A-ha!

A few years back, I got an idea… I vowed, whatever next potluck holiday gathering I’m invited to (whether family, friends, or otherwise) I was going to resurrect one of those bizarre 1950’s unflavored gelatin salad recipes and bring that as my contribution. A notorious one is the classic liver-sausage shaped like a pineapple. The recipe calls for 1 pound liver sausage, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin, Sliced stuffed olives, and a Pineapple top.

…I didn’t do it, guys! Don’t worry. (…but consider yourself warned)

It’s hard to imagine that at some point in history, Americans used an ungodly amount of unflavored gelatin, mayo, fish, veggies, fruit, and liver sausage in one dish, but they did. To be honest, gross food aside, the 1950s is one of my favorite periods in American history… mostly because of the music and cars.

Hmmm…

All of this got me to thinking about the marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19. We are talking about a feast hosted by the Savior and attended by all believers of all time. It made me wonder if we’re very good at the idea of celebrating. I looked online for a suitable artist depiction but, let me tell you, they all seem odd. Some show everyone dressed like we’re from first-century Nazareth. Really? Others depict some sort of mid-1800’s formal English dinner with fine China with brass chafing dishes. No thanks. Maybe it’ll be like a 21st century Wisconsin potluck? All I can say is, I hope not. Spoiler alert, it will be way beyond our imagination and we won’t be concerned with the look and feel, but the Host!

Huh?

“So, what are you doing for the holidays?” That’s a big question this year with all the restrictions. Isn’t it funny how many of our families seem to be tossing out all pandemic concerns for the sake of the holidays? Especially now with the highest numbers recorded since March. “What?! We can’t skip Thanksgiving or Christmas! That’s just wrong!” Unfortunately, we cannot be together like in past years, but maybe it will make us appreciate it more.

Celebrating is good for us. God instilled a practice of celebration in the Israelites. It wasn’t “parties for the sake of parties” as we see in college house-parties. God provided times for people to pause their lives and celebrate His goodness. Weddings, seasonal feasts, etc. all helped Israel remember, reflect, and realize the goodness of God. Even psychologists agree that celebrating improves a person’s wellbeing. And doing so together with others helps us feel we’re connected. But with this pandemic, how can we do this?

First of all, ask yourself, is it the worst thing for us to skip the old holiday routine? It’s just for one year, guys. We’re such creatures of routine. Second, maybe you should get to the bottom of why you do the holidays as you do. Maybe you’re sincere… or maybe you do what you do because “my family would be pissed if I didn’t”. Third, how about applying some creativity? Are you single with one or more roommates, why not make this year a special year with your housemates? Are you married or have a family, maybe it’s time you all stay at home and make it a special celebration just with those of your household …and, in the spirit of the scriptures, make it a time of reflection on the goodness of God. And I mean celebrate! Do something out of the normal… special.

Ohhhh!

As we celebrate whatever way this year, we should reflect on the coming celebration-of-all-celebrations, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Try and imagine what you think it will be like. Let your imagination run for a bit. I picture a 1950s backyard cookout.

Revelation 19:6-9 “Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure’—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

1980’s

When I was in high school, most cars and home stereos came equipped with a cassette player. The varied level of equipment-quality presented a level of risk. An investment of $10 in the latest album from your favorite band could be reduced to garbage if you put that tape in the wrong player. Back then it was known as “eating tapes”. You didn’t want to put cassettes in players that might eat tapes. It was not uncommon to find a cassette along the road with its entrails stretched into the weeds of the ditch. Everyone knew what happened to that tape when they saw it.

1990’s

Fast forward to the mid-’90s and attending church at JFB in Menomonie. Back then it was called Calvary Chapel. In those days there was a designated room with racks all around the walls containing sermon tape sets to teach you through whole books of the Bible. Periodically there would be at least one or more people in the church who would check out book after book after book. That person was “eating tapes” like they were going out of style. We would eat Chuck Tapes and Courson Tapes and Damien Tapes. It was not uncommon to shoot the breeze with others who were eating their way through a book of the Bible on tape. They would discuss the things they were learning… along with the funny things the pastors would say… like:

“Immanuel Velikovsky, in his book Worlds in Upheaval, said…”
“…people say Christianity is just a crutch… I don’t need a crutch! I need an ambulance! I need the Mayo Clinic!”
“…and I took him by the lapels and said, ‘If you ever look at my daughter again, I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth and kill you with my bare hands!'”
“…WHO! IS! YESHUA!?”
“O-ho-ho-ho-ho… The Pharisees were unfair, you see… and the Sadducees were sad, you see…”

2000’s

In the age of “information at your fingertips,” we seemed to have turned aside from the ability to feed ourselves. It’s very strange. I think about the work a man like Charles Spurgeon had to put into personal bible study. I am sure he had his own little library of commentaries and resources but he also had to physically get up and stroll down to the local university or library to continue his research. Funny enough, today “there’s an app for that”. Yet with thousands of resources (more than Spurgeon had) at our disposal via computers and phones, we do less research, less study… Is anyone hungry?

Now Serving 24/7

If you make your way to the SERMONS link in the menu above, you will find a link in the drop-down menu called SERMON ARCHIVES. When you click there, you will be taken to a page that offers 2 blue buttons. One takes you to JFBelievers teaching archives and the other takes you to sermons by other teachers. In this link, you will find we have reorganized the files inside to wrangle together all of the verse-by-verse teachings in one place, sorted by the name of the teacher.

This folder requires a username and password to enter. If you want access, just send us an email: office@jfbelievers.com and we will give you access.

It’s time to eat!