Rev. George Ellis
                                Pastor’s Corner

Rev. George Ellis

Pastor’s Corner

Today’s message is about a party, something that all of us know about and a language that all of us is familiar with.

We all have participated in one at one time or another; it is a gathering of people to have a good time, celebrate an occasion of some sort with music, food, drinks and a lot of emotion; a party draws people; they get excited when there’s a party going on; they like the idea of gathering with people and having a good time; a birthday party, a anniversary party, a retirement party, an engagement party, a wedding reception party, a baby shower party or other lively gatherings; some parties are good; some parties are not so good; some parties bring out the best in everybody; but some parties bring out the worst in everybody.

When a party is good, everybody leaves feeling good; everybody likes having a good time; celebrating the birthday of a loved one, a anniversary couple or the birth of new life into the world is a celebratory time.

But when a party is bad, nobody leaves feeling good; people complain about how bad the food was and what a bad time they all had; trouble shows up that threaten the harmony of having a good time; somebody always come with a bad attitude; sometimes there is fussing, cussing and sometimes fist fighting; a bad party leaves a bad taste in everybody’s mouth; when alcohol, drugs show up at any party it is not a good thing; sometimes it ends in tragedy; drunk drivers leave the world’s party, and kill innocent people, maim them and leave some good family grieving; that’s not a good party; but some people love to party; the world loves to party; in fact some people LIVE to party; that’s their middle name; “ce-lebrate good time, come on!” but you know that’s what a party is; a good time!

God wants us to enjoy life and have a good time; in fact, “he gives us all things to enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17b);” the thing I don’t think we do enough of is celebrate one another while we are living; celebrating at a party. The problem God has with any party is when we have a party, we invite everybody and don’t invite him! and when we don’t invite God guess who will show up? When we leave God out of our party things go haywire; community friends, let me say to us as Christian believers, don’t ever have a party and don’t invite God! I don’t care who else comes; I don’t care what the occasion; I don’t care who else shows up, make sure that God is always the guest of honor at your party; don’t leave him out; and let everybody know that comes that this a God party! And God will bless your party and you’ll have a good time.

As a prophet preacher, let me offer this word of advice: if God is not at the party we are invited to, then we don’t need to be there! I mean if there is ungodliness at any party, foolishness, craziness that’s not a party we should attend; and then understand Christian friends, that we don’t have to model the world when it comes to our party; the world is not a good example of how to have one; we don’t have to spice it up; do ungodly things to have a good time; one of the best parties I have ever attended was when my family would gather at one another’s home every other month for fellowship; before covid we all would meet, bring food and desserts; laugh, play games, enjoy one another while we are living; and we keep God in the midst; and we have a good time.

But church, the thing about any party, is when we don’t invite God, sometimes he’ll show up anyway! And disrupt the party. See, God don’t need an invitation to come to anybody’s party; because of who he is he don’t need permission to come; community, we are living in perilous times (2 Tim. 3:1); a time when despite whatever is going on people just do not see the sign of the times; regardless to what happens, people just do not see the handwriting on the wall; some Christians don’t see it either!

One would think that the way things are now in the world people would be seeking the face of God (Isa. 55:6); running to him and not pulling away from him; so sometimes God will show up and speak in a way that gets everybody’s attention and shut the party down; understand that God knows how to get people’s attention. Beltshazzar the king had a great party … and he drank wine before his invited guests (Dan. 5:1). He uses the vessels from the temple dedicated to Jehovah to drink the wine in (verse 3). In doing this he thumbs up his nose at the God of Israel; he flaunts his sins and shakes his fist in the face of God. “In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace (verse 5:5)” … his facial expression changed, his thoughts troubled him and his knees started shaking together (verse 6). This party was over!

Let me tell somebody today that’s having a party that don’t have God in it, that sooner or later God will show up at your party and shut it down; and when he does, “the party is over.”

The Rev. George Ellis is the pastor for Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church.