While we contend with chili cook-offs and budgets, it might make sense to remember why we do all this, so here’s a summary:
The Good News we proclaim is about God’s gift of life. The Good News is not that God wants us to be happy. If that were the case, we would be failing as Christians each time our lives’ journeys took us into unhappy territory. It is when we believe this superficial message that we hide who we are and the burdens we carry.
The Good News is that God wants us to be alive! Christ comes to show us the way of that life; the Holy Spirit empowers us to live it. Our response in faith is to take the chance and do it! Keeping in mind that all of life is Christ’s territory, we can bring all that we have and are into his community.
So to return to the beginning–why do we do all this stuff? We do it all in Christ’s name. Sometimes it’s miraculous and fun, sometimes it’s difficult or tedious, but as we offer our work to God’s glory, it all can become holy and worth celebrating. We are blessed to be God’s people in this time and this place, so let’s do it!