Partying

My face is still hurting from smiling so hard, from all the joy and safety I felt during the Pride Parade on Sunday. Wherever did we ever get the idea that partying is a sin?

In our gospel story for Sunday, the scribes and Pharisees saw Jesus partying and looked on it with suspicion, much like some people look at festivals like Burning Man today. (Maybe seeing people having a good time reminded them of the Golden Calf episode, when the Israelites danced around a golden calf statue in the wilderness.)

But partying doesn’t always mean sin; in fact, quite the opposite. Jesus told them that he was partying because he had good reason to celebrate - sinners were being brought back into repentance.

How would our approach to faith look different if we saw it as a party - or as joining in God’s party? We could look around at church at what needs to be done, and see only how much fun it’s going to be. Like the community that filled the streets during Pride, we get to be part of a big loving family! How cool is that?

Ouch, you’ve got me smiling again.

with love, Pr. Chelsea