As I began reading straight through from front to back, my progress naturally slogged during the Leviticus-Deuteronomy-Numbers cluster. Even the second half of Exodus is pretty dry, after the excitement of the Israelites fleeing from Egypt (spoiler alert-they escape). I mean seriously, how could one God have so many weirdly specific rules to share with these people?
What struck me as even odder were the number of festivals God commanded the Israelites to hold every year. It seemed like every other day they were supposed to stop working and eat special food together. How did anything get done? I wondered to myself. Not wanting to prolong my time in these tedious verses, I shrugged and flipped the page, deciding that God just really likes to party. And for the record, I still believe that.
To be fair, humans like to party too. We have parties for anniversaries, holidays (like Thanksgiving!), birthdays, weddings, baby showers, or for no reason at all. If you can put it on a cake, you can definitely have a party to celebrate it. My friend Shelby and I were once volunteers together at El Sembrador, and we somehow managed to throw a party at least once a week while we were here for one reason or another. That was a pretty great summer.
It wasn't until I moved to El Sembrador a few years ago that I started connecting our tendency to throw parties with God's mandate for specific festivals thousands of years ago. Every year, El Sembrador celebrates Donald Hawk's birthday (the man who started the school in 1954) in July as our school anniversary. For two or three days, everyone stops their normal activities and we spend it together playing, celebrating, and of course, eating special food (usually a water buffalo feast-if you haven't been here for one, it's worth the trip!).
The first time I took part in the anniversary celebration as an employee, I remember standing in the chapel with all of the staff and students singing the school hymn together as one body. I remember looking around at all of the faces who make up El Sembrador, and reflecting on the thousands of people who have stood in this very chapel before us, singing this same song, and celebrating the same God for his faithfulness to us. It reminded me of my small place in this long history, and that I am a part of something bigger than myself.
I should have been working that day. I should have been in my office on my computer, trying to raise more money for our students, or thanking a donor for their support. But our leadership decided that this moment, together, in the chapel was more important than any classes or work that we would have accomplished that day. And they were right.
By establishing this day as a celebration day, the space was opened for us to stop, reflect, and participate in a moment that I would dare to call sacred. From the outside it might look like we are just taking a few days to compete in fun games and relax a little bit, but there is so much more going on.
I finally understood why God told the Israelites to have those festivals. We need those regular opportunities to stop our everyday tasks and remember what our labors are for. It is in those moments that we can be renewed, and return to our work afterward with a fresh enthusiasm. Tears come to my eyes during every anniversary at El Sembrador, because I remember what all of this work accomplishes, and it makes me proud to be a part of it.
Maybe I'm being overdramatic. But maybe I'm finally understanding that our hearts are beating to an ancient rhythm of life-a rhythm of regular work and celebration, a rhythm of family and community. Remember that God didn't tell people to observe the festivals alone in their homes. They were supposed to gather together as one people for days at a time. We are no different today.
It's hard for some people, in the US culture in particular, to stop working, especially to do something as frivolous as celebrate. But sometimes it's good to take a pause in order to take joy in an important milestone. Sometimes it's good to get up from the computer and just sit with others, sharing stories from the past. Sometimes it's good to look up from the well-worn path you've been walking and watch the fireworks your school director set off for the occasion, together with your dear friends and coworkers.
The celebration of hard work and accomplishments is just as important as the accomplishment itself. Can you imagine how dull life would be without it?
I hope you take time, today and every day, to celebrate the things happening in your life and in your community. And if it's been a while since you've celebrated anything, maybe it's time to buy some fireworks and buffalo meat to enjoy together with your friends and family.
P.P.S. My team (the red team) won first place during the anniversary celebration. I’m just saying.
