Let's Have a Party!

15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:15-20) We will often lift up the practical and ethical dos and don'ts of this section of Ephesians as "the truth."  But that's actually the wrong descriptor.  What we're talking about here is not "the truth" so much as "the way" (recall Paul's words at the beginning of the chapter in verse 2: "…walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us…").  The "truth" is what Paul has laid out in the first three and a half chapters of the letter—it is the witness he offers to everything that God is doing in Jesus Christ through the power of the Spirit.  The "way" now, is how we human people get in on that "truth" of God in our day to day living.  Literally, how we "walk" it out—that's the word behind the word "live" in verse 15.  I mention this distinction between "Truth" and "Way" now, because in this set of verses Paul uses the language of "wisdom" and "foolishness."  There is a particular set of scriptures known as "wisdom literature" which includes the Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes.  These books are not about the black and white "truths" about God, but rather, they are about how to live in the gray areas of the field of play that the "truth" defines.  Wisdom is all about the "way." The mention of wisdom here is fitting, because this run of verses closes off a section.  Everything that Paul has been talking about since 4:17 is about how to "walk" in the "way" of Jesus.  How, ultimately do we walk that way of Jesus carefully, not as unwise but as wise?  In a word: The Holy Spirit. To walk out the "Truth" of Jesus in the "Way" of Jesus requires us to be filled with the Spirit and the Life of Jesus that he gives.  Paul makes a bit of a pun here.  The phrase "do not get drunk on wine" misses it.  What Paul's really saying is: "Don't get drunk on spirits, fill yourself up with the Holy Spirit instead!"  And don't go off singing and dancing in drunken debauchery at the local pub, but start singing and dancing with the people of God instead, with Spirit-filled words that slosh over into the crowd from Spirit-filled people.   This whole time Paul has been trying to draw a sharp contrast between the way of the world and the way of Jesus.  It's no different here.  Except that he's kind of saying that all the fun and merry-making that you look for in your drinking and entertainment can actually be found in the joy of the Spirit and the Life of Jesus if you're receiving everything from him, in thanks, as a gift.  Nothing lightens the soul like knowing that Jesus lifts you up and gives every good gift of life that there is in this life.   Many of us don't know how to have a guest over, throw a party, or even have a good night in without alcohol greasing our wheels and perhaps the crude jokes and unwise behaviour Paul's talked about with it.  What if the kind of life you (think you) find there—in the bottle, or in the easy-route behaviours of saying and doing dumb things—what if you could find all of that and more in the Spirit of God while sober and smart?  Paul seems to think that kind of uninhibited joy is out there, waiting to be had for those ready to walk in the fullness of the Spirit.   Maybe it takes faith to believe such a thing—but that's what our best forerunners in the faith have always claimed, including Jesus himself—namely, that the life of Jesus in the Kingdom of God looks like the best party you've ever been to.  And, perhaps if it doesn't feel that way—maybe the problem is that we haven't quite walked out the Jesus truth in the Jesus way wisely enough. So, be wise and let the party begin!  Walk in the way—fill yourself up in the Spirit and make some thankful music to the Lord!  And, drag some others with you into the dance as you spin round ever deeper into the depths of God's grace!