The After Party

Dance Like David

Intro: When my mother dropped me off on the first day of school 49 years ago, I knew that the world that I knew prior to being dropped off was about to change. As I sat at my desk as a first grader at Mamie White Elementary, a feeling came over me that I just could not contain myself anymore. I was the only one sitting in there crying over this sudden change. But God knew what he was doing. Little did I know at the time that sitting directly in front of me was a kid who would become a friend for the rest of my life. A friend who would be there for every event,tragic or otherwise, for the rest of my life. The peanut head kid sitting in front of me was Lester Chiles, LC. I used to tell Lester all the time that one day I was sitting behind him and I decided to draw the shape of his head on some paper while we were in class and when I finished the drawing turned out to look like Charlie Brown. We used to laugh about that even as adults when reminiscing about our childhood.

As Blonzi Harris just mentioned it was four that hung out together from when we were kids on into early adulthood. If you saw one of us then it wouldn’t be long within the day that you wouldn’t the rest of us. And if there was one word to describe our friendship, that word would be party. From the time we started hanging out in high school on into adulthood we thought life was a party. If there was a party anywhere in town you best believe we were gonna try to hit it. But for us four the party started well before the actually party. When that blue Regal would pull up in your driveway, you knew it was on and poppin.

We were inseparable. And I’ll admit man we lived life to the fullest.

I remember my little brother and his friend try to hangout with us. He told me that he would never try that again because he had the nerve to think that after we left the club that the party was over with. We were the type to go find the after hour party after the party. And to be honest with you it wasn’t the partying that drove us. It was the fact that we hated leaving each others company so partying was the excuse we’d use just to be with each other.

I got one more pastor before I get into the text. There was a teenage club over on Camp Wisdom that we would hang out at called the Palledium. They didn’t sell alcohol or anything only soada’s being that we were underage. It was packed this particular night so we were standing around on the stage. Man I don’t know what got into Lester but he just started dancing. And he wasn’t just dancing, he was getting down. I look out into the crowd and people were mimmicking Lester, to the point where Lester end up leading the whole club in this weird dance he was dancing. So I like everybody else joined in on the dance. It wasn’t a dance I could recognize so the only thing I could call is the Lester dance because he’s the only one I’ve ever seen do it.

We had some good times as kids and young adulthood with the parties, the afterparties and just simply hanging out with each other.

But there did come a time where we had to put away childish things. The realities of life began to set in as we got older.

When I began to read the scriptures with a little more seriousness I came across Ecclesiastis 7 starting in verse 1. And it says:

7 A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born. 2 Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. 4 A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time.

Now brothers and sisters I got from this passage three disturbing truths.

The day you die is better than the day you were born.

Better to spend time at funerals than at parties.

Sadness has a refining influence on us.

The term refining is a present particple that involves the removing of impurities or unwanted elements from a particular substance.

In other words brothers and sisters God has to allow sad instances in our lives to remind us that life consist of more than good times.

God uses the day of the funeral to remind us that this is the fate of all mankind, the funeral date, so therfore get your life in order.

To put it bluntly brothers and sisters today God is trying to get your undivided attention.

So as we sit here this afternoon, it’s obvious that God has our attention, because today we funeralize my best friend, a beloved son and brother Lester Chiles.

On this day while God has our attention, it is of most importance that the man of God give a clear message pertaining to the good news of the gospel. Because to God the funeral is decision making time. So here it is.

Jesus said in John 6:44 that no man can come to me unless the Father draws him.

Now we may not be too comfortable with Gods drawing tactics, but we all trust that God knows what he is doing better than us.

So looking back at the statement in Ecclesiastes 7:3 that “sadness has this refining influence on us, when we look at the totality of the statement there is actually some good news in it.

Because according to scripture, the refining purifying agent that God uses to clean us up is none other than the only begotten of the Father.

That cleansing agent that the Father uses to justify the unjustifiable is none other than Jesus the Christ.

So here is the good news family. Jesus died so that there would be no finality of the fate of those who have gone before us.

In other words brothers and sisters it may look like death has the final say so, but somewhere I read that

1 Corinthians 15:54–55 ESV

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

So lets not be fooled by the supposed finality of this day.

Mourn brothers and sisters but not as those who have no hope.

We can’t deny the sadness of this day, but this sadness has a purpose.

And today it’s purpose is to testify that the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ guaranties that after all of this, THERE WILL BE AN AFTER PARTY.

The enemy want’s us to think that the party is over.

But Jesus said uh uh, “keep the party going.”

Well I don’t know about you, but I’m going to this after party. And in this after party I can only imagine when surrended by his glory, What will my heart feel? Will I dance for you Jesus....

When Lester realize that his body has been purified of all the hurt, all the sickness, and all the pain that this life entails, I can see him now, with even more enthusiasm as he had on the stage at the palledium, (do your move) dancing with as much enthusiasm as David danced before the Lord.

I look forward to that day when I can join him in dancing for the glory of Jesus.

So from now on, may he dance in peace

And may his memory forevermore be a blessing.