Party hearty

Tony Campolo was speaking at a conference in Hawaii several years ago. Jet lag awakened him at 3:00 in the morning and he roamed the streets until he found an all-night diner. As he had coffee and a donut, a group of flamboyantly-dressed prostitutes entered the coffee shop and sat down all around him. One mentioned that tomorrow would be her birthday. The others teased her, saying, “What do you want, a party?” The woman was embarassed and replied that she’d never had a birthday party in her life and she was sorry she’d brought it up.
After the women left, Tony learned from the diner owner that the women came in every night. Tony suggested they throw a surprise party for Agnes, whose birthday would be the next day. The cook agreed to make a cake and Tony bought crepe paper streamers and decorations.
On the following night, the women entered the diner and saw the decorations. Agnes was stunned, speechless. She couldn’t even blow out the candles on the cake. She asked if she could take the cake home, just to hold on to the experience awhile longer.
After she left, there was silence. Finally, Campolo said, “How about we say a prayer for Agnes?” After he finished, the diner cook said, “I didn’t know you was a preacher. What kind of church are you from, anyway?”
“The kind that throws birthday parties for whores at three in the morning,” Tony answered.
“There’s no church like that,” the cook replied. “If there was...I’d join it.”
I would, too. That’s the kind of church Jesus came to establish. The Kingdom of God was introduced by a man who partied with the lowest people on the societal totem pole. I can’t find a verse where he handed those people a tract or told them to come back when they were done sinning. So how’d we get so prim and proper? How did we get such bad moods from the Good News?
The Kingdom of God is among you. Celebrate!