The Practice of Joy and Feasting
The depiction of Jesus in the recent smash-hit show The Chosen stands out among the many adaptations to film of the Gospels. For one, unlike the often serious, somber, grave portrayals of the Messiah, Jesus will crack jokes, enjoy himself at parties, and smiles often in The Chosen. The show’s creators may not be going for accuracy, but they nonetheless portray Jesus more accurately because of this vivid portrait of his joy. (By the way, the picture that accompanies this post is taken from another film that featured an atypically ebullient Jesus titled The Visual Bible: Matthew.) Really, how often do we imagine Jesus with a smile? How often do we notice his sense of humor, the accusations that he ate and drank too much, and incorporate that into an idea that Jesus was a person of joy? Well, probably not often enough.
At Kitsap House we are totally sold on imitating Jesus and the life he lived. That is, after all, what it means to be a disciple. “Imitate me as I imitate Jesus,” the Apostle Paul said. We think first of Jesus’ piety and his morality when we think of imitating him, but we should not forget his joy and feasting. How can we go about imitating this? As it turns out, Scripture includes feasts of joy and thanksgiving as part of the regular life of God’s people. Jesus practiced these feasts (and many more besides). Way back in April, we spent time learning about these feasts at our Sunday gatherings. What if we incorporated elements of these feasts, and the spirit of joy that being with Jesus brings, into the life of our community?
Hence, our very first Fall Feast. A celebration of abundance that hearkens back to the feasts of the Old Testament. With this feast we will remember God’s faithfulness to us, offering toasts and call outs to him. Food and drink (of the non-alcoholic variety) will flow. Our abundance will overflow even, into the lives of refugees who are struggling to make a new life here in Washington. We’ll collect items and make welcome kits for these refugees, thanks to our partnership with World Relief. And, I hope, we’ll experience the joy of Jesus in all of this.
Importantly, this is a feast for our neighbors too. One of the beautiful things we learned about the Old Testament feasts was how often they were for the foreigners in their midst. And of course, Jesus sat with the most unusual company he could find as much as he dined with his friends. We follow suit, inviting folks who might not step foot into a worship service but can join us in celebrating abundance.
Will you join me in this unorthodox (but actually totally orthodox) way of Jesus by bringing of your abundance? You can sign up for bringing a food item here. And the items we are collecting for World Relief are here.
I hope to see you at Long Lake Community Center this Sunday, November 5 at 12pm!
- Pastor Larry
