Riverwood Presbyterian Church

Pastoral Musings, Church and Worship

Partying Towards Holiness

by Tim Lien

Parties matter.  How people party can tell you quite a bit about them.  One of the most surprising aspects of our series in Leviticus was how God goes about changing an entire people group towards himself.  Or put another way: How does God enact a massive melting of hearts across communities of family and nation? 

If given a rag-tag bunch of minorities with no world/economic power, what would you do to shape and change them towards health, vitality, and wholeness?  I certainly would not say, “Well, parties are important.  Let’s get downright festive, people.  We need a party committee, stat.”  No, my first inclinations would be towards clean water, good sewers, open markets, literacy programs, job-training, and a decent legal/enforcement system.  “We’ll have a proper party when you people finally pass Sudan in the world rankings.  Until then, tighten up.  And don’t go blowing your money on any streamers.”

Leviticus showed a different way.  First, God establishes good worship for worship-made hearts.  You will become like what you worship, that’s why.  Inside of this worship, there is forgiveness and reconciliation.  To do anything important, you have to know that past things can be forgiven, rectified, and forgotten.  And then Leviticus does something else just as stunning.  Something counter-intuitive.  Secondarily to worship (sacrifice), God tells Moses to start annual, ever-occurring feasts.  No work, either.  Some of it was formal celebration—akin to honor-guards, ceremonies, fly-overs, and royal and martial traditions.  And some of it was good ‘ole fashioned down-home holiday eating, drinking, dancing, and singing.  Parties reveal what/who you worship.

The Levitical top two: worship and festivity.  And slowly, a people are shaped towards holiness, godliness, and common identity.

It is interesting to see how micro-communities must follow that same course.  Of course families are the vehicles for proper discipline, but the absence of exuberant enjoyment and fun will never make little Johnny want to actually be there.  Often times he is counting the days until his eighteenth birthday grants him some emancipation.  Families that have no fun are no fun.

Another micro-community (the local church) is no different.  How they party will tell you much about what they believe.  How they party will tell you how the Gospel has shaped their hearts towards exuberance in God’s goodness.  How they feast will show you how they view their God.

Recently, Riverwood enjoyed one of our most festive parties.  It was a good one, too.  And it showed me how much God has done in our little community through worship and feast.  His ways are not our ways.  And I’m so glad.