Celebration of Life

 

Before Nicodemus arrives at Jesus’ door in the middle of the night ---

The gospel of John has set the stage of Jesus’ ministry beginning at a wedding party; important because John returns to this image many times as the gospel is told. The wedding celebration -the party- is the fullness of God’s kindom, the wholeness of the earth and its creatures.

 

Jesus is at a party. The disciples are there, so is his mother. There is conversation, celebration, feasting, dancing, and lots of drinking. Remember Jesus -although it was not a workday- was asked to turn water into wine. Jesus obliges.

 

Before continuing with Jesus at the party, consider for a moment what kind of a party goer are you? Do you like formal parties, wedding do-s, where you get dressed up?  Do you lavishly partake in the food and beverages, dancing to your hearts content, enjoying meeting and chatting with the other guests? Do you revel in staying out late? Do you go to parties reluctantly, not planning to participate outside of being polite, and prepared only to make an appearance and get away at the earliest opportunity? Or are you somewhere in between?

 

Beginning chapter two of the Gospel of John, Jesus is at a party, and what follows in the chapter are incidents happening in God’s continuing wedding feast:

First, there is the illicit poker game going on in one corner of the tent. The high rollers are fleecing the casual players; this is the story of Jesus driving the money changers out of the Temple.

Then there is the group of intellectual sorts, not so interested in dancing, they are outside in the cool air gathered around a fire, philosophising on religion. Jesus joins them for awhile in a back-and-forth repartee. Jesus says, “Destroy this temple and three days I will raise it up.” The intellectuals reply, the “temple has been under construction for 46 years and you will raise it up on the third day.”

 

And it is now, chapter 3, where Nicodemus arrives at Jesus’ door in the middle of the night.

 

I am the sort of party-goer who can relate to Nicodemus. I do love getting dressed up to go to a party. I do like to dance, eat, and make merry. I participate – but- I do not indulge fully. I hold back, am reserved, watching what I say and do. At some point, usually sooner than later, you will find me in the group around the fire, philosophising until the people I came with are ready to leave. Leaving a party I am tired, but generally feel better than when I arrived. It is later, when the party has been played over in my mind, that I have questions or pieces of information that I need to ask more about; conversations that started but didn’t conclude. Unlike Nicodemus, I don’t arrive at Jesus’ door in the middle of the night, I arrive in peoples’ emails or by phone call in following days.

 

Before talking about Nicodemus participation in God’s wedding feast, let us explore the host and the invitation. God is the host. God hosts a party, the very invitation came in the beginning when breath was breathed into humankind. The Gospel of John reminds of this in chapter one, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. All things came into being through him…what has come into being was life and the life was the light of all people.

God hosts a party – a celebration of life- all is whole and there is lavish abundance. It is a celebration of kindom, God’s vision.

God is a good host, sending out the invitation, reminding people of the invitation, inviting hearts and minds to open and participate in the party already at hand, already underway from the day of creation when God rested. God is a good host, in that God doesn’t require or force attendance, doesn’t force participation or enjoyment. People have the choice to celebrate life, to participate in the party, to welcome and share abundance – or people can sit in the corner playing illicit games, cheating others, or sit by a fire and do a lot of talking and not so much living, or people can choose to not show up or find ways to excuse themselves quickly.

 

The party -the kindom- is already here. God already sent the invitation many times over. We spend time waiting for the kindom or working for the kindom – what is needed is a huge transformation to take place to change our minds – to perceive and know that the party is underway. It is happening!

 

This is what Nicodemus is figuring out. He has witnessed signs and miracles – and is beginning to wake up and think that God’s kindom – God’s party- is happening and he, along with his religious colleagues, are missing it. He goes to find out for sure.

Nicodemus arrives with questions. He only utters a statement, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs apart from the presence of God, when Jesus interrupts with a reflection on being born again from above.

 

Nicodemus put on your party hat!

Being born again from above is a God’s eye view- the view from the host of the party, the host of the celebration of life. Nicodemus is once again being invited to participate in the wedding celebration. Nicodemus is at a turning point in his life--- and although we are not told, I am guessing he is in the second half of his life.

I read somewhere that there are 40 days of Lent, 40 days or years repeated in the biblical story, because of what happens to human beings after their 40^th birthday. Anytime in the decades following 40 people change - this change has been identified in a variety of ways:  knowing oneself, being comfortable in one’s skin, mid-life crisis, re-inventing oneself, finding a greater purpose, leaving a legacy, enjoying retirement. Somewhere after 40 there is a transition from achieving, consuming, getting settled, to more focused living - reflecting, re-evaluating; where relationships are more important, as is purpose, commonwealth, and celebrating the time one has left.

Brains and hearts, in the later part of life have a great capacity to finally compute that humans do things backward. Christians for millennia have been waiting and working for a party (God’s kindom) that is never coming BECAUSE it has been going on since God breathed life.  Humans have forgotten the garden, been busy and occupied over centuries manipulating their own lives and the lives of others and thus with in a sinful fog have failed to embrace, see, hear, taste, and participate in God’s kindom – the wedding feast.

 

Jesus is at a party. Nicodemus is redirected to the ongoing celebration of life; to be born again; to participate in the party.

Jesus hands to Nicodemus, to us, the party favours:

Speak of what you know, testify to what you have seen, receive the testimony of others

Eat. Drink. Be merry. God – the host- is in the midst of throwing a lavish party, with welcome and love poured out for all. Be born again, see God’s vision, come revel in God’s kindom.