Earthquakes & Celebration

Most of my memories of what we did in church during my growing up years wouldn’t exactly fit in a category labeled “celebration”.

We did other things (not bad things—but not really celebratory things)… things like “waiting on God” and “crying out to God”. Our “worship face” was usually some version of a pained expression.

Of course, the kid’s songs in Sunday School were fun, energetic and pretty celebratory.

Unfortunately, as we grew older, the mood of the songs we sang became more and more melancholy.

When God delivered his people out of slavery in Egypt, through the Red Sea, they celebrated.

They weren’t just celebrating their new situation or their new location.

They were celebrating Him.

They wrote a new song—they sang it. They danced and they celebrated.

Here are some lines from their song (found in Exodus 15):

I’m singing my heart out to God—what a victory!
God is my strength, God is my song, and yes! God is my salvation.
This is the kind of God I have and I’m telling the world.
This is the God of my father—I’m spreading the news far and wide!
Who compares with you in power, in holy majesty, in awesome praises, wonder-working God?

The number of people singing, dancing and celebrating: about 2 million.

That must have been some noise. Makes me wonder if the ground shook…

During the recent Seahawks playoff win against the New Orleans Saints, Marshawn Lynch ran 67-yards and broke 8 tackles for a touchdown. The crowd’s wild celebration registered as a small (magnitude 1 or 2) earthquake on a seismometer 100 yards from the stadium. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/01/stomping-by-elated-seahawk-fans-on-pivotal-play-caused-local-quake/1

The Seahawks are still in the playoffs. Who knows what will happen next?

Our God is not in the playoffs—He’s already won the victory for us and He deserves to be celebrated.

To celebrate means “to proclaim the glory of….”

Synonyms and related words: bless, exalt, glorify, magnify, resound, adore, worship, acclaim, applaud, commend, hail, salute, cheer.

Maybe your experience in church has been somber, restrained, quiet, reserved, or even depressing.

Perhaps much of what you’ve experienced in church wouldn’t fit in a category labeled “celebration”.

I say, it’s time for us to cross over—into that place of celebrating our great God.

Let’s celebrate Him.