"The Kingdom is a Party"
In Chapter 14 of Deuteronomy, beginning at the 22nd verse, we read about tithing. According to Jewish law, every year all Jewish families came to Jerusalem. They brought with them one-tenth of all the money they earned that past year. Can you imagine, one-tenth of the gross national product of the entire nation was gathered on Mount Zion! What were they going to do with all of that money? Were they going to feed the poor, clothe the naked? Were they going to build an educational extension onto the temple? No, none of these things.

One-tenth of all the wealth earned in Israel in the past year was brought to Jerusalem and (you're going to love this) it was blown on a party! That's right. A party. It must have been the most awesome party you could imagine. Everybody was invited — the lame, the blind, the halt, people who didn't have any means of income, the widows, the orphans. Everybody was there. There was singing, dancing and a lot of food.

The scriptures say, "Food and drink is ordered." It was a blow-out party to end all blow-out parties. No wonder the children of Israel said, "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord." Who wouldn't want to go to church if church was a party?

I think the most terrible thing that kids can say about church, and they say it all the time, is "I don't want to go because church is boring." There is no reason for church to be boring because, according to Deuteronomy, church was meant to be a party — for two reasons. First of all, God wants all of us to know what kind of God He is. He is a God who loves parties.

They have all these religious tee shirts these days. I want to make a new one that says, "MY GOD IS A PARTY DEITY." He is a God who loves celebration; He is a God who tries to bring celebration to life. To all of us who are down, beaten, tired and sad, He says, "Come with me. We're going to have a party."

When Jesus came on the scene, it was the same way. They asked Jesus point blank, "Tell us, what is the kingdom of God really like? What is this kingdom of God really all about?" Jesus' answer was, "The kingdom of God is like unto a wedding reception." A wedding reception? That's right.

He was Jewish, which is pretty close to being Italian. I don't know if you have ever been to an Italian wedding reception. If you have, you know of what I speak. They bring on the food. The father usually mortgages the house, takes all the money out of the bank, and throws this banquet to end all banquets and feasts. There is singing, there is dancing and there is celebration. It's a wild time. Have you ever been to an Italian funeral? The only difference between an Italian funeral and an Italian wedding is that there is one less person at the Italian funeral. We are people who are into celebration. We are into joy; we are into partying.

Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is likened unto a party." He compared the heavenly Father as one who was throwing a party. He looked over the hall and said, "There are not enough people here. What's going on?" Excuses are made, "Well, the Jerusalem Bears are playing this week and a lot of people couldn't come." He said, "Go out into the highways and the byways and bring them in. I want this place filled; I want this place jumping; I want this to be a really exciting party." The kingdom of God is likened unto a party.

There are those who don't like this kind of talk and get a bit upset with this kind of interpretation of the kingdom of God. They want the whole thing to be more serious, heavy, and profound. Jesus encountered those kinds of people in his day. They were called the pharisees. They always came to Him and said, "What kind of religious man are you? You are always partying." They called him a wine bibber, a glutton. They said, "Why can't you be serious?" Jesus said, "Hey, I'm like a bridegroom. When the bridegroom is around, everybody celebrates and cheers." Then He adds this, "You know, John the Baptist came and he was serious. He was out there in the desert dressed in animal skins and eating grasshoppers and you didn't like him. I come and I party with my disciples. I party with prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners and you don't like me. I don't think you people can be pleased."

If you say, "I'm not sure I can get into this partying concept of the kingdom of God," try this. Old King David came back with his victories over the enemies. As he entered into Jerusalem, he called the people together to celebrate before God. They sang and David danced before God. He danced so wildly that he almost danced out of his clothes. Michal, his wife, was up in a window looking down at David carrying on dancing and partying with the people of God before the Lord. The scripture says, "Michal saw David dancing and despised him in her heart." When David returned, he cursed Michal. She never gave birth to a child because he would not have a part of anybody who could not celebrate with God.

