Be Glad—You Who Celebrate & Worship

STORY: The Groundbreaking

If you drove by at just the right moment, you witnessed a cloud of white balloons gliding gently into the air. Grabbing your attention, you probably rubbernecked to see what caused such a send-off. What did you see? A crowd of celebrators.

What you didn’t know was that this was a groundbreaking ceremony, complete with hardhats. The shovels upturned a pile of sand, providing the confetti. Members stood to form the church logo, creating the perfect drone photo op. It was a glorious groundbreaking!

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Well, it was nothing groundbreaking!”? Why do we do that? Why do we minimize rather than celebrate good news or progress?

One way to be glad is to develop a celebratory heart. Anticipate great things. When you merge celebration with worship, you’re well on your way toward effervescent gladness!

STUDY: Title

Blow the trumpets in times of gladness, too, sounding them at your annual festivals and at the beginning of each month. And blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and peace offerings. The trumpets will remind your God of his covenant with you. I am the Lord your God.” (Numbers 10:10 NLT)

• What are some of the ways we celebrate with gladness?
• What do the trumpets serve to do in this verse?
• Name some reasons you are glad when you think about the fact that He is “the Lord your God.”

Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!” (1 Chronicles 16:31 NLT)

Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! (Psalm 96:11 NLT)

• These two verses have been turned into modern songs. What makes you feel like singing?
• What does it mean that the Lord reigns? Why is that a reason for celebration?
• Why do you think the psalmist even recruits nature to celebrate the Lord with praise?

He told them to celebrate these days with feasting and gladness and by giving gifts of food to each other and presents to the poor. This would commemorate a time when the Jews gained relief from their enemies, when their sorrow was turned into gladness and their mourning into joy. (Esther 9:22 NLT)

• What are some of the ways to celebrate in this verse? Is it that different than we do today?
• What were the reasons for celebrating?
• We recently celebrated Easter. How did you personally commemorate the day? What could you add to future holidays to make them more special?

Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! (Zephaniah 3:14 NLT)

• This says to be glad. How do you go about doing that on bad days?
• What does it mean to rejoice with all your heart? What happens when you hold something back?

Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. (Psalm 100:2 NLT)

• How do you worship the Lord with gladness?
• What does it mean to come before the Lord?

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 122:1 NLT)

• This is a song by David for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. What is the reason for gladness here?
• Have you ever thought of attending the house of the Lord as a reason to celebrate?

Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. (Revelation 19:7 NLT)

• Imagine the wedding feast of the Lamb—truly a celebration to anticipate! What are the “let us” verbs mentioned in this verse?
• This verse shows the perfect balance of worship and celebration. When you balance those two in your own life, how will that bring you the best kind of gladness possible?

STEPS: Seek the Celebratory Life

1. Be on the lookout for reasons to celebrate. If you notice you’re in a slump, make up a reason to celebrate. Don’t worry—it can even be something silly. You’d be surprised how rejoicing changes your attitude.
2. Be on the lookout for random times to worship. We’ve seen from this study that worship can make us glad. We put the focus on God, not self. So don’t wait for Sunday to get your worship on!
3. Be on the lookout for reflections of gladness. Often, we miss out on blessings because we have an inward focus. Once we are alert to what God is doing, we have new reasons to grin. If you notice life weighing you down, look around you. God may surprise you. Sometimes even entertain you!

Copyright © 2017 Kathy Carlton Willis. Used by permission