For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
There’s lunch and then there is dinner on the grounds. Church and I were a good fit from the get go. The schools I attended were always pretty large and it was easy to get lost in the crowd. The bottom line seemed to be you had to be either really good, or really bad to get recognized. If you were really good at sports, for example, then a lot of people knew your name. If you were really bad at life, well people knew your name, but it was the wrong people. You might remember the categories in your yearbook that named people to be the most likely to do something. Some were just destined not to be remembered. That was probably me.
I was one of those guys who just wandered around in the gray social midst at school, but not so at church. The churches I attended were like the three bears and their beds. One was too big, one was too small, and one was just right. They were big enough to have fun, and learn a little about Jesus, and yet not too big. I managed to be accepted by my peers and even the adults thought I was pretty cool. So church was a good fit but that isn’t the main reason why I liked it. I was grateful for the social acceptability and I even appreciated the Bible stories and learning about Jesus, but I was in it for…the food.
You see, several times a year we would have meals at church. There were two things that you could count on. First, they were always potlucks. Now, in case you don’t know what a potluck dinner is, first, where have you been? No seriously, a potluck is when everyone brings something for dinner. It is one of the greatest inventions in the food world. Imagine the world’s best buffet—meats, casseroles, vegetables, breads, starches, and the motherlode of all motherlodes—dessert. I can still remember there being tables—as in more than one—of nothing but desserts. It was like food heaven. By the way, we still do this every once in a while at our church so if you ever hear of this happening, even if you don’t like God, you need to come to church that Sunday. One word says it all—cowabunga! If you need more than one word—here’s three “shoot that thing.”
The second thing that was just cool was in the old days, churches would build permanent tables outside to hold all this food. Often, they would have a tin roof over them. You could line up on both sides and let her rip. We always had those big plates, and you were obligated to fill them up. Then, you would just go find yourself a place in the grass and sit down and eat…and eat…and eat. It truly was one of my favorite times at church. The food and the fellowship (being with all the people) was just amazing. We have a ministry at our church where if a member of a family dies, we provide lunch for them on the day of the funeral. It is like a mini potluck and our ladies do such a wonderful job. I’ve already asked them if I can have my dinner before I go, so I can enjoy the meal. I’m still working on that one.
You see, there are lots of reasons to attend church and like I said in my early years food was a good reason. I have another reason now too. I’m the pastor. It’s kinda expected that I attend. But here’s the truth. I don’t go now for the food…I go because I want to go. Yup…I don’t have to go to church, I get to go to church. It is so good because some of the people I love the most are there. And guess what? Some of the people that are a little harder to love are there too, but that doesn’t matter because we have one thing in common—we all are pretty fond of God.
But wait it gets better. Guess what? He is really fond us. He loved and still loves everyone so much that He sent His Son to earth—we call that Christmas. He also loved and loves everyone so much that He allowed Him to die on a Roman cross—we call that Good Friday. It was bad for Him that day, but it was good for us because that day He paid the price for all the things all of us have done that offend His Father. But wait…that isn’t the end. After three days, He came back to life—we call that Easter, and it is a documented fact that it happened. Pretty amazing.
Well, I am grateful for all the good food and other things that happen at church. But I am really grateful for God, my Dearest Daddy, loving me that much and remember, He loves you that much too. If you want to know more, I hope you will get a copy of His Book the Bible—it’s been a best seller for centuries—really. If 2020 taught me anything, it’s that it is a great idea to have God on your side. It’s just good to know that He is there and will be there no matter what. No, He isn’t Santa Claus just waiting to give you everything on your list. No, He isn’t a Genie just waiting for you to rub His lamp. He is God, He is real, and He wants to make a difference in your world. Why not give Him a try? You’ll find that no matter what you face, He will face it with you. I’ve learned that every day, no matter what, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne
Grits with Grace 