The Kingdom of God is a Party!

June 6, 2021

My dog, Odie, goes to kennel when we go on vacation.  He is a very excitable dog. When we drop him off at the kennel he whines, barks and digs on the fence. He knows what is going and wants to tell us, “You can’t leave me here!” When we come back after a trip to pick him up, we will likely get some scratches, because he is so happy to see us! He digs on us with his paws. You can pick him up, hold him out and his legs keep moving, he has to get to us! He has uncontainable joy! 

Every day when I come home, Odie comes running! Now the people in my house, they aren’t nearly as excited when I come home. Maybe it’s because Odie does such a good job greeting! There’s no room for anyone else to show excitement. 

Dogs are that way: they have so much joy! They are so happy to see the people they love! Grown up people, we’re different. It’s not that we’re too cool for school. It’s that we can get caught up in the problems of each day and the seriousness of daily life. 

Would you like more joy? Wouldn’t that be great?  

Do you think church and God lead to the absence of joy? Are Christians supposed to lead a serious life? Is church the “Church of no”? No fun? Well, we’ll look at some stories of faith that show God and God’s people having a good time, joyfully celebrating. And we’ll consider how Jesus came to proclaim the kingdom of God! The kingdom of God is basically the world the way God intends it to be. Often the world is not the way God intends. But sometimes we experience the kingdom of God. Today we’ll learn the kingdom of God is a party! And everybody is invited! 

Over 2400 years ago, Nehemiah was governor in Israel, and we see in Nehemiah 8:9-12 a day when the people felt terrible. The people stood from daybreak to noon and listened to Ezra and the Levites read the Scripture. They hear what God wants. Jerusalem had been in rubble; the people had been sent away in exile far from the temple. The people realize they hadn’t paid attention to their faith, they had not done what God asked. They hadn’t heard the Scripture for so many years. They felt terrible. But Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites said, “This is a holy day. Do not mourn or weep.” God didn’t want them to frown and be sad. It was a Holy day, a day for celebrating, not being sad! Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 

God doesn’t want us going around all day, being sorry for our sins and serious and sad. Being sad does not equal being holy! God does this amazing thing called, forgiving. So, God wants us to be sorry, turn to Him, then let it go. Forget the past. Now it was time for the people of Israel to celebrate! They should celebrate that they turned to God. It’s a holy day! Celebrate, because the joy of the Lord is your strength. The kingdom of God is a party and God wants us to celebrate! 

In our gospel reading today, Mark 2, it doesn’t take very long from the start of Jesus’ ministry before the religious leaders complain that Jesus has too much fun! In Mark chapter 2 Jesus calls Levi, “Come follow me!” Levi goes with Jesus. Then Jesus goes to dinner at Levi’s house, and many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples. The tax collectors and sinners heard Jesus speak, and decided they liked this guy, they wanted to go to Levi’s house to meet him! 

The religious leaders ask Jesus’ disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” They don’t like it that Jesus is celebrating and eating with the wrong people! 

Jesus says, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” 

Other people came along with a different criticism: “How is it that John the Baptist’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?” They’re telling Jesus, you are supposed to be a holy person. Why are you feasting, why aren’t you fasting? 

Jesus says, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast. 

Jesus is saying, it’s time to celebrate. God is here. The kingdom of God is among you! The kingdom of God is a party, and everybody is invited. 

I often think it must be hard to be a Baptist, or any denomination that says you can’t drink alcohol. Because Jesus performed his first miracle in the gospel of John at a wedding reception, John 2:1-11. When it looked like the host was out of wine, Jesus turned water into wine to keep the party going. Because his mother asked him to! 

I’m not trying to say anybody should drink alcohol. I’m just saying that Jesus sometimes leaves us a little embarrassed or confused by what he does, the way he calls us to live. 

Jesus went to many dinner parties. He had fun! He told parables about parties, like about the shepherd who has a100 sheep and loses one. He goes off to find it. And then he throws a party for his friends and neighbors to celebrate that he found his sheep! Then there’s the parable about a woman who loses a precious coin and searches here entire house for it. When she finds it, she throws a party to celebrate! Then there’s the prodigal son, who lives a wild life, but comes home a changed person. His father throws him a huge party, to celebrate! The kingdom of God is a party, and everybody’s invited! 

The kingdom of God that we experience today, here on earth, is just a taste of what is to come in heaven. There are many sad and tragic things in this world. So not all of life is a party. There are tragedies. We need to do what we can to help others in a time of tragedy. We need to weep when tragedy happens to us. Still, there is much good in the world, God gives so many blessings, and we experience a taste of heaven, when we celebrate! 

A party I miss is going to lead worship at Tremont Nursing home. Some people think a nursing home is depressing. After all everybody has health problems there. You might think it would be a sad place to be. But worship there is always fun and uplifting. The residents are kind and have a good sense of humor! It feels like a celebration! 

We’re now at a happy point of the pandemic, looking forward to 4^th of July parties. Vacation Bible School will be a party! We have a lot to celebrate! My homework for you is to think of a party that you loved. What sticks in your memory of a celebration where heaven and earth came together? 

We Christians are people of the resurrection! We know Jesus died on the cross, and bad things happen. But we can celebrate with joy because God is so good. And God loves it when we celebrate! The kingdom of God is a party, and everybody is invited! Amen.