Celebration Sunday

Today is Celebration Sunday. Jesus says the Kingdom of Heaven is like a banquet. When the father’s younger son returned home—the father threw a party. A big one. Then there was a wedding feast. The invited guests were too busy to show up so the Master sent the servants out to invite the masses.

The son had really messed up. He didn’t just show up at the party. The party was thrown in his honor. They killed the fattest calf. The boy wore a robe and a ring on his finger. The love of the Father is beyond human comprehension. That is something to celebrate. 

The father of the bride didn’t want the food and wine to go to waste so he sent his people to go to the alleys, the county roads, and to even look behind the hedges. Who hangs out in these places? Well…people down on their luck, people going through transition in life, and people who are hiding from somebody or something. They were invited to the party because of the generosity of the Father. 

I could talk about all the things WE have to celebrate. Great things have happened in the last eight years. But ultimately it’s God who invites us to the feast. The sinner. The saint. The hurting. The healthy. And all of us somewhere in the middle. Come as you are. 

We will sing, pray, eat, play, and hang out together. We will celebrate God’s love. We will celebrate God’s generosity. As far as things to celebrate, you won’t do any better. 

WE are nearing the end of our “From the Ground Up” capital campaign. WE get to celebrate our future as well. WE are going to build a church to love and serve people in West Omaha, Gretna, and Elkhorn. I dream of all the lost sons and daughters who will walk through the really big doors and experience that they are loved and accepted because of who God is. I dream of all the people down on their luck, all the people going through the transitions of life, and all the people hiding from somebody or something getting a surprise invitation to the biggest party ever. It’s called grace. 

Right now, a team of our people are doing incredible work in Uganda. This Sunday, hundreds of shoeboxes will be blessed and sent to children all over the world. And, WE will distribute hundreds of grocery bags so that people in Omaha can have a Thanksgiving meal. Ordinary people doing amazing things through an extraordinary God. Another reason to celebrate. 

Lots of reasons to celebrate. God. Our past. Our future. What God is doing in us and through us. Let’s have a party! 

The best is yet to come… 

Craig