I can't emphasize that enough. The church needs to be a celebration. I spoke at a Lutheran church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was a Sunday after I had spoken at a huge gathering of people called "The Creation Festival." There were about forty thousand people there. A lot of them found out I was speaking at this nearby church on a Sunday morning, so they showed up. They were all sorts of semi-charismatic types. In addition to the three or four hundred regular attendees at the church, there was a host of these people filling all the seats in the balcony.
The minister, robed in velvet, got up and said in a very dignified manner, "Let us make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Let us came into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise." Somebody in the balcony yelled, "All right!" People started jumping and clapping their hands. You could just see this minister blown away. The last thing in the world he expected when he said, "Let us make a joyful noise unto the Lord," was that anybody would.

The kingdom of God is a joyful celebration. I know what you are saying: "You don't know the problems I'm facing. You don't know the agonies, the sorrows and the pains in my life."

I belong to a Black church in West Philadelphia. I decided to join that church when I went to a funeral there. I remember the funeral so well. A friend of mine, Clarence, had been killed in an accident. The church was filled and I was there for the funeral service. The family was there in the front rows. The pastor spoke to the congregation and talked about the joyful conquering of death because of Jesus Christ; the deliverance from pain and sorrow because of what Jesus has done. Then he came down and spoke to the family and gave them words of comfort. He comforted them in the most beautiful way.

The casket was open and he spoke to the corpse. He spoke to Clarence with such authority. "Clarence, Clarence," he said. It was so authoritative. I wouldn't have been surprised if there had been a response! He said, "Clarence, there were a lot of things we should have told you before you died. We never got around to telling you and we are going to tell you now."

For the next twenty minutes, he said beautiful things about the dead man, and all the good things he had done for us, giving story after story. When he finished, he said, "That's it, Clarence. There is nothing else to say. So if there is nothing else to say, Clarence, I'm going to say this — Good night!"
"Good night, Clarence!" And with that, he grabbed the lid of the casket and closed it. He turned to the congregation and he said, "And I know that God is going to give him a good morning!" The choir rose up and started singing, "On That Great Gettin' Up Morning, We shall Rise, We Shall Rise." People were up on their feet, clapping and singing. I was clapping and singing. I wished I were dead like Clarence!

I want to say this to you and to say it very clearly. That is what the church is all about. The church is about a Jesus who can take funerals and turn them into parties. When you are down, beaten and troubled, you can go into the household of God and have your voice and heart lifted even when you have nothing to cheer about. God is able to create joy with the hope that He places in us with this assurance: "All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose."

A friend of mine is one of the great speakers of America. He may have even been on this show. His name is Guy Doud. He told me about being the class sponsor in a school in Brainard, Minnesota. It was just before the senior prom. He hated the senior prom for the same reason I hate it. The senior prom is a terrible night. The kids that have always been put down and hurt, are hurt and put down even more. They don't have dates. So many kids are left home the night of the senior prom. There is so much sadness the night of the senior prom. Those kids who have always been on ego trips and have always been glorified get a double boost.

I don't like that night, neither did my friend, Guy Doud. He suggested something. He said, "Let's try this. Let's run a dance for people over the age of 65. If you would rather have a prom, I'll go along with it. But, let's try this first." A month before the prom, they set up this dance. They sent out invitations to all the old folks homes and put it on the radio, "Everybody over the age of 65 is invited to the high school for a dance." The word went out the churches.

The night of the prom came. The old people started arriving. The dance wasn't supposed to start until 7:30 at night. By 6:00 PM, little old ladies were showing up saying, "We understand there is supposed to a be a dance here tonight." By 6:30 PM the place was filled with old ladies. They had to go out and tell the football team, "Don't go home, shower, come in. We need your warm bodies to dance with these old ladies." They had to call the junior class and get more guys because they were running out of them. Evidently, the old men were too tired!

