Hi friends! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving gathered around the table with your loved ones!
I think this month’s book might forever change the way I look at food! And I find myself with an even greater appreciation for God’s creativity and His plan of rescue for us all.
Here are this week’s questions:
Chapter 7: A Flame-Grilled Lamb Chop (Taste and See God’s Rescue)
*“In describing God as owning cattle on a thousand hills, the psalmist paints a powerful image of God as Creator and Sustainer and Owner. God has the best and most abundant resources for generations” (pg.150). Where do you need God’s provision today?
*Margaret and Matt discussed the animal sacrifices made in the Bible, particularly the sacrifice of the best lamb. How does God desiring our best sacrifice come from a desire for us to trust Him?
*“By becoming flesh and offering himself as the sacrifice for humanity, God crossed the great divide from feeling sorry for our pain to being present in our pain. He became, truly, God with us” (pg. 158). How has God shown up for you in a painful time?
Chapter 8: The Perfect Finish
*This chapter focused on the Passover meal that Margaret partook in with Ido and his family. Which of the six foods stood out to you? If given the opportunity, would you want to participate in a traditional Passover meal? Do you have any traditional meals that you currently celebrate?
*When Jesus came, He fulfilled the story of Passover. He also instituted a meal of remembrance as we are to break bread and drink from the cup of wine together. Why do you believe Jesus used food items as metaphors for His sacrifice? What is significant about partaking in this together as a community?
*”This begins by recognizing food as a gift from God instead of a commodity” (pg. 172). In what ways can you make space to taste and see God’s goodness?
Scripture of the Week
Hebrews 9:24-28
Psalm 50:10
Prayer of the Week
Father God, thank You for the gift of food and gathering around the table together. Help us to be aware of what a privilege it is to have food and to recognize You as the giver of this gift. Help us to cultivate community around our tables and to seek You as we do so. Thank You for the sacrificial Lamb You sent to cover our sins and for the way You have brought freedom into our lives. We love You and praise You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
For Next Month
*Check out THIS POST for all the details for next month!
Psalm 23 begins with David seemingly confident, proclaiming: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not lack.” He knows the Lord will provide for him.
It’s easy to forget or downplay God’s provision when times are hard. In this week’s reading it was encouraging to remember that God has all the resources we need.
Soon I may be entering into a new season of work, and I have been trying to remind myself of the ways God has previously provided for me. It’s amazing what happens when you take the time to write blessings down: you see how blessed you really are and how God really is working on your behalf! Sometimes blessings come out of nowhere – other times they come during moments or seasons of sacrificial obedience.
Trusting God is one of the most challenging things to do! Most of the time we are too wrapped up in our ideas and don’t want to risk things going differently than what we’ve planned. Besides, if things don’t work out, we’ll only have ourselves to blame, right?! We tell ourselves that getting others involved or worse, letting someone else handle things just makes things messy.
But what’s really at the heart of this? Pride. If we’re honest, we think we can do a better job than God (so, “we’ll take it from here.”).
The sacrificial obedience of laying down our pride is the first step to trusting Him. This isn’t a one-time thing; this is daily, moment by moment. And that is precisely why we find it easier to run from obedience, shy away from trust, hide from pain. We think if we can escape it, it won’t exist.
I love the author’s phrasing of God’s invitation to us all: “Do not run from pain, my sheep. Follow the sacrificial Lamb into the dark and trust that He will light the way.” (Page 158) We do not need to run from but run to.
As I have been reflecting on God’s provision in my life, I’ve been thinking how God has always shown up in the painful times – I’m actually the one who has taken longer to show up sometimes. Because Jesus is fully man, He has felt pain. He has felt my pain…and He wants me to know I can trust Him with it.
God’s goodness exists whether things are going well or not. Reading about the Passover tradition including bitter herbs and lettuce dipped in salt water reminded me how important it is for us to really connect with the difficult seasons of our lives as well as our pain in the midst of those times. We can’t see our present clearly if we don’t face our past honestly.
God’s goodness is all around – even in food, as this book has marvelously pointed out! I think Jesus used food as a metaphor for His sacrifice because He’s inviting us to partake of Himself, similar to how we partake of a meal. And as the author states, “Jesus is the meal in the Eucharist. The Bread of Life and True Vine.” (Page 170) He made a way to be with us – is The Way – and He is continually showing us His goodness in a variety of forms…food being one of them.