Celebrate!

"Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy. For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth."--Psalm 47.1-2
When I was a teenager, the great R&B band, "Kool and the Gang," had a hit record entitled "Celebrate." The chorus went something like, "Celebrate good times, come on!"
Sometimes, I imagine Jesus saying the same thing to us! Too much of the time, I am weighed down by the anxieties and fears of life. Too much of the time, I focus on bad news. I have to remind myself to celebrate the blessings of God and the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Jesus had to remind people of this in his time. Once someone came to him and asked why his disciples didn't fast. He responded that the wedding party doesn't fast when the bridegroom is with them. He meant that when He is present, there is cause for celebration not mortification.
That's what the psalmist is reminding the people today. "Clap your hands . . . shout to God with LOUD songs of joy!" When is the last time you clapped your hands to the praise songs and hymns of God? When is the last time you sang them at the top of your lungs?
Why not try it today? Find something to celebrate this day, even if it is "just" the gift of another day in God's Creation. And "clap your hands and shout to God with a loud song of joy!"