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Tony Campolo has written a book entitled "The Kingdom of God is aParty." I haven't read the book. I've enjoyed most of what I've readby Campolo, and have generally agreed with him - although he hasexhibited some leanings toward politically liberal causes.
Actually, I should say here that I am highly suspicious of anyonewho wears the label of sociologist. As a matter of fact, many yearsago I was introduced to the chair of the Department of Sociology atOral Roberts University. I told him, at the time, that I was glad tomeet him, as heretofore I had considered the terms "Christian" and"Sociologist" to be mutually exclusive.
However, I am fascinated by the title of Campolo's book. Actually,I initially took exception to it. Then my wife gave me a bookentitled "Holy Humor" edited by Cal and Rose Samra. It containsexcerpts from "The Joyful Noiseletter," apparently a publication of agroup called the Fellowship of Merry Christians. I have enjoyed thebook immensely. Not only does the book provide many good clean jokes,but it tells how throughout history there has been a tradition ofjoyful celebration among God's people. Good stuff.
The Old Testament has a lot of sad stories in it. It doesn'tconceal the sordid side of life, even the lives of its heroes. But itdoesn't take a great deal of detective work to see that God displaysa capacity to enjoy and to be enjoyed by His people. It's full offeasts, and merriment, and celebration.
The Law commanded 3 major feasts, but before you get throughIsraels' history, God has called for at least seven feasts. Godcommanded one fast in the law, the Day of Atonement. Strange, isn'tit. Does this reveal the character and nature of God. Listen to whatHe says regarding the feasts:
Be joyful at your Feast--you, your sons and daughters,your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, thefatherless and the widows who live in your towns. (Deuteronomy 16:14)
The term "joy" certainly does not always involve hilarity. To usea term many disparages, sometimes joy just gives me the "warmfuzzies." C.S. Lewis' biography, "Surprised by Joy" helped me tounderstand the nature of true joy. But often joy IS expressed inexuberance and mirth. We often quote Nehemiah, "the joy of the Lordis your strength." That joy was expressed by celebration.
Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and theLevites who were instructing the people said to them all, "This dayis sacred to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all thepeople had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, andsend some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred toour Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
The Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for this isa sacred day. Do not grieve."
Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portionsof food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understoodthe words that had been made known to them.
In the KJV verse 12 reads " And all the people went their way toeat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth,because they had understood the words that were declared unto them."(Emphasis mine)
The Jews seem to have been a people with a great capacity torejoice. You'll find Abraham throwing a party (feast) on the day thatIsaac was weaned. When the Israelites crossed the Red Sea,leavingEgypt behind, Miriam and the ladies formed a tambourine band anddanced and sang. When David brought in the Ark of the Covenant, hedanced and pranced around, evidently in the process showing hisBVD's. (2 Samuel 6:20 - "Then David returned to bless his household.And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, Howglorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to dayin the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vainfellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!) (Incidentally, theMichalites are still around.)
I do not recommend this procedure today; that's not a prettysight! However, you will notice that God punished Michal, not David.
When the Temple was dedicated, the people observed a feast forseven days. You have to understand that when they slew all thosesacrifices, they didn't just burn up the meat (except for the wholeburnt offerings). They had a barbeque. Then they had a day of solemnassembly, after which Solomon "sent the people away into their tents,glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the LORD had shewedunto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people" (2 Chronicles7:10).
Glad and merry in heart! Those Jews knew how to have a party.
However, in the days of Josiah, they outdid themselves. Theycelebrated the Feast of the Passover,
"and there was no Passover like to that kept in Israelfrom the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings ofIsrael keep such a Passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and theLevites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and theinhabitants of Jerusalem. In the eighteenth year of the reign ofJosiah was this Passover kept."(2 Chronicles 35:18-19)
Can you imagine the sounds of rejoicing? The people were shoutingpraises - sometimes, I'm sure, in unison, led by the Templechoristers. The rams horns (shofar's) were sounded. Now, as Iunderstand it, the shofar is not a well-tuned instrument. It wasn'tlike a brass band, but (I gather) a cacophony of sounds. Throw in afew hundred (thousand) tambourines (timbrels) and not a few assortedreed pipes and harps, etc.
