Think about the feeling you get when you dwell on your childhood. Think about the places, the people, the seasons surrounding those joyful times that you've had. This may be more difficult for some than for others. As for me, I was blessed in having sweet memories with lots of family. The most recent moment of reminiscence was earlier today. I recalled from my past a moment with my cousins, aunts, uncles, and Mom. It was one of those moments that captures the essence of many of the previous moments. We were all playing Nerts and Taboo around the dining room table at my aunt Patty's and uncle Dub's house. This place is significant because I spent just about every New Years ever counting down to the New Year with my cousin's Scott and Abigail, ( or Scotty boy and Abidoo, whichever you prefer). They are twins so they always had to share birthdays, and of course their favorite cousin ;). Back to the other memory though. The people in this particular memory are significant because you've got the older generation (my aunts, uncles, and mom) who have about twice the experience of family fun, inside jokes, and telepathy that us younger ones have. Then you have us younger cousins who have about 15 years of consecutive New Year parties, summer sleep overs, and countless other experiences to draw from. To top these experiences off you have the thespian like naivety and sarcasm of Scotty boy, the snorkel giggle of Abidoo, the uncanny mind reading of my mother and aunts from the sister hood of the traveling AirForce children, and of course the little children running around of whom we will pass the torch of nostalgic family fun times. I'm telling you, you would think my aunt Patty was Cleo the tarot card reader from how fast she guessed the word ostrich from Mom's taboo card (she probably did the Cleo voice sometime during that night just from how often my family spouts off into different accents to add to the silliness). Scotty boy, feeling the pressure of the clock, created the hysterical and not forgotten moment of redefining "keeping it local", which is his way of telling us cousin's that the word we must guess is something us cousins would all relate to from our common experiences and family psyche. Our whole family is very intelligent so you know Mom and I probably used big words to make it even more entertaining. And how could she not, being the writer, and entrepreneur she is. She could've easily been a comedian, or at least that was her evening job entertaining three boys, at the house, after dinner, doing goofy dance moves in her exercise clothes.
As I dwell on these memories I am filled with joy. It's almost as if I have created a meal of past events to feast on. A family man feasts on moments like these to sustain him in his work. His lunches of bologna sandwiches and cheese can only do so much. Memories like these can be enjoyable, but with the passing of time in a busy world they can become bittersweet. We realize, as we become older, the world becomes more demanding and these moments become harder to come by. Everyone has their different pursuits. All of us cousins went off to school, Abidoo is a teacher, Scotty boy is a military man, and I'm working in the oil field for a time trying to pay off school loans so I can get back to doing what I love. Sacrifices must be made from each of these things for us to come back to the moments that fill us so.
Nostalgia is a spiritual thing. It was created to be feasted on and it's not only limited to past events. Hope is the same thing as Nostalgia but in the future tense. Romans 8:24 says, "For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?" For example, Mom would always say to me, "clean your room." (with less of the comical side but more of the positive motivational attitude of her character). She was a good motivator. She would tell me, "picture you room already clean and how good it's going to feel to not have to walk around all those dirty clothes." Sometimes that motivated me. Sometimes it didn't... but when it did, I had hope in a clean room. Just as we call and feast on moments in our history we do so with future hopes or revelations on how our lives might be in the future. Picturing my room clean was my Wheaties (my breakfast of champions) to energize me for the task of accomplishing and walking in step with my hope.
This is the paradox Christ had to come to shift in our thinking. In all of history there is a bitter taste left in our mouths and an emptiness in our stomachs from a spiritual nostalgia that is at the core of us from our oldest ancestry. It's evident in every shameful memory, every thought we've dwelt on that we shouldn't have, every word we wished we had left unspoken, and even the offenses committed against us from other broken people like us. These are the meals of the hopeless. These are the diets of those who do not think that things can or will ever change. They eat the fruitless, faithless words and the bitter root that sprouts in the shadows of sin. Jesus Christ, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit of God, was here from the beginning creating the environment and having the character and fruit of life for us to feast along with them for eternity in these nostalgic moments we truly long for, (John 1:1-5, Galatians 5:22-23). With one bite we turned that feast into a gluttonous party that would leave us stomach aching for all of history. We had fellowship with darkness thus forfeiting the authority given to us, by God, to Satan and forfeiting the environment we once had the freedom of co-creating with God. BUT, in the grace of Jesus Christ he was resolved to not leave it this way. He was determined to show us that he is the true bread of life to be feasted on. (John 6:33) Feasting on this darkness will only lead to death and we have only known that path thus far. So Christ in his Compassion came and bore all of the death, that each of us had prepared in our fruitless endeavors, and defeated it by raising, from the grave, back to life. If Jesus defeated death what does that mean for us? What does it mean to partake in the bread of life? He promised us that death has lost it's sting on us! Are you picturing what that means for this earth and the environment? It's going to be a new one like how it was supposed to be. As sinners in a broken, hopeless world we have only fragments of joy to reflect and feast on. Such as, the memory I shared with you at the beginning. There are others in the world who feel they have NO good memories and NOTHING to look forward to.
