Time to Celebrate

In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke 15:10

Lostology Law #24

Always celebrate when the lost are found.

It was late, too late for such a little girl to be at the airport. But there she was, balloons tied to one arm, a little sign in her hand. Such a little girl walking down the long concourse so late at night. She was wide awake. "Is he here?" she asked those around her. "Is he here?" Knowing nods and smiles. "Not yet, honey," they said. "Not yet."

Tired travelers with carry-on luggage, crumpled suits, and bloodshot eyes glanced at her and smiled. Such a little girl. So late . . . too late.

The little girl walked on, taking two, sometimes three steps for every step the adults took. Still she kept up. "Is he here?" she asked again. "Is he here?"

The entourage led by the tiny balloon bearer arrived at the gate. She stopped. Her balloons bobbed above her head and her sign poked those around her. Fortunately, hers was not a long wait. Unable to contain herself any longer, she began to jump up and down, causing her balloons to bounce and bob and her sign to flop and bend.

Curiosity overcame many strangers that night. They paused and stared. Not knowing why, they looked where the little girl looked. As they watched, the door opened and people streamed up the inclined walkway. One then another they came, men and women, but mostly men, all dressed alike.

And then he came, the one the little girl was waiting for. "Daddy," she squealed as she ran toward one young soldier who dropped to his knees and scooped her in his arms.

As the men and women of Desert Storm flooded the concourse that night, a group of bleary-eyed travelers dropped their carry-on luggage and crumbled suit coats and began to applaud. But in the midst of the crowd, cradled in her father's arms, one little girl celebrated. Her daddy was home.

Spontaneous Celebration

Celebration is a spontaneous response when we find a lost valuable, a person or a thing. The little girl at the airport did what her heart told her to do that night: she celebrated. Her daddy had been far away . . . lost to her. But he came home. She found him right there in the airport. That night she celebrated.

Celebration is instinctive. No one has to teach us. No one has to say: "At this point, it's important to express a bit of emotion. I suggest you squeal and jump up and down." No one needs instruction. Celebration bubbles up from hearts pressure-packed with joy.

We all celebrate when we find lost valuables. Our response reveals our values. Celebration demonstrates to all who watch that we have reclaimed something of significance, a lost item we treasure or a lost person we love.

Lostologists study the celebration response and have identified Lostology Law #24: Always celebrate when the lost are found. Celebration is so natural that a lack of it indicates something is wrong. In life, celebration occurs regularly. Yet in many churches, Christians respond to the news that someone has become a Christian with polite affirmation rather than heartfelt rejoicing. Such lukewarm response would have been unacceptable to Jesus.

Three Celebration Stories

In Jesus' three classic stories about lost valuables, He made celebration the common theme:

When the shepherd finds the missing sheep, he celebrates: "And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, `Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep"' (Luke 15:5-6).

When the woman finds her missing coin, she celebrates: "And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, `Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin"' (Luke 15:9).

When the father finds his missing son, he celebrates: "But the father said to his servants, `Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate" (Luke 15:22-24).

Notice that these were not independent celebrations; these were social events . . . parties. Joy prompted the parties. Parties expressed the celebration. Through the parties and the celebrations, the shepherd, the woman, and the father communicated their deepest values.

Who could have attended the shepherd's party without sensing the distinctive concern he had for his flock?

Who could have come to the woman's party without understanding that the coins were treasures to her?

Who could have come to the father's party without knowing that the father's love embraced the lost son no matter what he had done?

To be sure that no one missed the spiritual implications of these stories, Jesus spelled out the application in clear terms:

"I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent" (Luke 15:7).

"In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10).

Jesus left no doubt. When the lost are found, celebration occurs in heaven. What happens on earth must mirror the heavenly party in spirit and joy.

Celebrating New Life in Christ

My fondest memories of our church in Portland were the times we gathered to celebrate when our seeker friends came to Christ. Our celebration centerpiece was baptism. Baptism was not the solemn church ritual it has become in many established churches. Since we did not have a building, we baptized any place we could find water: community swimming pools, neighborhood pools, and even rivers. These casual settings created the perfect atmosphere for our celebrations.

