Pastor Larson’s Corner: It’s time to party

I had a friend back at seminary who was known for his creative sermon titles. In fact, he got himself into trouble on internship when he entitled his sermon on the Wedding of Cana, “Jesus Christ, the Life of the Party.” The interesting thing about this title, and many others he created, was that they often came very close to the true meaning of the text.

When Jesus turned six stone jars of water—each holding 20 or 30 gallons—into very fine wine, he contributed in a significant way to the success of the “Wedding of Cana.” The fact that Jesus did it in a quiet and unassuming way indicates the he did it for the sake of the party and not for his own benefit. By beginning his ministry in this way, Jesus put his blessing upon our celebrations and made it clear that they are an important part of life.

We are about to enter into that time of year when there are many celebrations. Churches often have fall festivals, reformation festivals, and Advent festivals. Meanwhile the whole country prepares to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year in rapid succession. We will all be doing a lot of celebrating in the next couple of months.

As we celebrate this year we should remember that God is with us in our celebrations. Jesus often told parables that were critical of those who wouldn’t come to a party if they were invited, or who weren’t ready when the party began. Getting together with friends and family for important celebrations keeps friendships alive and families together. Of course, parties don’t just happen. Parties require a lot of hard work by those who plan and host them. Perhaps remembering that our efforts are blessed by God and well worthwhile will help us all get through another season of important celebrations.

Pastor Larson’s Corner is written by Jerry Larson and appears weekly in the Norwegian American Weekly.

Pastor Jerry Larson retired to his cabin in Zimmerman, Minn., after 39 years in parish ministry for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In 2011 he published a book entitled “Speaking the Word Freely: Writing with purpose, preaching with power.” Contact him at jerlarson@visi.com

This article originally appeared in the Oct. 31, 2014, issue of the Norwegian American Weekly.