If that's you I have good news. Colossians 1:19-20 says, "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (being Jesus), and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross." Feast on these things. Feast on the work Christ has done and the promises of his word in the Scriptures. Now, everyone will debate with you that their mother, grandmother, or aunt makes THE best homemade fried chicken, or peach cobbler etc. (put whatever food that applies to you, maybe it's broccoli and liver... egh! whatever floats your boat). Don't let this world trick you into eating it's fried chicken. It'll leave you with a stomach ache friend, and the runs, I mean leave you running. But in all seriousness feast on the hope we have in the wholesome promises of life on this side of the cross. Take your memories and thoughts, whether shameful or seemingly good, and set them on a scale next to Christ to see if they have you feasting on the goodness of God and your fellowship with him. (2 Corinthians 10:5, Philippians 4:8-9) There maybe a lot you must get rid of in your life, things that you may have allowed yourself to feast on. Feasting occurs in our minds and hearts. I remember reading a book called "Prodigal God" by Timothy Keller. He explains in the prodigal story in great detail. When the son returned from home from his rebellion in humility and a sorrowful remorse, the Father threw a feast and killed the fattened calf rejoicing at his return. There was this moment of rejoicing and celebration because the son came back. The son's affections are stirred because the Father's affections for him were great than his shame. The act of the Father giving and the son receiving this amazing grace was manifested in a party with the best food! The food was especially good compared to the hogwash the son had partaken in the world in his misery. BUT, the older son had been in the presence of the Father the whole time the younger son was away and was not filled with the affections because of his self righteousness. He wasn't truly feasting! He was bitter at the all the commotion given for the younger brother and complained about all the years he slaved to for the Father. He was too bitter to come enjoy the feast and apparently was never feasting to begin with. The father reminds him that everything he has is his! Timothy Keller explained that salvation is experiential. Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." I guess you can call this salvation something to salivate on! haha. It is not natural for us to do though as we see from the older brother in the parable.
Romans 12:1-2 says "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
Today at church Delia brought us a message asking us to count the cost of following Christ. For us to learn to feast on Christ the bread of life we have to stop being so full of crap... (ok I had to lol on that one a little). But really, as much as we feast on the expectations of people we are close to and the material things we are attached to, rather than being content with who God has given us the confident expectation to be in Christ, we are long due for a belly ache. Christ even says to hate our brothers and sisters. Christ isn't talking about hating them as wanting them to be harmed in anyway, but having a disdain for the effects their expectations may have on your spiritual diet. If you have a brother or sister who is an unbeliever, the more you walk in the steps of Christ the less you are going to have in common with them. That doesn't mean you can't hang out with them, but there won't likely be a feast occurring that you can truly feed on. Hopefully you can feed them! There is good news though. Mark 10:29-31 says, "Jesus replied, 'no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields - and with them persecutions) and in the age to come eternal life." Since I have so much family members that are believers, I feel like I haven't given up much in that area, but I don't always get to rejoice completely in the fellowship of some family because of the of the differences of our hearts. I'm more sorrowful, not to be in their presence, but for them because I know that they aren't feasting like I am. If you have family that you don't know any other way but to feast on trash with, these are the ones you should consider referring to the scripture about, but don't forget the promise!
As I have feasted on the hope I have of one day being in the complete and full presence of my God it has caused me to give up much and receive even more. I wish I could elaborate on all the moments I can now lively feast on in Christ with my Christ family. The times with my family were wonderful, and I don't discredit them because they are believers as well, but I'm talking about feasting on the Lord and not just in silliness. The environment of Christ, the fellowship of Christ, and the character of Christ radiates from all that walk with him. I could tell you countless stories of Him showing up and filling us with the fruit of joy, peace and restoration. Whether it's from the spirit of humility and integrity that comes from my brother Matt, the adventurous pursuit of holiness from my brother Greg, the creative compassion that flows from my sister Meg, or the awe that comes from the studying his creation with my brother Jake. I not only have the future to feast on, but new memories to feast on that promise to lead me to that future and that is truly satisfying...
