Musings on a Party

I went with Benoit tonight to a benefit concert that was part of the "Art Matters Festival." As we stood and sat on the balcony, soaking up the beats, watching the musicians and surveying the crowd to find people we might know I began to reflect on what I think God's been teaching me about culture, church and people. It wasn't amazing, but it was as if many thoughts began to coalesce there on the spot. Let me explain: the first performers were a unique show. The drummer also rapped a few songs and sang in a high pitch voice that could have been mistaken for a girl's, and the front man had a keytar and four or five other sweet "treats" as my friend in Boston, Jon Green would call them - a name he'd give to any cool technical musical gadget. It was a cool show, because these guys were basically hosting a party. The music went on and on. The songs looped in and faded, then came back strong, but they never got repetitive. As I was watching, I noticed that people were really enjoying it. And I thought what a shame it is that Christians so rarely get to celebrate life like this. I wonder sometimes why it is that we think worship services have to be lead by a guitar, a piano, and a djembe! Why aren't we ever willing to try something a little new? Why do we keep church looking and sounding like a 1990's rock band, when we haven't listened to that music for over a decade? And why don't we think about our services more as parties? I think this would go a long way towards connecting with the culture we're in and bringing the kingdom of God to our neighbors.

The night went on, and the big show came up. As the music got heavier, people seemed to get a little bit more clumsy on the dance floor, some more aggressive, some more evasive. As I watched the dance I couldn't help but notice a couple of girls, one of whom I'd seen kissing another girl earlier. This time she was with another girl, doing the kind of thing you tell your un-neutered dog not to do to the the couch or your neighbor's pet. Later I saw the same girl doing the same thing with a guy, and then another guy. Watching this I was thinking about what Jesus would do in a party like this. Most of us I think would want to be dancing with all the really self-confident people who seem to make everyone else laugh or smile, or maybe the right thing to do would be to dance with the people back by the sound booth who don't look like they've had anything to drink - yea, maybe that's what Jesus would be doing. But then i think to myself and it hits me: I think instead Jesus would be right next to that girl who everyone's groping or gawking at, just waiting for her to look at him. Isn't that what the parable of the one lost sheep is all about? I wonder if he would leave all the people back at the sound booth just for her. Maybe she's so used to people either lusting after her, or just avoiding eye contact that just a genuine smile from someone sharing the same space would be enough to show her that she's worth the change. And she is. I don't know. I can't claim to say what Jesus would or would not do, but I know she'd be worth it to Him, whatever He did for her.