Only about four percent of Americans have a get-together on the books for any given weekend. One might assume that a family whose three children have significant health needs would be part of the 96 percent not planning to party. But for Wendy Kiyomi and her husband, those circumstances were exactly what helped them realize they needed more fun with friends in their lives.

“Our prayers of lament are an important response to the reality of sin and death, and fasting pushes us to rely on God,” she writes at CT. “But parties have their place, too, telling of the corresponding reality of God’s mighty salvation. To gather round and make merry, to flaunt our finery, dance, sing, and celebrate, is to witness to the hope that is ours in Jesus Christ. Brought into God’s household, we become a party people.”

May we open our doors, raise our glasses, and experience the same beautiful truth.