God Likes a Big Party

I love a party. I really do. Colors, themes, food, and FUN are a must. Festivity is everything and the more people the better!

This year for Emme’s second birthday we had a "tea and cakes" party for her and invited EVERYONE.

On the day of her party, as I looked around the café – un upper room filled with about 50 people – I saw all walks of life:

- business owner,
- doctor,
- nurse,
- teacher,
- aid worker,
- pastor,
- professional soccer player,
- counselor,
- house keeper,
- adoption specialist,
- artist,
- student,
- IT manager,
- mother,

...and people from Ocean View (a township) where work is hard to find and lives are desperate.

All had gathered to celebrate two years of life for our sweet little girl with Down syndrome.

I asked Colleen, one of my friends from Ocean View, “Have you ever been here before?”

She said, “No, I used to work at the restaurant across the street and often saw this café.”

Her friend Claudine piped in and said, “It’s nice to finally be inside a place we’ve only looked at and always wanted to go in.”

I felt so privileged to have my new friends there and I was reminded…the Kingdom of God is a party. Yes...it's true! God likes big parties.

Claudine, Julie and Emme

Colleen, Julie and Emme

Here are the words of Tony Campolo – who wrote a book on this topic (The Kingdom of God is a Party).

According to Jewish law (Deuteronomy 14), every year all Jewish families came to Jerusalem. They brought with them one-tenth of all the money they earned that past year. Can you imagine, one-tenth of the gross national product of the entire nation was gathered on Mount Zion! What were they going to do with all of that money? Were they going to feed the poor, clothe the naked? Were they going to build an educational extension onto the temple? No, none of these things.

One-tenth of all the wealth earned in Israel in the past year was brought to Jerusalem and (you're going to love this) it was blown on a party! That's right. A party. It must have been the most awesome party you could imagine. Everybody was invited — the lame, the blind, the halt, people who didn't have any means of income, the widows, the orphans. Everybody was there. There was singing, dancing and a lot of food.

The scriptures say, "Food and drink is ordered." It was a blow-out party to end all blow-out parties. No wonder the children of Israel said, "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord." Who wouldn't want to go to church if church was a party?

God wants all of us to know what kind of God He is. He is a God who loves parties.

When Jesus came on the scene, it was the same way. They asked Jesus point blank, "Tell us, what is the kingdom of God really like? What is this kingdom of God really all about?" Jesus' answer was, "The kingdom of God is like unto a wedding reception." A wedding reception? That's right.

He was Jewish, which is pretty close to being Italian. I don't know if you have ever been to an Italian wedding reception. If you have, you know of what I speak. They bring on the food. The father usually mortgages the house, takes all the money out of the bank, and throws this banquet to end all banquets and feasts. There is singing, there is dancing and there is celebration. It's a wild time.

Have you ever been to an Italian funeral? The only difference between an Italian funeral and an Italian wedding is that there is one less person at the Italian funeral. We are people who are into celebration. We are into joy; we are into partying.

I really feel that’s true. I want a party lifestyle – God’s joy, grace, generosity, hope – extended to all I meet. This is why the Kingdom is so exciting.

Religion is empty, hard, and meaningless. Nobody wants my religion.

People want a God who sees them and knows them…a God who loves them enough to invite them to His Party.

See "Happy Birthday Song to Emme" video: http://vimeo.com/10799941

More Party Photos: http://karlandjulie.com/photos_emmesparty.asp