Sing A Song of Celebration

We love to describe our worship gatherings at NHC as "celebratory"...one of our goals is to create an atmosphere where everyone can feel free to bring the good the bad and the ugly of their weeks and lay it at the feet of God and celebrate the great things that He has done and is doing and is going to do.

One of our favorite songs to sing at NHC is "Sing A Song" (written by the guys of Third Day). The following was written by the same guys...it relates well with the song and the motivation behind our worship gatherings. Take a few minutes to read below (maybe pull out your Bible and read Psalm 135 as well) and leave your comments.



A few years ago, we wanted to write a simple song about the joy we have because of our relationships with God. When you realize all God is for us, you can't help but sing!

Psalm 135 served as an inspiration to "Sing A Song." Here, scripture declares again that God is the ruler of the universe, the one who delivers his children from oppression. The Psalmist then calls Israel to rededicated service to God. One way of doing that is to "Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for he is gracious," as one translation reads (v. 3).

The middle portion of Psalm 135 provides the proof, if Israel needs any, as the Psalmist recalls God's intervention on their behalf. It's as if to challenge, "Don't forget what you've endured!" Identified as the creator of heaven, earth and seas (v. 7), God is the defender of his children from aggressor nations, delivering Israel with enduring compassion (v. 8-12). Its history shows that Israel's creation, exile and deliverance to new life was written, directed and performed by God, who is worthy of Israel's dedication.

For us, Israel's deliverance is a story of hope, a model for our own deliverance stories—from poverty, from violence, from whatever stones of despair life hurls at our spirits. Our first response can only be one of thankfulness, followed by commitment. That's why we sing, "I want to live my life for you, Lord." Growing in a relationship with God brings hope. Hope triggers joy, and joy triggers celebration: "I want to sing a song for you, Lord."

The idea of celebration is rich with opportunity. But celebration is sometimes a buzz word in our churches and Bible studies, and we risk not fully understanding its possibilities. On tour a couple years ago we learned more about celebration studying a classic book on spirituality, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, by Richard Foster.

The author teaches that celebration helps us maintain perspective on life. It helps to heal our weary spirit. It replenishes the well from which we draw energy to accomplish all our busy lives demand. When we celebrate, we allow our hearts, minds and souls to breath a sigh of relief and smile, feeling safe in God's compassionate greatness.

There are many ways to celebrate. Joy is expressed in singing and in laughing. We celebrate when we create, whether it be music or a painting or a vegetable garden or a homemade card for a friend. We celebrate, too, while enjoying another's creativity, as at a concert, reading a book or attending a church drama.

Anytime you feel joy is a good time to celebrate with family and friends. Of course, there are regular opportunities for celebration, like holidays, and occasional moments to be marked, like birthdays, anniversaries, starting a new job or school graduation. Celebration should reflect brightly the joy we have for the moment and for each other.

Foster concludes that celebration creates a cyclical affect for our spiritual life. "Joy begets joy. Laughter begets laughter," he writes. Joy energizes us to make our relationships with God stronger - through things like prayer, worship and study, just to name a few. Spurred on, we become closer to God, and the joy from knowing the Lord gives us reason (again and again) to celebrate!

That's what we love about Psalm 135. It calls us to recognize gratefully God's influence over our lives and helps us to remember the ways He delivers us regularly from anything that distracts us from being his Beloved. It urges us to rededicate ourselves to God's service. It reminds us of the hope-filled fact that God wants to be in relationship with us and has revealed ways to make that possible. That's where our hope lies. And hope is reason to celebrate! It is reason to sing a song!