What’s rule number one?

Remember that scene in the movie Peanut Butter Falcon when Tyler tells Zak, “Rule number one is that you can’t slow me down. So what I says go; when I say ‘jump’ you say ‘how high’. …Rule number one, don’t slow me down! Rule number two, I’m in charge AND you’re gonna carry your own weight.” (here Tyler puts his pack on Zak’s back).

At this point Zak says, “Maybe we should have our own secret handshake.”

Tyler says, “What kind of secret handshake? For what?”

“Buds, dudes, friends.” Zak says.

So they come up with a secret buds, dudes, friends handshake.

Tyler says, “Alright come on,” and starts walking, and Zak follows. After a few paces, Tyler says, “Hey, what’s rule number one?” And Zak says, “PARTY!”

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This is how it is with us and Jesus. Jesus seems weak and weird to us. We ‘allow’ Jesus to be in our lives, and we try and tell Jesus that we’re in charge. We load up Jesus with some of our burdens, and we tell Him that rule number one is ‘not to slow us down.’ Jesus insists that we have a secret buds, dudes, friends handshake; which perhaps we will allow, but we are adamant that He not slow us down! And when we quiz Jesus on our number one rule, He simply says, “PARTY!”

Luke 15:32 – “It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.”

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Recently I was having lunch with my friend Kyle. I met Kyle at the climbing gym. Kyle is a new Christian, and he is VERY excited to read the Bible for the first time in his life!

As Kyle and I were eating lunch, he asked me, “Do you want to hear about what I’m learning in the book of Deuteronomy?” I was a little nervous, because sometimes when people get excited about Deuteronomy it’s because they are TOO PROUD of themselves for knowing the rules. But I said, “Yes, please tell me about what you’re leaning in the book of Deuteronomy.”

And Kyle said, “In chapter 14 God tells people that they must PARTY! God tells people, ‘You must come party with Me at a special place of My choosing! And if the place is far away from where you live and it’s too burdensome to carry your tithe resources that far – then SELL your tithe resources and just bring the money to the special place where I choose for us to party together. And when you get to the special place where I choose, spend the money for whatever you desire – for example, you could purchase tasty lamb shanks, or wine, or strong drink …whatever your appetite craves! And you shall feast and fellowship and rejoice with Me!” (see Deuteronomy 14:22-26; 16:13-15)

As Kyle and I talked, I realized that there are A LOT of emphatic moments in the Bible where God commands us to party! (e.g. Nehemiah 8:9-12)

“Grace is the celebration of life, relentlessly hounding all the non-celebrants in the world. It is a floating, cosmic bash shouting its way through the streets of the universe, flinging the sweetness of its cassations to every window, pounding at every door in a hilarity beyond all liking and happening, until the prodigals come out at last and dance, and the elder brothers finally take their fingers out of their ears.” – Robert Farrar Capon, “Between Noon & Three: Romance, Law & the Outrage of Grace