In Matthew 11:18-19, Jesus’ reputation is being dicussed…and judged.
“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon,’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners,”‘ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”
As I sat in an aesthetically monotone room with no windows, this summer, being inculcated with the core values of this campus ministry organization called the CCO…my eyes were opened to a few wonderful things in the Gospel (as well as in the ‘gospels’). 
One of those great moments, which I can only describe as an emotional “Yeah, baby!” came as we listened to Dan Dupee.
Dan is the president/CEO of the CCO and is one of the most articulate and personable guys I’ve ever met. As he shared about our value of “Celebrating Life” he brought up this passage of scripture and asked, “Is there enough evidence to convict us of following Christ by the way that we party?”
Is that not a great question?
We are following someone who had a reputation of being a drunkard and a glutton. What is our reputation? Do we trust God enough to stop what we’re doing and celebrate? Do we realize the sun will come up tomorrow whether we’re on duty or not?
In the college/university setting, students often have a reputation for over-celebrating, right? Could it be that we’ve not allowed enough appropriate celebration? If God wants to reconcile all things to himself (and use us in the process according to Colossians & Corinthians), then we need to do a better job of celebrating as an expression of faith. My hope is that the Edge House, and its inhabitants, will get a reputation for celebration, party, exuberant behavior and the like!
Who’s with me?
What are you doing? Campus ministry? Huh. I want an update. Email me. Call me. Come see me? Let’s meet for coffee.