Let's Party...everyone!

"...you shall have one statue for both the resident alien and the native."  Numbers 9:14b

**The image to the side is because the writer is an unashamed Doctor Who fan.  Apologies to those who are not.**

Let's party...everyone!
By Rev. William Dohle

Suppose you had a party to attend...only you didn't really want to attend it.

Everything had been made ready for you.  The food had been catered.  The venue had been reserved and ready.  Maybe they even bought a DJ for the event, to liven the night up with music.

Everything was ready...save one thing.

You really didn't want to go.

You knew you SHOULD.   You knew you should make an appearance at least.  People would be missing you if you weren't there.  But you really truly did not want to go to the party.

What would you do??  (**Tell me in the comments or via email...what WOULD you do?**)

Would you go to the party, even for appearance sake?  Or would you make some excuse as to why you couldn't go?  And what kind of excuse would you make?  You got sick the night before?  You have some pressing engagement?

Or maybe you could say that you just touched a dead body and that you were unclean and unable to celebrate.

Oh wait.  That's what some people said the night the whole of Israel is commanded to celebrate Passover.

"Now there were certain people who were unclean through touching a corpse, so that they could not keep the passover on that day.  They came before Moses and Aaron on that day, and said to him, "Although we are unclean through touching a corpse, why must we be kept from presenting the Lord's offering at its appointed time among the Israelites?"(Num 9:6-8)

Now pause there a moment.  True, it does sound like these people honestly WANT to celebrate the Passover with everyone else.  After all, they say, "Why must we be kept..."  But keep in mind too that they KNEW they might be kept from celebrating that night BEFORE they touched the corpse.  And they didn't consult with Moses before they did it, but after.  It's like saying, "Why must we miss the party just because we have a prior engagement?"

Moses goes to God with the question and God says:

"Speak to the Israelites saying: Anyone of you or your descendants who is unclean through touching a corpse, or is away on a journey, shall still keep the passover to the Lord.  In the second month on the fourteenth day, at twilight, they shall keep it."(9:9-11a)

Notice what God says.  God is saying, "It doesn't matter!  Come to the party!"

"It doesn't matter what rules you broke before you come.  It doesn't matter if you're clean or unclean.  It doesn't even matter if you're away on a journey or whatever.  Come and celebrate with me!  Come to the party!"

And for those who decide not to party with God??

"But anyone who is clean and is not on a journey, and yet refrains from keeping the passover, shall be cut off from the people for not presenting the Lord's offering at its appointed time; such a one shall bear the consequences for the sin."

In other words... there is no excuse not to attend!  No excuse at all.

Unclean??  No problem!  Come and celebrate!
On a journey??  No problem!  The celebration awaits!
Even resident aliens residing with the Israelites are invited to the party!

Why??  Because it's God's party!  It's a feast celebrating God's deliverance of God's people from slavery.  And its rolls are wide open!

It's interesting how Jesus connects up with this image.  Parties run all over the Gospels.  And most interesting is how the failure of the excuse is held up too.  For Jesus, it doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, slave or free, male or female, tax collector or zealot, Jew or Greek, black or white, Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal.  It doesn't matter who you are or what or have or haven't done.  You haven't an excuse NOT to attend this party!  For the doors have been burst wide open.  The banquet is set and ready.  All has been made ready.  And everyone(and I do mean everyone) is invited to attend!

Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the Universe, for setting such a large and wide banquet and including all creation on the guest list.  Give us wisdom that we might accept your invitation and then bring all our friends to your feast of life.  Amen.