The Healing Practice of Celebration
Published August 2020
The spiritual practice of celebration will draw you closer to God.
"While physical training has some value, training in holy living is useful for everything. It has promise for this life now and the life to come." ~ 1 Timothy 4:8Christians crave a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. Spiritual disciplines are activities and practices that guide you in your daily walk through life bringing you closer to Christ. They also help you to make a difference in our world. Practicing these spiritual disciplines opens you to God's transforming love and help you experience Holy Living.
The act of celebration has deep and ancient roots among God's people, who throughout their history have joyfully celebrated God's deliverance and faithfulness. In life's high and happy moments, celebration happens naturally. But what about when life's experiences are dull and flat, or worse, when they cause us to hit rock bottom? Does God expect us to celebrate then? God does, and we can. The Healing Practice of Celebration explores celebration not as an isolated event or an occasional occurrence but as a response to the reality that God is continually present, always faithful, and ever loving. Celebration as a spiritual practice involves a posture of living so well-anchored in the fuller story of God’s involvement with people throughout history that anticipatory faith and hope, regardless of present circumstances, inform our thoughts, words, and actions. This book shows us how to embrace and live into this posture.
About the Author
Elaine A. Heath
Elaine A. Heath is a theologian whose work is interdisciplinary, integrating pastoral, biblical, and spiritual theology in ways that bridge the gap between academy, church, and world. Her current research interests focus on community as a means of healing trauma, emergent forms of Christianity, and alternative forms of theological education for the church in rapidly changing contexts.
Heath is the author of numerous books and articles, the most recent of which is Healing the Wounds of Sexual Abuse: Reading the Bible with Survivors (2019), a republication with updates of a previous volume: We Were the Least of These: Reading the Bible with Survivors of Sexual Abuse (2011). She also recently served as general editor of the Holy Living series.