Feasts

America is in a party deficit. Only 4.1 percent of Americans attended or hosted a social event on an average weekend or holiday in 2023, a 35 percent decrease since 2004. Last month, Party City, the country’s largest retailer of mylar balloons, goofy disposable plates, and other complements to raging, announced that it would close after years of flagging sales and looming debt.

Six months ago on Reddit, someone asked one of the saddest questions I’ve ever seen on the social platform, which is really saying something: “Did anybody else think there would be more parties?”

“When I was a kid my parents and extended family used to have serious parties on a regular basis,” the post continues. “I remember houses and yards full of people, music all the way up, lots of food and of course free flowing alcohol. Neighbors, family, coworkers, their friends, they all showed up. And likewise, my parents went to their parties. I thought that is what my adult years would be like, but they aren’t.”

A lot of other people seem to feel the same way. Polling from 2023 showed that although 84 percent of Americans enjoy birthday parties, only 59 percent had attended one in the previous year. In a different YouGov poll from 2022, only 28 percent of respondents said they would “probably” or “definitely” throw a party for their next birthday. Everyone wants to attend parties, but no one wants to throw them. We just expect them to appear when we need them, like fire trucks.

Kalina and Shane Pavlovsky planned a beautiful wedding reception at the Barn at Scappoose Creek, Oregon, but were met with disappointment when, out of the 40 guests who RSVP'd, only five showed up.

Kalina told a reporter, “It was a feeling I can’t even describe, having to hold my smile and walk through … the biggest punch that I’ve ever felt.” Of the 40 guests who’d originally responded in the affirmative, Kalina said she’d made direct contact with at least 25 who promised they would come.

The couple’s disappointing reception entrance was caught on video, so she posted it onto TikTok, where it was viewed over 12 million times with more than 20,000 comments. Kalina says she posted it during a lonely moment, but she was also motivated to show off the venue itself, which was tastefully decorated with white lights and draping sheer fabric. She said, “It was just so beautiful, I thought someone has to see it.”

Pavlovsky expressed her feelings about the moment in her TikTok video post. “It just makes me think, like, why? What did we do? Am I that bad of a person? What did my husband ever do to deserve any of this? Why couldn’t we matter enough for people to show up?”

Despite the disappointment, the couple made the best of the situation, but had to cancel planned events like dances and cutting the cake. Despite the hurt caused by the no-shows, Pavlovsky said she's also been touched by the outpouring of support from strangers who saw her story and felt empathy.

“My hope is that people understand how important it is to show up,” she concluded.

Possible Preaching Angle:

1) Faithfulness of God - Unlike some of our flakier friends, God does not ghost us when we need him most. On the contrary, God shows up when we need him most. 2) Promises – When we make a commitment we should keep it. If we have no intention of keeping the commitment, we should be honest to say so.

When Emily Bugg and Billy Lewis wanted to celebrate their love and share it with others, the COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on their plans. But it couldn’t stop their generosity. When the couple was forced to abandon their plans for a lavish celebration, they instead opted for a small ceremony at city hall with a few friends. But having canceled their venue, they were still committed to a $5,000 catering deposit. Rather than try to sue or seek arbitration to get their money back, they decided to ask the caterer for a special order.

Caterer Heidi Coudal recalled, “They said, 'Is there any way we could do something good with our deposit?’” Having previously worked with Thresholds, a nonprofit mental health services provider in the area, Bugg made arrangements for the caterer to make Thanksgiving meal packages that could be delivered to those in need.

According to Thresholds CEO Mark Ishaug, their annual Thanksgiving client meal had been canceled because of the pandemic. He said, “It really couldn't have come at a better time. It's an example of goodness begetting more goodness. In this time of despair and this time of sadness and anxiety and frustration, we need more goodness. This is just one example of how we can take a really dark time and make it much brighter.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

Sometimes God allows us to encounter disappointment in order to prepare us to be a blessing to others; if you’re feeling disappointed, look for the opportunity to turn your situation into a blessing for someone else.

How do you prepare for the New Year? Here are some interesting New Year's traditions from around the globe:

• In Siberia it is tradition to dive into a frozen lake while holding a tree trunk, which is placed underneath the ice.
• In a traditional festival from Burma, people splash water on one another to start the New Year with a purified soul.
• Armenian mothers bake special bread which they knead with good luck and good wishes.
• In the Philippines homeowners open all their doors and windows on New Year's Eve in order to allow negative energy to leave and good energy to enter.
• Spanish tradition holds that eating 12 grapes just before the clock chimes midnight will bring good fortune for all 12 months of the upcoming year.
• One New Year's custom in Russia is to write a wish for the upcoming year on a piece of paper, then to burn the paper and place the ashes in a glass of champagne, which needs to be consumed right before the New Year is rung in for the wish to come true.
• Residents in Johannesburg, South Africa throw old appliances and furniture out the window, representing the old adage "out with the old and in with the new."
• Brazilians wear white clothing, a custom meant to bring good luck for the upcoming year. This is often accompanied by a trip to the beach to throw flowers in the sea while making a wish.

Pat Bailey shares the following thoughts about the contribution of each part of the meal in a traditional Thanksgiving feast:

The wheat gave its best as it was beaten to separate the heart of the wheat from the plant. That heart was given to the wheel of the mill and ground into flour. The flour was mixed and beaten down time and time again as it was prepared for the oven. Then the oven, with great blasts of heat, baked the bread that now sits on our table.

The cow gave her milk, sacrificing part of herself that we might drink. And the milk gave its best, as the cream was separated from the milk. The cream was beaten to become the topping for our desserts, and it was churned to become the butter for our bread.

The grapes gave their best, as they yielded to the hand that bruised and crushed them. They were tipped from vessel to vessel to purify them as they aged and became the wine that now sparkles in the crystal on our table.

And the turkey gave the greatest gift of all, as it gave its life to be the meat that is the main course at our feast of plenty.

There is another table, another feast, that has been carefully planned and prepared for us by God. He has given his best, his only begotten, beloved Son. Jesus was crushed, bruised, broken, and poured out unto death for us. All the planning, all the preparation, all the work, all that was needed is now finished, and he calls us to remember—to come, be filled and nurtured—as we celebrate Communion.

[Kate said to her Jewish colleague]: "There were a dozen different religions among the children at [my school]. We seemed always to be celebrating some kind of feast or ceremony. Usually it required making a noise and dressing up. The official line was that all religions were equally important. I must say that the result was to leave me with the conviction that they were equally unimportant. I suppose if you don't teach religion with conviction it becomes just one more boring subject. Perhaps I'm a natural pagan. I don't go in for all this emphasis on sin, suffering and judgment. If I had a God I'd like Him to be intelligent, cheerful and amusing."

He said: "I doubt whether you'd find him much of a comfort when they herded you into the gas chambers. You might prefer a god of vengeance."