God created people because He loves stories
We really liked Happy Feet. That’s based solely on one thing: the boys laughed a lot. They came hope trying to dance like a penguin. Sure, there were the usual adult messages and themes embedded in the funny stuff, but I didn’t pay much attention to all of that. I paid attention to the giggles.
I was too full of turducken and pie to be much of a discerning viewer on this one.
The Turducken was excellent. We got a fresh one from Whole Foods in Austin. We slow cooked it for eight plus hours at a low temp. The duck was the best part. We’ll definitely do it again.
We’re having a great holiday in Texas. The boys have got plenty of stuff to do outside and the weather has been perfect. Later today we’re going into town to watch Happy Feet.
I’m a lifelong Cowboy fan and I’m finally willing to say that I think we’ve got ourselves a quarterback! I’m hoping that the rumors about Romo dating Jessica Simpson are false. Nothing will mess up a young quarterback faster. Just keep your mind on the game Tony. I’m also worried that the media/commentators are jumping on the bandwagon too fast. So far Troy Aikman is the only one I’ve heard trying to keep it real. Of course, after yesterday’s performance, it’s hard not be as excited as a tornado in a trailer park. (The boys watched the “Cars” DVD at least four times on the way down here.)
So why does food play such a central role in the Bible?
Because we can’t live without it.
Why does Jesus describe himself in terms of food from heaven?
Because we can’t really live without him.
It’s no accident that God embeds so much meaning and significance in an everyday object that we can’t live without. Everything the Bible says about food finds its culmination in Jesus.
Jesus is God’s ultimate gift to us, God’s ultimate act of provision.
Jesus is the best of fare served at the finest of feasts.
He’s is the wine of life that gives joy to the heart.
He’s living water that quenches our thirst.
He’s the bread of life that ultimately satisfies.
He’s the Lamb of God who takes away away the sin of the world.
He invites us to eat his flesh and drink his blood.
He commands us to consume him so that we can be consumed by his Spirit.
Jesus is soul food.
As we enter a season of feasting, let us savor every bite and enjoy every sip. For every bite and every sip, points us to Jesus, God’s food, sent from Heaven.
Let us remember that a good bite of food is a reminder of God’s goodness.
Let us remember that a good meal is but a foretaste of the feast awaiting us at the end of all things in the kingdom of God. We’ll sit down with Jesus and eat the best food God can make for as long as we want and not have to worry about gaining an ounce of weight.
As we give thanks for all of our blessings this week, let us not forget that our greatest blessing is that we have been invited to wedding supper of the lamb and our greatest privilege is to feast on Jesus–the Bread of life.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Food plays a major role in Jesus’ life and ministry.
In the wilderness, Jesus is tempted by Satan to turn stones into bread. Jesus refuses and quotes Deuteronomy 8:3. For his first miracle, Jesus turns water into wine. He won’t turn stones into bread, but he will turn water into wine. I like that.
During a conversation with a woman at a well, he offers her living water that will quench her thirst once and for all. Later, when his disciples try to get him to eat some food, he tells them that his food is to do the will of God. (John 4:1-34)
How did Jesus communicate acceptance of sinners and outcasts?
He ate with them.
In Acts, how did God communicate to Peter that the good news about Jesus was for all people and not just Israel?
With a vision about food.
God reverses what is taught in Leviticus and declares all food clean. Peter realizes this is God’s way of saying that all people can be included at the table of Jesus.
In his teachings and parables, Jesus describes the Kingdom of God as a feast or banquet.
Matthew 8:11 (NIV)
11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
He builds this image on Isaiah 25:6.
6 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine- the best of meats and the finest of wines.
This feast shows up again in Revelation.
Revelation 19:9 (NIV)
9 Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
Before he died what did Jesus gives his disciples to help them celebrate and remember who he was and what he was about to do for them?
He taps into the festive tradition of Israel and gives them a meal.
For 2000 years, Jesus disciples have been remembering him with food.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NIV)
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
In Luke 24, the resurrected Jesus is recognized by two disciples when he takes bread and breaks it.
Then there’s John 6. After feeding a crowd of over 5000 people, Jesus gives this teaching to a crowd of people still hungry for food.
“I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
32 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
“I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.”
Taken literally, this is an offensive teaching. When read as invitation to feast on the teachings of Jesus so as to be filled with his life-giving Spirit, it becomes the key to survival.
So is this what postmodern traffic looks like?
Controlled Chaos: European Cities Do Away with Traffic Signs
The whole article is worth reading, but here are several key quotes.
“The many rules strip us of the most important thing: the ability to be considerate. We’re losing our capacity for socially responsible behavior,” says Dutch traffic guru Hans Monderman, one of the project’s co-founders. “The greater the number of prescriptions, the more people’s sense of personal responsibility dwindles.”
Psychologists have long revealed the senselessness of such exaggerated regulation. About 70 percent of traffic signs are ignored by drivers. What’s more, the glut of prohibitions is tantamount to treating the driver like a child and it also foments resentment. He may stop in front of the crosswalk, but that only makes him feel justified in preventing pedestrians from crossing the street on every other occasion. Every traffic light baits him with the promise of making it over the crossing while the light is still yellow.
It may sound like chaos, but it’s only the lesson drawn from one of the insights of traffic psychology: Drivers will force the accelerator down ruthlessly only in situations where everything has been fully regulated. Where the situation is unclear, they’re forced to drive more carefully and cautiously.
This reminds me of a joke my defensive driving teacher told about a cab ride he once took in El Paso . . .
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons
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