I. The Party Is On
Christmas is about a party. Not just any party - a cosmic party! Let’s go to a chapter in the gospel of Luke that is all about a party. Luke, chapter 14. Jesus is at a party at the house of a Pharisee. How do you say it - a religious person with their nose in the air. One of the people at the party makes this statement in verse 15: "When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." Now notice that he says "the feast." For centuries the Jewish people anticipated the coming of the Messiah, and one of the pictures they had of the Messiah when he broke into history was that there would be a party. They called it the Messianic Feast. At the moment that God would send the Messiah there would be a cosmic party - the Messianic Feast. Now Jesus uses this picture of a party to describe the kingdom of God. Isn’t that a great picture? Through this whole chapter Jesus is using the image of a party. In the next chapter, He tells the story of the prodigal son. When the prodigal son, (the lost son) comes back to the father, what does the father do? He throws a party. When the older brother comes close to the house, we read he hears music and dancing. Isn’t that a great image for the kingdom of God? Party, music and dancing. Now how many of us, before we really got involved in a personal way with God, pictured God as boring? Do you know what I mean? Can you recognize this picture?
This is my family at church when I grew up: bored. But, Jesus brings the gospel. Do you know what the gospel means? It means good news. And part of that good news is that Jesus uses an image of a party to describe the kingdom of God. Jesus has come to announce the party of God. When my assistant, Debra Welder, left industry to come and work at the church, her associates couldn’t understand why. They would ask her, "What do you do at a church all week long?" When she first started working here, they would come and visit. They would have a quizzical look like, what are you doing working for a church? What do you find to do all week? I loved how Debra responded because this was the only way they could understand what she did. She said, "Every week we plan a party for about 3,000 people."

You Are Invited

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