As our friends moved out into the water signaling the fact they were trusting Christ and had entered into a relationship with him, we all watched with joy. As the person was raised out of the water, our church erupted into applause and cheers.

Gathering at the River

One weekend our church met outside Portland for an all-church campout. On Sunday morning, we worshiped together in an open pavilion on the banks of a beautiful river. After the service, we lined the river bank and watched as numerous adults and children were baptized.

What a sight greeted the fishermen and river-rafters that morning. There we were in the snow-melted ice water, two guys in shirts and swim trunks dunking people under water while a crowd along the bank watched and cheered. Those floating by must have wondered what was going on.

The new Christians who waded into the river never forgot that experience. They gave exuberant reports about the water temperature as they stepped carefully out to deeper water to be baptized. But even soaking wet and freezing cold, they were all smiles and tears as they declared publicly their commitment to follow Christ. For all of us, new Christians and seasoned veterans, baptism became the perfect way to celebrate a successful search.

Values on Display

Management consultants Peters and Waterman studied top corporations attempting to understand what enabled these companies to achieve standards of excellence. They wrote about their findings in their books In Search of Excellence and A Passion for Excellence. One factor they identified was core values--the central beliefs that shaped each company. Although embedded in the fabric of these high-performance organizations, their value systems were clearly visible in what the companies celebrated. Carefully planned celebrations revealed and reinforced the values to which these companies were committed.

Churches should celebrate their corporate values, too. Unfortunately, in many churches, when people come to Christ, we miss the opportunity for a full-blown celebration. By doing so, we cast doubt about the priority we claim to place on reaching the lost for Christ. How can we say we value the lost then celebrate so halfheartedly when they are found?

Personal Celebration

You may not be able to influence the way your church responds when lost people become Christians. Traditions and theology may dictate certain behavior. You can, however, celebrate personally. Don't worry; your celebration doesn't have to include high-fives or whoop-whoop cheers. Here are a few suggestions that are a bit more low key, but still significant and joyful:

• Send a personal note to those who become Christians in your church. Express your joy over their decision, and commit yourself to pray for them.
• Discover the people who influenced the new Christians to accept Christ. Call them. Offer to pray with them for their friends.
• Keep track of the spiritual birthdays of those who become Christians in your church. Send them cards on their spiritual birthdays and encourage them to continue to grow.
• Pray regularly for the new Christians in your church. Ask God to protect you from ever taking the miracle of spiritual birth for granted.

There are many appropriate ways to celebrate. Hopefully, your commitment to personal celebration will influence others in your church to join you. To hear that the lost have been found and to greet the news with a yawn is a sure sign of spiritual illness. Celebration can be spontaneous, or it can be intentional. But no matter how, no matter when, we must take time to celebrate.

The Lostology Lab

1. Imagine you are meeting with a group of people who come from a culture that doesn't even understand the concept of celebration. You must teach them all they need to know about celebration. How would you begin? How would you explain what celebration means? How would you help them understand when it is appropriate? What would you tell them to do when they are celebrating?
2. True celebration is spontaneous. What does spontaneous celebration signify and communicate?
3. Recall a time when something happened in your life which prompted you to celebrate spontaneously. What event prompted the celebration? What did you do as part of your celebration?
4. In what ways can a celebration reveal your values and priorities?
5. If a situation called for celebration, but the people involved didn't celebrate, what could you conclude about them? What questions would you have?
6. In your church, how do you respond when people become Christians? Does it include elements of celebration? If so, in what ways?
7. What would you conclude about a church in which someone became a Christian but no one celebrated? What would their response tell you about the people and their values?
8. Jesus said there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents. How do you imagine this celebration? How do you picture God? What do you imagine the angels doing?
9. You may not be able to influence the celebration your church demonstrates when people become Christians. You can, however, decide to celebrate personally. What can you do to celebrate with those who trust Christ and become Christians?

Coming Next: Time to Shift Gears

How do you take all you have learned in your study of lostology and use the principles to live in search mode? Get ready for some practical help tying all the Laws of Lostology together.