Good clean fun

Our church just finished conducting its annual Christmas pageant and it was outstanding. The large performing arts auditorium that we rent to conduct the service was packed out for all four services and it is the largest church service conducted in all of the Keys with approximately 700 attending each service. The pageant by all accounts looked to be professionally done, but it was done in its entirety by our own church members who volunteered their time and money. That includes the unbelievably talented choir and solo singers, the musicians, those who painted the various scenes and decorated the sets, the lighting and sound, actors, ushers and stage hands. The significant costs for staging this event were paid for by our church membership as special gifts over and beyond their tithes and did not come out of the church budget. It takes months to prepare for this event and tremendous sacrifice on many people’s parts in order to pull it off. The rehearsals alone lasted for weeks.

It is amazing to me when I consider the tremendous talent that is contained within our little church, (approximately two hundred members), and their total commitment to the Lord. Why do so many people go to so much trouble and expense? Why did the Lord bring so many talented and truly gifted people together in the same little obscure church? I do not know how many people came to know the Lord for the entire event, but the last night “eleven” people accepted Christ as their Savior which is phenomenal, (trust me), for the Florida Keys. Therein lays the answer.

I invited several of my non-church going friends to come to the event. Among them is a “big” moose of an ex-NFL player who is now a charter boat captain. He has shared with me that he does not attend church, but he agreed to come anyway after I hounded him for days and weeks about it. He called me the next day and was excitedly telling me how moved he was by the event. He said his eyes were filled with tears as the last song was performed and Jesus was lifted into the sky, (with cables and a harness), and the soloist and choir poured their hearts out in singing praise. Imagine a big tough ex-NFL player unashamedly telling others that he was “teared” up over a Christmas pageant, (so was I several times). He liked it so much in fact, that he called some of his friends and told them they “had” to see it and they went as well.

My wife and I hosted a party for the entire crew after the last performance. Approximately 100 people came over to our house for barbeque. A great time was had by all and it was capped off by several dozen of us gathering around the piano in the living room and singing gospel songs together for about an hour. Whoever said that Christians don’t have any fun is ever so sadly mistaken.

I have said for years that if you go to a party and you do not have any fun, shame on you for sitting on the sidelines. The same holds true for being a Christian and getting involved in events like described above. All that needs to be done is to do it. Christ never intended for Christians not to have fun; He just wants it to be healthy and wholesome fun. In years past I have gone to Christmas and New Years Eve parties that were filled with booze and wild reckless behavior. I am glad that I am no longer involved with that scenario and there are no hangovers and other adverse effects with which to contend; instead there are fond memories and the warm feeling that comes from knowing that people will be spared being doomed to an eternity of hell and instead welcomed into heaven because our church members cared about them and are committed to following the the Lord. Good clean fun is just that, good and clean

Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart,
O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit
within me.