Solidarity in Celebration

This weekend we'll be celebrating my daughter's eleventh birthday by having a house full of giggly, squealing, fifth-grade girls.  All night!  There will be cake.  There will be soda.  There will be karaoke.  There will be dancing and trampolining.  There will be movies and chatter until the wee hours.  Please pray for my wife and I. :)

But seriously, I'm okay with this.  Is this my preferred way to spend my Friday night?  Well, no, not really.  But here's the deal: I love my daughter.  And while I celebrate her in little ways every day, this day -- her birthday -- is particularly special and is set apart to celebrate her in big ways.

When you love someone and want to celebrate that person, you are willing to be in the company of others who love the same person so that you can celebrate him or her together, even if those other  people might not be who you would choose to spend your free time with in other contexts.  It's all about the one you love.  It's about choosing to love others because the one you love loves them.  It's about the one being celebrated and not the celebrants.

As Christ-followers, imagine if we approached our Church gatherings with this same mindset.