I get the picture that it wasn't exactly the PhiladelphiaPhilharmonic and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. But don't you know Godloved it. I think he smiled. He might have even laughed, and calledto Gabriel and said, "listen to that, Gabe. Think you can improve onthat."
Christ, being a Jew, must have enjoyed the feasts, too. And heapparently enjoyed the social interaction. He may not have been thelife of the party, but he sure wasn't the death of it, either. Folkmust have enjoyed having Him around.
Nope, the Scripture never mentions Jesus laughing. As a matter offact, it doesn't mention him doing a lot of ordinary things wemortals do as a matter of course. Some have argued against a smilingJesus because of the silence of Scripture on that point. Might it notbe that the Gospel writers took pains to mention the unusual, such as"Jesus wept" rather than the mundane (Jesus arose from sleep, washedhis face and hands, brushed his teeth and combed his hair, and saidunto his disciples ...)
One would hardly accuse the local Pious Pharisee of "eating withpublicans and sinners," nor of being a "winebibber and a glutton."There must have been some facts which led to these accusations.
He certainly gave others cause to celebrate!
I remember a particular sermon I preached. I am not trying to putany comedians out of business, but I am given to considerable humorin preaching, simply because there are so many things to make onehappy in Scripture, plus the fact that people ARE funny!
In this particular sermon, I was describing the healing of thewoman with the issue of blood. You see, she had a particularlydifficult life. According to the Law, she was consigned to live invirtual isolation, away from family and friends (Leviticus 15:25-27).Her husband could have no relations with her. The chair she sat upon,the clothes she wore, were unclean. She must have been deeplydepressed, a person with the lowest self-esteem possible.
Then suddenly it all changed. She was not just healed; she wasmade whole. Complete. From head to toe, and from the inside out. Ithink that term means that she was emotionally healed, as well.
It wasn't in my notes, but as I preached the awareness of theterrible load that had been lifted from her spirit struck me. Iimagined what she must have felt like, having that load lifted. And,to my own amazement, I began to demonstrate her imagined actions; Icould see her dancing down the street, waving her arms, shoutingpraises, shouting "we're going to have a party, we're going to have aparty!!!"
Well, the congregation was amused, but their smiles told me theyhad caught the picture. (at least, I think they were smiling with me,not at me),
I imagined Bartimaeus in the same situation - ready to party!
And dear Lazarus - well, maybe he wasn't ready to party, but I'mquite sure Mary and Martha were. (Martha probably rushed home tostraighten up the living room and set out the goodies). Theaforementioned book (Holy Humor) states that "An old Eastern churchtradition says that Lazarus laughed heartily for years after Jesusraised him from the dead. That is why Lazarus' home in Bethany, theHoly Land, is called 'The House of Laughter'."
In Matthew 22:2, Jesus tells us that "The kingdom of heaven islike a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son." Maybe thekingdom of heaven IS a party.
Read anew the story of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lostson. In each case, when the lost was found the one who had found whatwas lost invited friends in to "rejoice with me." We get an idea ofthe rejoicing when we read in the story of the Prodigal that thefather threw a party with music, dancing and feasting. (Oh, dear, howlike the elder brother so many are in the Kingdom today. "Cut outthis shameful celebration.")
On Friday (if we are to believe tradition) Jesus hung in agony onthe cross. A black pastor quoted by Tony Campolo in one of his books(and audiotapes) responded "It's Friday, but Sunday's coming!" And onSunday, God played the supreme practical joke on Satan by raisingJesus from the dead. The screams of the demons was drowned out by thelaughter of heaven. The sunrise burst like the smile of God upon allthe earth. No wonder the early Christians celebrated Easter as afestival of joy!
I have a problem with conducting special services to get people to"Laugh in the Holy Ghost." I have no special revelation that it isheretical, but it does seem strange to my tastes; maybe I should say"it just isn't my bag." Nevertheless, I think the Scripture gives usample warrant to rejoice and celebrate; not merely in some somberdisplay of pious, syrupy beatific smile, but with a hearty bellylaugh, and maybe even a bit of dancing about. Maybe even I will tryit some time!!
Any Comments? I'd love to hearfrom you ...
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