Growing up, I spent a lot time hanging out around a bar or
standing behind a dj booth. My
grandmother was a bartender, my grandparents helped manage a local sportsman's pub, my
uncle had his own dj company, and my family has always been known for their
ability to throw a great party.
Personally, I loved it as a kid. Everyone always seemed friendly, people
were often willing to buy me a pop and some chips, quality music was an
essential component of daily life, and I was related to some of the most
popular people at any given venue.
As much as
I enjoyed growing up in the loving community of a local sportsman’s pub and in
a family that loved a good time, I have mixed feelings about nightlife. Though
mostly unrelated to the previous paragraph, I have also watched drugs, alcohol,
and partying in excess destroy people.
In the year
and a half since I have legally been able to drink, I have attempted to be “above
reproach” and avoid being seen in the places where it may appear like I am drinking. (And,
no I don’t think a drink or two is problematic for most Christians, but I am
going to save that topic for another post.) While I am not equating partying
with drinking, I must recognize that it
is really difficult to be where the people are if you are afraid of people
thinking you may be there to get drunk. Sadly, it’s difficult to find a party
without drunkenesss, drugs, and dodgy behavior – unless the party was thrown by
Christians with the intention of having a teetotaling affair.
Party- "a social gathering of invited guests, typically involving eating, drinking, and entertainment"- Oxford dictionary
Well here I
am, serving God for two months in the party capitol of Europe; and, Ibiza has
reminded me that I love, love, love to party. I love a good time. I love heavy
beats and dancing the night away.
Mostly, I love that connection that happens as you sit across the bar
and have a chat with someone. Or when
you have a quality, completely platonic dance with a stranger in a giant vat of
foam on the dance floor. (Okay, so the
latter may have been a first, but it did happen last week). And, shh here’s a secret, on occasion, I
even love the taste of a carefully crafted lager or a well-mixed mojito.
I forgot
how much the party is ingrained in who I am, and being that Jesus turned water
into wine to keep a wedding going, I’m pretty sure he liked the social life
too. After all, much of the Bible involves eating and hanging out with others.
And where are all the people after dark? Either at home, at work, or in their
local pub or club.
The
question that I am faced with is this: which is the greater witness? To just say
no to nightlife and to be above reproach? Or to live life in the open-
championing a Gospel centered life where hanging out in the bar and a night in
the clubs in a way that glorifies Jesus?
Furthermore, where would Jesus be? Would he grab a pint in
the local pub? Would he rave it up with the crowds? I’m inclined to think that
He would.
Why? Well, because He loves that community of people that
looked after me as a child: the regulars in the pub, the bartenders, the djs,
the caterers… He also loves those who prove that alcoholism and drug
addiction can do serious damage. He loves the addicts, the dealers, the violent,
the sick, the broken, the promiscuous… Jesus loves people, and He spent time in
their presence.
To
follow His example, we need to do the same. I’m not saying that if you hate
clubbing or if you have struggles with alcohol that you should suddenly become a party animal. But, I am pondering this: if I love the party atmosphere and I love
the people and if I love celebrating the presence of God in those two things… why
should I avoid being a light in the darkness? Am I more afraid of what the Church may think
of where I spend my time than I am committed to spending time amongst
people who have yet to embrace the hope of the Gospel? (to be continued)
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