How to Make the Alleluia Last

You know when you’re anticipating a great vacation or you’re really excited about graduation, and finally the day comes and you celebrate! Then life goes on and you don’t celebrate quite as much anymore. How about the long months a mother waits for her child to grow inside her womb before his/her birth day? The baby is born and family and friends celebrate, brings gifts, food, take 800 pictures of the same sleeping pose… Then the sleepless nights start, mom needs to go back to work maybe, daycare (or family care) begins… Life goes on.

We love being excited about something, but we know that, inevitably, life will continue and the excitement will die down considerably. It doesn’t mean that the exciting event didn’t mean much; it just means we need to move on with life. It’s the reason we take pictures, or videos, and keep mementos of the events we love most.

When Jesus appeared to His disciples (John 20:19-20), they rejoiced. The Lord had conquered sin and death! He stayed with them to guide them in the very beginnings of the Church, commissioning them to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20). This was a huge task, but Jesus conquered death and He was with them! Man, the energy in that room had to be fierce and confident! Then came Jesus’s ascension into Heaven and they could have felt very alone, but they kept a strong faith together. The world rejected them, some to death, others accepted their message but it was work – hard work.

So how did the disciples keep their joyous Alleluias going? Well, for one, they had each other. We seek the support of others even when we don’t realize it. God built us for friendship and fellowship. He, Himself, is a community in the Trinity. While the disciples couldn’t exactly follow St. Peter’s Twitter feed, they did write to one another to keep in touch. Another thing: they prayed, always, which St. Paul recommends if you read 1 Thessalonians 5:17. They prayed together (Acts 1:14), apart, morning, noon, night; they prayed at meals, at bedtime, in great need, and (most importantly) in thanksgiving.

Okay, I’ve left out the most important Alleluia-extender: The Holy Spirit. Jesus gave the disciples the Holy Spirit so they could be filled with His intentions, His words, His grace (John 20:22). With the Holy Spirit, the disciples were firm in their decision to follow Christ, they were firm in their faith, and they were firm in their praise to Him! The best thing to help us hang on to that burst of joy, no matter the reason, is the Spirit of God. He fills us, He protects us, He guides us, He Loves us. No matter what the world brings us, we can still have that joy to carry us through (Romans 12:12).

So go ahead and celebrate that your Lenten sacrifices are over this year, celebrate that graduation or new baby, or whatever you’re celebrating. But remember, you don’t have to go back to trudging through life once things go ‘back to normal’ because God wants us to have that joy (and more) all year round, every year, as long as we live. Pray to receive His Spirit and pray with thanksgiving and praise (Philippians 4:6) because that makes every prayer stronger and you’ll be glad you did.