The place was packed with old ladies dancing with these kids. They danced, danced and danced until midnight. Then they said to the old ladies, "You have to go home." When it was all over, the young people came and said, "Mr. Doud, this is the most fun we have ever had. This was the best dance and party we have ever attended." Of course, it's God's kind of party. It is a party that brings people in who were always rejected. That is what our God does — He brings in people who have never been invited to much of anything. I can just see the Lord up there nudging Peter and saying, "Hey, Pete, look at this one. That is my kind of party."

I just returned from Haiti where the mission organization that I head up works in a variety of villages along the southern peninsula of the country. The problems of Haiti are overwhelming and painful. There is suffering in ways that you cannot possibly imagine. We always go down and set up parties in seven different villages with about $5,000. In those villages, all the people come together. For one day there is enough food; for one day there is enough drink; for one day the people of the villages party. You say, "The money could be used for economic development; the money could be used to foster social justice." You're right. You're right. You're right. All of these things are necessary. But in the midst of the agonies of life, God wants his people to party so that they might have a foretaste of the kingdom which is to come.

There is a great party coming. You know what Jesus said to His disciples at Holy Communion? He lifted the cup and He said, "Here's to you. We are not going to party again until we party again in the kingdom." The kingdom of God is a party.

Do not get the idea that this delivers us from the need of changing the world — quite the opposite. In Northern Ireland, Catholics and Protestants are not partying. They are fighting each other. Jesus wills us to put an end to that and to bring about reconciliation so that Catholics and Protestants can party together in the name of Christ. In the Middle East today, Arabs and Jews are tensely facing each other. There is no partying there. Jesus wants us to go and bring into being a party, a glorious reconciliation of love.

We must work for justice because without justice, there can be no party. Without the feeding of the hungry, there can be no party. Without the deliverance of the captives, there can be no party in El Salvador today. There is no party in Nicaragua today and the people of God are to go there and work for change. You say, "Change the world into what?" What is the kingdom of God like? Why, I've told you. The kingdom of God is likened unto a party.

People, I don't know how you are feeling today. I hope you did not find this message offensive because you are saying, "The burdens, the burdens, the burdens." Life is burdensome. Yet, if there is anything that Christianity is about, it is about this — the joy that comes in the midst of the party.

I have a son. He is now grown up but when he was a little tyke, we went to Disneyland. As we were leaving Disneyland, he said, "I want one more ride on Space Mountain." I said, "We are out of time and I am
out of money." He said, "Jesus wants me to go." I said, "How do you read that?" He said, "Sunday in church when you were preaching you told the people whenever we cry, Jesus cries; whatever we feel, He feels. He feels it at the very moment we are feeling it. If that's true, Dad, if He feels everything we feel, right at the moment we are feeling it, then when we're laughing and having a great time, He is laughing and having a great time. So, I think He would enjoy it if I had one more ride on Space Mountain."

That is not bad theology. We have a God who is a heavenly Father and a father and a mother are special kinds of people. I didn't understand what it was all about until I had kids of my own. Once you have kids, you realize you have no control over your emotions. Whether you are happy or sad has everything to do with how your children are doing. If your kids are in sorrow, you're in sorrow. If your kids are full of joy, you're full of joy. That is why God sent His Son into the world. He sent His Son into the world in order He might dispel the sadness and bring us joy. God cannot be happy unless we, His people, are happy. That is why He calls us to celebration.

Whenever people are invited to a party they say, "I don't know whether I can go." I can hear my wife saying, "I've got nothing to wear." The Good News of the Gospel is that Jesus will prepare you for the party. If you think that the sins in your life have disqualified you, you are mistaken. Jesus says, "I will take your sins upon myself." That is what the cross is all about. Jesus is preparing us for the party. He takes the sin. He takes the filth. He takes all the dirty things in my life and yours, absorbs them unto Himself and goes through hell on calvary just to take away from us those things that prohibit us from being part of the party. The scripture says, "He clothes us in the righteousness of Jesus." That means He dresses us up to look as good as Jesus will look and presents us faultless on the party day.

