CBC Update
One of the verses hanging on my wall is from 1 John 3:1, which says:
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” (1 John 3:1)
It’s one of the verses that remind me of who I am in Christ: I am a child of God. There are many verses that remind us of our sonship or daughtership throughout the Bible. Ephesians 1:5 reminds us that we are adopted, and Romans 8:17 goes further, reminding us that we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, sharing in His glory. How good is that?
As wonderful as it is to be reminded of who we are in Christ, I must honestly say that the words of 1 John 3:1 do not first remind me of being a child of God; they remind me of Sunday lunch.
Growing up, Sunday lunch was always a big deal. Shirley, my adoptive mother, would always cook an enormous Sunday roast with a leg of lamb, baked potatoes, pumpkin (which we grew), and peas—lots of peas. There was always more than enough, and there were always extra people, lots of people. Mostly, it was people who didn’t fit in other places, but they fit and were welcome at our table.
The crowning glory or pièce de résistance of Sunday lunch was the gravy. There was always plenty of it. The meat or veggies would run out long before the gravy did, and it was not uncommon to find Harry, my adoptive father, eating bread dipped in gravy long after everyone had left.
The gravy was not store-bought or made from a tin; it was made from the meat and fat juices left in the bottom of the baking dish. It was good, thick, and always sat on top of the peas. It wasn’t gravy unless it sat on top of the peas!
The gravy was literally lavished on everything—it was thick and covered everything. This is what I think of when I read about God’s love being “lavished” on us. God’s love is like the gravy from Sunday lunch: it is thick, it covers everything, it just makes everything better, and it never runs out.
Pastor Ian