There is an album on my iPod called The Art
of Celebration, by Rend Collective, a wonderful Irish Christian band who I can
happily listen to on a daily basis.
As I’ve been out for my morning runs this
past week, here in Cornwall, the songs have featured fairly regularly, and
there is one in particular that has become my theme tune for the week, and
challenged me in my thinking as well.
I’ll not put the whole lyrics here, but the
song ‘Boldly I Approach (The Art of Celebration)’ is the culprit that has led me to run through
the woods and along the cliffs with an extra bubble of excitement and joy inside,
and challenged me to think about what it means to express life as an Art of
Celebration.
Feel free to google the whole song on YouTube
to get the full effect of their wonderful singing, but these are the lyrics
that have been going round and round in my head:
Boldly
I approach Your throne
Blameless
now I'm running home
By
Your blood I come
Welcomed
as Your own
Into
the arms of majesty
This
is the art of celebration
Knowing
we're free from condemnation
Oh
praise the One, praise the One
Who
made an end to all my sin
So, how does one live in a way that
expresses the concept of celebrating such a great truth as being free from
condemnation?
Well, certainly this week there have been
many moments of celebrating the wonders of creation – watching the waves
crashing onto the shore, marveling at the geological structures of the cliffs,
seeing the pod of dolphins swimming past…..
And of course being away with the family,
and celebrating 24 years of marriage – all are special times for which I am so
grateful and feel so blessed.
But celebrating life is about so much more
than that – and this is where it gets challenging for me. Because in my way of
thinking, this celebration isn’t just a personal, self-centred thing, but its
something to be shared, and passed on to others.
It’s not just my freedom from condemnation
that I want to celebrate, but freedom for others as well. And to do that requires
me to live in a way that allows others to celebrate life. Making ethical
choices, living lightly on this earth, trying to have only a positive impact on
the myriad other lives that intersect with mine at various points along the
way.
It is easy to feel overwhelmed at this
point – the whole concept of ethical shopping is a bit of a minefield to say
the least. But I figure that if each day I can make one choice that helps
rather than hinders someone else to celebrate life, then that is a good place
to start.
Not quite sure what today’s choice will be,
but if it requires me to support the local fishermen by eating yet more locally
caught crab or mackerel or similar – then I’m very happy to oblige!
Wishing you a day worthy of celebration, in
little and not so little ways, and may you find opportunities to help others
celebrate their lives as well.
