The Party

I finally got around to having my Christmas party. But since it's now July and a different holiday, I called it a 4th of July party instead.

The serious planning began a couple months ago. I mapped out in my head what I wanted to do, who I wanted to invite, what food and supplies to buy, how to set up, and so forth. My party became official when I submitted an invitation to be included in the church bulletin.

Thursday night was when all the action started. I made a list of things that needed to be done and started tidying up the house a little (can't have people see how I actually live when they're not around). Friday was spent (with a little help from a few friends) mowing, trimming, sweeping, hosing out the garage, moving tables and coolers, and shopping for food and drink. Saturday morning was spent setting up the garage, doing laundry, cleaning the bathroom, sweeping and Swiffering, and making potato salad.

By the time 1:30 rolled around I was just about ready to go...and I was completely exhausted.

So I took a nap.

Then I got up and went back to work, finishing up the last details and making myself presentable. Finally, people started to show up and the party started. We sat and chatted, grilled, drank soda, laughed, roasted some marshmallows, and watched the kids run around the yard with sparklers. It was a good time with beautiful weather and wonderful people.

Couldn't help but parallel this with our spiritual lives. This was the first time I've entertained since I moved into my house nearly eight months ago, so as far as I was concerned, this was THE party. As I lay down to sneak my nap in that afternoon, it occurred to me how much time and effort had gone into the preparation. The more I poured into it, the greater my expectations became.

Christ-followers are preparing for the ULTIMATE party. We don't even know what to begin to expect at this Gathering, but we do know how to prepare.

Now, we can receive our tickets to get in and just bide time until that day arrives.

Or we can spend every day of our earthly lives preparing for the best Celebration ever. It's hard work, don't get me wrong. There's a lot of time, prayer, study, sacrifice, and even money involved. Sometimes we may even have to stop and rest for a spell, but then we get up and keep right on going. Some jobs require quiet mental preparation while others demand hard physical labor. Whatever the task, it is important to the final outcome.

And when our preparations are finished, we will find it was all worth it.

After all, the more of ourselves we pour into the Party, the greater our expectations will be.

And we will not be disappointed.