"HaHaHa…That was fun, right!?" – Jesus (after watching his children do the cupid shuffle)
Can you imagine Jesus saying that?
Maybe it's just me but any time I read about Jesus, I don't associate anything He did with the word 'fun,' giving his children high-fives, or saying "that's my jam!"
The Jesus I picture is always super serious, always talking about important kingdom work to be done, and when He wasn't busy healing the masses, He walked around singing Holy Holy Holy.
Ok, perhaps, that's a tad dramatic but that's the Jesus I grew up learning to love. If your vision of Jesus is similar to mine, you would've had a hard time at our World Race training camp this past week because He was there!! And He was in full-effect!!
Yes, we prayed. Yes, we talked about scripture but we had WORSHIP like there was no tomorrow! We cried… questioned if those strange smells were coming from our clothes…cried some more…and then tried to figure out why we were crying so much (well, at least I did). After we ran out of tears…we did the cupid shuffle! Not as a separate event but as part of our worship.
We simply celebrated Jesus, community, and new friendships by CUPID SHUFFLE-ING and by GETTING LOUDER in a mosh pit! Don't believe me? (See videos below)
It was amazing to see roughly 300+, young adults going cRaZy for Jesus. It's something I've never experienced.
The most interesting part was the message that was given.
No, no! No one preached. The experience was the message!
Fun was the message! Celebration was the message! The kingdom was the message!
What a defining moment to start our race. I'm convinced this is a moment we'll be looking back to for a long time.
I was going to write a long, creative blog about my experience at camp but I'll be honest…I don't know if my simple (and small) vocabulary will encompass EXACTLY what took place. But if you REALLY want to know, check out how other racers described it here, here annnnddddd…here.
But you know what's crazy about the Bible, Jesus, and celebration…He did have fun! Remember the story of the prodigal son? How did that story end?
EXACTLY! A celebration. Not a prayer meeting, small groups or a bible study (all good things by the way) but the story ended with everyone celebrating.
So I would venture to say that Jesus was pleased with our celebration this past week. In fact I'd even suggest that if he were physically there, he would have jumped right in and shuffled to the cupid too. How fun would that have been? Shuffling with Jesus. OOOOoooohhhhhhh!!.
What do you think? Am I crazy? Why is it hard for us to believe Jesus had fun and that a BIG part of following him involves celebration?
Tell me about the last time you REALLY had fun. Also, what fun thing would you most love to do with Jesus? (Me? A game of HORSE. I have a sneaking suspicion that He would beat me but it would take more than 5 shots to put me out…ok, maybe not. lol)
