They'll Never Get Caught, They're on a Mission From God

Where would I be with out this man today?

Is it possible that without the exhuberant soul of James Brown's preacher in the Blues Brothers I would not be the Christian I am today? Hmmm.. let me go back in time.


In preparing for a communion devotion one Sunday, all I could think about was how important wine is, as part of the ceremony.

(John 2:1-11, Jesus first miracle changing water into wine at a wedding. For good measure here's my son Ben & his new bride Kara for wedding illustration)

"Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.”

This is Jesus’ first recorded miracle, much to the dismay of many conservative Christians he produced an alcoholic beverage. He turned water into wine, (a TON of wine) at a social event where the people had already drank enough to run out of the amount allotted for this festivity in the first place. Giving people a better wine, more pleasing to their palate than the original wine, after they had already imbibed possibly more than their share ... What was God thinking? I think that he was thinking, when you have a reason to celebrate, you should celebrate without hesitation.

The Blues Brothers movie changed my outlook on the kind of church that I wanted to be a permanent part of... When I saw John Belushi, literally glowing, from SEEING the LIGHT, the congregation being lead in Praise by the Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown, and members of the congregation in their Sunday best, flipping high in the air via their spiritual trampolines, I realized two things.

One- What I saw on the screen is what I felt inside, that Church should be a place of CELEBRATION. We are guilty, we have been in prison, we have been subject to the laws of sin & death, BUT through faith in Jesus, and his atoning death on the cross...

Two- We will NOT be caught & punished, we are on a mission from God, we will be forgiven.

We are forgiven and that is a fact that should be intoxicating to us.

Although we would not want an element of communion to be a snare to someone’s addiction the fact is, it is wine that represents the blood, and wine that was produced at Jesus first miracle,
and when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost they were accused of being drunk.

While it is the norm to be somber and respectfully serious about the suffering of Christ which these elements represent, it is also fitting to be doing spiritual flips and high fives, and dancing in the clouds because we are high on the forgiveness that he has freely given to us.
We can be like the older, resentful, prodigal son, who gets angry and jealous over the music & dancing, who stubbornly refuses to participate and enjoy, or take the father’s word to heart and be joyfully lifted by it.

Luke 15: 31-32. " 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

May we always celebrate our forgiveness, give ourselves over to the act of celebration, as we partake of communion and we continue on our mission from God.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.