Celebrants Wanted!

Any media outlet or social site can be found slamming humanity at every angle.  The world is throwing a temper tantrum like a toddler needing love and comfort.  The collective recognizes the void and cries out for peace while standing defiantly against outside views; pointing fingers and placing blame.  The Church carries the truth, but in a shallow attempt to be relevant offers up application, ever withholding Peace and the Co-Inclusion there within.

Every religion, club, group are often formed out of bonded offenses. Using their individual creativity to conjure up hate and more distance. We get angry and gather. We get sad and gather.  We tear each other to shreds and throw the pieces up in celebration like confetti.  We've become a twisted, misguided society.  If our walls of self-protection could be lowered just long enough to recognize the collective desire for an authentic version of love, peace, and joy; empathy would have a fighting chance.  

Church, we have to reevaluate, the world isn't asking for steps or how-to's, they want peace and inclusion.  Our centrality is Peace himself.  Jesus is our relevance to the world... "For God so loved the world that He gave... Jesus!"  Every single cell within all living creatures has an innate attraction to Christ.  We've just not done a great job of representing who he is.  Jesus stepped into our human existence and lived a sinless, exemplary life--not boring, he lived fully. There was not a people group he avoided; sinners, the elite, sick, outcasts--All!  He seemed to be annoyed with the haughty and proud, who had access to the answers but withheld to maintain the upper hand on society.  Sound familiar?  Guys, 2000 some years later and I'm wondering: what do we have on the Pharisees?  We hold the keys to the Kingdom and we're standing guard offering clever steps on how to handle our existence to get by. The answer is:  Through Christ Jesus All belong, All are welcome, All are loved.  Jesus is what the world wants. 

John 10:10:  "...I came to give life and life to the fullest!"  Are you living life to the fullest?  I hang out with some of you, I know the answer.  A community of believers living life to the fullest would look a whole lot more like a festival than a classroom.  Friends, Jesus was the guy that didn't even offer time for funerals, he either guilt-ed his followers into letting the dead bury their own or he showed up like a magician raising people to life--including himself.  He conquered sin and death and we're over here trying to raise the bar up.  How bout we magnify the one who is worthy of blessing, of honor and glory and power.  Hanging out with, lifting up and reveling in Jesus has a natural by-product of right living.  Want to be Christ-like? Believe in the power of the finished works of the cross; Jesus does!

Matthew 18:3: "...unless you become like a child, you will never enter the Kingdom of God."  First off, Jesus is talking about child-likeness, not childishness.  Children love to be loved, belong and play, they are infused with joy.  Can you imagine a people group that became intentional about play--embracing their inner child?  Wow!  We need to get serious about having fun!  The old testament is filled with calendared events to remember and celebrate victories they shared throughout history. Festivals that are still reserved and acknowledged.  And boy did they know how to do it. We're not talking a couple of hours, these people went on for weeks at a time.  They often spared nothing for the sake of the celebration.  We need to find ourselves smack dab in the middle of our own festival, we've got plenty to celebrate!

Even the story about the Prodigal Son is one of a celebration.  This kid blows it big time, he's a self-diagnosed mess.  He plans to return to be a slave, working his dad's land.  From a distance he's spied out by a watchful father's eyes, his dad doesn't grab a switch, he hasn't planned a hate speech.  He grabs the end of his robe, hikes it up and runs to greet his son.  As the son begins his planned out rebuttal of self pity, the father interrupts with overwhelming love, acceptance and showers him with what is already his.  He earned nothing, not the ring on his finger, not the place of recognition as a son, not the fattened calf and certainly not a party.  Turns out his older brother agrees, snobbishly he wants nothing to do with the returned brother.  He refuses to join in the celebration, there is work to be done.  Now, ask yourself, what does the father value more in this story?  The cause for celebration over his beloved son understanding that he's always belonged or the older sons ability to work hard and avoid the celebration.  Listen, when the father celebrates-you celebrate!  The world will come crawling to the door with a prepared speech of self-pity, are you practicing your partying skills, celebrating the full tilt life afforded you or complaining about how inept the world is?  Only one is attractive.