Upward: Bread, Eggs, Creme, Sugar, Coffee, and Chocolate - Pastor Paul

When I was a small boy I had the privilege of going to my Great-Grandparents house.  I can remember Mema [bedstemor in the Danish] doing things to spoil me and make it special.  We would sit in front of the large picture window and she would tell me stories of the little bird that lived in the large Cyprus tree.  She would open the candy dish, the one I was forbidden to touch, and take out chocolate treats.  And she would invite me into the magical place known as her breakfast nook.

In this nook amazing things happened for me.  Mema would cut up little squares of white bread into what she called the "bita horses."  Then she would soft boil an egg to perfection.  We would crack off the top of the egg as it sat in it's special little cup.  Then we would dip the "bita horses" into the egg and it would taste amazing.  I was only a small boy but Mema saw nothing wrong with sharing her coffee.  We would begin with an ancient cup and saucer, one I knew I was lucky to touch.  In would go the lumps of sugar and the creme.  Real creme, and real sugar.  This was long before flavored creamers and Splenda.  Last but not least was the coffee.  And the magic was complete. 

Somehow Mema was able to take ordinary things and make them extra-ordinary.  The commonplace became amazing in her hands.  Mema gave me an experience that I remember fifty years later.  I can still taste the coffee, sugar, creme, chocolate, eggs, and toast. 

For most of us the Bible, prayer, meals shared, worship, and fellowship are everyday things.  They are a normal part of our life.  We have done them for so long that we would not really know how not to do them.  But that is not true for everyone.  Many people in our world live without the hope of Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the support of the Holy Spirit.  When God invites these people into our breakfast nook He gives us a special opportunity.  

We can give them an egg and a cup of coffee, or we can set the table before them with all the love God has given us.  We can introduce them to the "bita horses" and the finest china.  We can open the forbidden bowl and share our stash of chocolate.  When God brings His wandering children into our Celebration, Life Groups, or OIKOS we are being given the glorious opportunity to help someone look UPWARD and see the true Father of the family.  May God show us how to take everything He has given us and share it in the most excellent way possible.  May God use us to help His wandering children make a God sized memory that will still be with them a half a century from now!
In Jesus name, Amen.