, there a couple things we can pick up about zacchaeus.

Our boy Zeke was pretty lonley.He was wealthy but he was not happy. Inevitably he was lonely, for he had chosen a way that made him an outcast. He had heard of this Jesus who welcomed tax-collectors and sinners, and he wondered if he would have any word for him. Despised and hated by all, Zacchaeus was reaching after the love of God.

His profession was that of tax collector, and he had developed a big enterprise as “the chief tax collector in the region” (19:2). Such a man was naturally despised in society, for the Jews were under the heel of the Roman Empire and therefore had to pay taxes to hated foreigners. This made Zacchaeus’s job unacceptable to virtually all his fellow Jews and put him in a socially unacceptable position with the Jewish people. Even more, he was in a position, as a chief tax collector in that region, to farm out tax concessions to others who would collect the taxes and enable him to rake off a vast surplus for himself. He was an entrepreneur who had profited from the system and had made himself both very wealthy and very much despised by the Jewish people he had exploited.

Zeke was determined to see Jesus. As Zeke would have tried to psuh through the crowd, many people would take the chance to get a nudge, or kick, or push at the little tax-collector.

But here’s somethig we can learn about Jesus.

1. before we even “see” Jesus, He sees us

I just want to clarify, the last statement by Jeus where he says that “ the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost” You see, we e must always be careful how we take the meaning of this word lost. In the New Testament it does not mean damned or doomed. It simply means in the wrong place. A thing is lost when it has got out of its own place into the wrong place; and when we find such a thing, we return it to the place it ought to occupy. A person is lost when he or she has wandered away from God; and is found when once again that person occupies the rightful place as an obedient child in the household and the family of the Father.

This reminds me of the story of the prodigal son, the ending rihgt. When the son comes back and the father decieds to clebreate. He celebrtars becasue his on is back and thats the same thing that God does with us. Celebrations show people that they are important.

Just as Jesus showed Zacchaues that he is important, God shows us that we are iportant too. And we get the opprtunity to show others jst how important they are.

You

You see, when When Jesus’ love gets ahold of a person, things cannot remain the same.

Zacchaeus was HATED, yet that didn’t stop Jesus from looking up into the tree. It ddn’t stop him from knowing his name, it didn;t stop him from showing Zacchaesu that he has value.

Jesus reached out to this lonely, despised man. Jesus called him by name and invited himself as a guest to meet the man in his home that very day. It was tjat moennt of celebrtaing with Zacchaeus, that changed the little mans life forever.

One small act of making sure a perosn felt valued and seen changed Zacchaeus’ life forever. It wasnt some extroniadry act, it was actually just a dinner invitation.

In Zacchaeus’s changed heart, love for God expresses itself in love for others.

WE

That willingness to spend time, talk, and sometimes just hang out together provided far more answers than my whole list of questions.

Jesus’ visit with Zacchaeus reveals his acceptance of the tax collector. He does not worry about the impression on his testimony this association makes, because his priority is to associate closely enough with the lost that they may come to know the grace of God.

BEcause here’s the thing, Jesus didn’t see Zacchaeus for who he was he saw him for who he could become. HE saw his potetial rather than his problems.

Living a life of everyday celebration changes the world aroud us. It helps us see people for who they can become, it helps us show people that tey are importat, that they ahve value. It takes our eyes off of the long road ahead of us and helps us pause look to the trees and see those who may be outcasts.

So how can you show someone that are seen, they athey are valued, that they are loved this week.

pray and break into small group