Like many of you, I play games on my iPad. Especially in the morning, when I am drinking my coffee — first Wordle, then the Mini Crossword, then Connections — followed by a silly game called Parking Jam. I like all of those games that I play, but I especially look forward to Parking Jam.
The game is exactly what it sounds like — a board filled with cars that are all jammed together, and the player’s task is to remove each of the cars from the jammed parking area, out the exits and onto the road. It’s mindless, and it’s easy. This is the way the game looks at the start. When all of the cars have been removed from the parking area, the level is ended and the game gives a reward. Every single time. Confetti flies over the screen.
It’s an instant celebration! You can’t help but feel some kind of good when you see it. It’s the reason I keep playing the game. To see that confetti fill the screen.
I love celebrations. The Bible actually tells us to celebrate:
“Be cheerful with joyous celebration in every season of life. Let your joy overflow!” — Philippians 4:4
I love the confetti, and holidays, and decorations, and all of the special occasions that we celebrate, the milestones that we honor and celebrate. It’s wonderful to celebrate birthdays and celebrate retirements, weddings, new babies, new jobs, and new houses. I love that we honor accomplishments: awards, recognition of service to an organization or to a community. Those are all wonderful times — they are happy times, and the people who are being celebrated are usually happy. They like that they are the reason for the celebration. They are the one being honored. They realize in those moments, that they matter.
We don’t always honor or celebrate people with words during those times that I listed. We honor or celebrate them with our presence — and sometimes with our presents.
But, since my love language is words of affirmation, I like it when we honor and celebrate people with words, too.
At weddings, there is usually at least one toast, in which the couple is honored and celebrated with words.
At funerals, there isn’t necessarily a formal toast, but the service itself is filled with words of affirmation. Words which describe the deceased person. The family appreciates those words a great deal. Those words bring comfort and relief.
I have always believed that in addition to all of the previously-mentioned occasions that we celebrate, there is something that sometimes gets overlooked in our quest to celebrate life: Our comings and our goings — our arrivals and our departures.
In every single class that I taught — middle school, high school, college, I verbally welcomed each student arrival, made a promise to learn their names, and I celebrated each student departure whenever I could. When a new kid would join us, I made a big deal about them. When I found out that a student was leaving my class, or the school, I took time in that class period to celebrate them. And I loved that those celebrations became a part of our classroom culture.
One Monday morning, back in the days before emails, an office aide delivered a message to my room informing me that one of my students had to abruptly leave the state due to a family emergency. I informed my class that the student had moved, and one of the girls in the room said, “Oh, we didn’t get to celebrate him.”
All of the years that I taught high school at the end of every school year, I set aside a few classroom days for Senior Salutes. I allowed graduating seniors to speak to the underclassmen in the room, and then I had the underclassmen give brief messages of honor to each of the seniors. I concluded the celebration with awards and funny stories.
It was a ritual that each class anticipated. I like to think that the Welcome and the Departure words I gave to my students were like that confetti that flies across the screen in Traffic Jam.
I don’t tell you this because I think I am some sort of hero, I tell you this, because I believe it is important to celebrate our comings and our goings. Too many times we don’t know when it will be the last time we see a person, so when we KNOW that it might be, we take time to acknowledge it and celebrate.
Like today…..we know that today is the last Sunday we will have the true pleasure of the singing voices and presence of Carol and Derek Palmer. They have been an incredible addition to our community — not just because they are both excellent musicians, but also because they are both beautiful humans, with a compassionate understanding of this life.
We found out several months ago that they were going to be moving to North Carolina, and we were reluctantly counting down the days until their departure. Carol and Derek, you have increased the joy and the hope of this faith community. While we want desperately to keep you here with us, we know that is impossible. You have a wonderful new opportunity ahead of you.
I asked Carol and Derek if they wanted to share any of their thoughts about their time with us, and Carol wrote these words to me:
“Derek and I found this little hidden gem of a faith community in a random sort of way. Our dear friends, Jodi and Mark Miller, have been members for years. What started as Derek singing a song for one of Mark’s message Sundays has evolved into this beautiful experience where we could connect with one another, as well as other musicians! It’s been such a blessing in my life. Every service I attend brings me closer to my higher power and gives me “food for thought” as to how I want to live my life. I will miss the people, the music, and celebrating life in a truly special and unique way. A new adventure awaits and I know it will be far more than I could ever imagine.. I trust the journey.”
Derek wrote:
“It was definitely a God moment that brought Carol and I to Entry Point Church.
We were introduced to Entry Point when my dear friend Mark Miller asked me to sing a Country Song (Not my jam), but what the heck. I was nervous when walking in because I did not grow up in the church and was never introduced to religion as a child. I felt at home immediately. It didn’t feel like any church I’ve ever attended. The Entry Point Band was so welcoming and full of talent!! I was blown away at the level of kindness,
professionalism, and humility everyone possessed.”
And then he writes about how much he likes my leadership…..I will give you the promised 50 bucks after the service, Derek…..
Derek continues:
“The foundation of a church is the people. I’ve been amazed by the friendships I’ve made in such a short time. Thank you so much for bringing us into your family. We are so blessed with this experience and will miss each and every one of you. We know God is leading us into the next chapter of our lives, and we will take a little bit of you with us.”
My friends, life is indeed a gift to be celebrated. And many of the moments worth celebrating are small. But important. Our lives are filled with moments that deserve to be celebrated. Our lives are filled with people who deserve to be celebrated. When we celebrate others, we give them a very strong message that they matter.
When we tell them in words that we like their hat, or their haircut, or the way they smile, we are celebrating them. When we thank them for making dinner, for cleaning up, for walking the dog, for planning the vacation, we acknowledge their hard work with our words, and I happen to believe that is a beautiful way to celebrate them.
A mother and her eight-year-old son were in the car running an errand. The son said,“Mom, is it ok to throw the confetti in my pocket?”
“What? No! Not in the car…….why do you have confetti in your pocket?”
He replied, “It’s my emergency confetti. I carry it everywhere in case there’s good news.”
Well, young man, you are wise beyond your years, because I think you have the right idea. You keep looking out for joy and moments to celebrate. We should all carry around emergency confetti. You never know when we might need to celebrate someone.
We all have ways to express our feelings of celebration. For some, like me, it’s the affirmation of words. For others it’s the giving of gifts, or the gift of hospitality. For many of us, it’s the joy of dancing. I love these words written by the Indian philosopher, Osho:
“Life is a grand celebration, every moment an opportunity to dance.” — Osho
The way we choose to celebrate is our own personal choice. Today, I encourage each of us to just do more of it. Let’s celebrate life as often as we can. Amen.
Author Richard Carlson has written these beautiful words:
“Life is a journey, and the key to a happy journey lies in celebrating each step along the way.” — Richard Carlson
May we honor each step of our journey with as many celebrations as we can.
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