SUNDAY MORNING FUN [Sat, 11-8-25]

BEYOND WINTER: The Irrelevant Theology of An Old Preacher—SUNDAY MORNING FUN [Sat, 11-8-25]

 

Tomorrow is Sunday, so I’ll be doing what I usually do on Sunday mornings, praying for my preacher friends, and listening to a CD of worship songs by the Barbary Coast Dixieland Band.

The first time I experienced a Barbary Coast worship service, I was retired and filling in, on fairly short notice, for a preacher who had to be away that Sunday. After the service, one of the musicians said to me, “We go around to anywhere from 15 to 30 churches a year, so I’ve heard a lot of sermons. That was the best I’ve ever heard.”

That didn’t surprise me. I’m always convinced that the last sermon I preached is the best one anyone has ever heard. He continued. “I’ve never before thought about what you said, that the point of life is to have a good time.”

That did surprise me. Didn’t he already know that? Isn’t that the whole point of both Dixieland and worship, to have a good time?

After all, the pivotal verse in the Bible is John 10:10, where Jesus says, “I’m here. Let’s party.”

So as I pray for my preaching friends, I don’t pray that they’ll preach the best sermon ever. That’s already been done. But I pray that they, and the people in their worship services, will have a good time.

John Robert McFarland

 

John 10:10 is often in a generic way, “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” It means, “I’m here; let’s party.”