People ask me, "What is the kingdom of God like?" I say, "Justice." It is more than that; it is forgiveness. It is more than that; it is celebration. It is more than that; it is shalom. Beyond it all, the kingdom of God is a party. I invite you to let Jesus into your life; let Him take away the sadness, pain and suffering; to come and celebrate with Him. If you say, "It's no party in my life," my word is simple and direct. Trust in Jesus. It will come. Party time will come. The kingdom of God is likened unto a man that throws a wedding feast and says, "Whosoever will may come." It's party time. Come on and join the party.

Interview with Tony Campolo
Interviewed by Floyd Brown

Floyd Brown: Tony, I've told you privately that you are one of my heroes as a speaker. I think what a marvelous contribution it would have been in my life had there been someone like you preaching the gospel to me when I was a youngster. Not necessarily the gospel, but a way of life. It's a joy. Tonight you're saying, "Let's have a party."

Tony Campolo: I think that the whole Christian faith loses some of its best people because we do not emphasize the joy of the faith. It is not some kind of superficial thing where you jack it up and say, "Force yourself to be happy." It is the joy that arises out of the fact that no matter what is going on and what the situation may be, God is going to create something good out of the mess that you are in. The best is yet to come. It is the joy that comes from believing that something wonderful is going to happen

Brown: The story that you told about that funeral shows the power of faith and strength that one can derive from it, knowing the promises are going to come true.

Campolo: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for," says the scripture, "the evidence of things not seen." The people who were singing in the face of death were singing because they had hope. Faith is that thing. It is the hope of what is to come. They knew that their dead friend was going to sing and dance with them some day again. It was that which stimulated the aliveness and excitement in the crowd.

Brown: You said that the church is boring in so many instances. Sister Thea Bowman** talked in terms of the fact that I am the same person when I come to church as I was before I got here, so it should relate to me. How should the church have a party that we can enjoy?

Campolo: I think that what Sister Thea was saying was so important. So often there are other forms of worship. There are other songs that could be brought in. She brings new songs; she brings laughter into the church. She has learned how to be joyful in the midst of cancer and to celebrate in the midst of pain. I watched her eyes flashing as she gave that interview. I said to myself, "This woman is fully alive, even though she is dying." That is what the Christian faith is about. We must bring that into the church, break the old forms and bring this new aliveness into being.

Brown: We don't have much time left so I must ask you a real important question. You are so involved — you travel; you meet so many people. Tell me, what you think is the number one problem facing our country and our world?

Campolo: That's interesting because the number one country, which is the United States, has one problem and the rest of the world has another. I think the number one problem in the United States is drugs. I think that the number one problem in the world is hunger.

The growing population of starving people is the most serious threat to the future of this planet. A billion people will not starve to death in silence. They will rise up and there will be trouble. We either have to respond to that in love or we are going to have to deal with that in fear. In our own country, I think drugs are eating away at the fabric of our society as nothing I have ever seen, especially in the ghettoes and among those people who have lost hope in America. They have turned to drugs and it is destroying families, kids, neighborhoods. I think that the church has to become more directly involved in addressing these problems.

Brown: Is it the church or should we legalize it like people are talking about today?

Campolo: I don't know what the political solutions are. I leave it to wiser people to deal with that. Whatever we do politically, I know what the church must do as a body of Christ in this world. That is to go and say to the drug dealers, "Don't you dare touch these people. They belong to our God. Don't you dare mess around with these people. They belong to my Jesus. Whatever you do to the least of these, you are doing to the Lord, and the Lord is not going to take it very easily."

** Sister Thea Bowman, from Canton, Mississippi, is a Black Franciscan nun. In spite of living with cancer, she travels widely, preaching, storytelling and singing. She was a guest on the same program as Tony Campolo.