The Main Ingredient of Tuna Casserole
I read a story long ago which told of a newlywed who cooked her husband’s favorite meal, tuna casserole. She was very eager to show her husband how well she could cook. Besides the casserole she had various side dishes. Everything was ready, and she was just waiting for him to come home from work.
When he arrived, she eagerly led him to the dining table. She dished some of his favorite food onto his plate, and then she sat back awaiting his praise of her great culinary skills.
Instead of praise, after taking his first bite, he said, “What is this?”
Devastated, she ran from the room crying. After a while he was able to explain to her that there was no tuna in the casserole! In her excitement of cooking his favorite meal, she had failed to put in the main ingredient.
The Main Ingredient of a Boy's Birthday
A waiter was serving four women at a table during "late lunch." The women had gifts on the table all wrapped with nice paper and bows. The ladies were cheerful and happy. They simply had a lot of laughs and lots of fun. The waiter found their sense of festivity refreshing after serving the noon rush. He made a point of tending to their table a bit more than normal just so he could enjoy their delightful ambience.
Finally, after nearly an hour of watching the women having such a good time, he kept wondering why none of them had opened any of the gifts that were on the table. Finally, he asked them if they were celebrating something special. One of the women said yes they were; they were celebrating her son's second birthday. "Well," asked the waiter,"where's your son?" "At home" said the woman, "he's too young to appreciate the party anyway." The entire reason for the party was not even there. The Birthday boy was missing! They had failed to have main ingredient of the birthday.
The Main Ingredientof Christmas
One Christmas many years ago a friend of mine and his wife were Christmas shopping.
As they walked by a storefront window displaying the nativity scene, they overheard a man just in front of them say, “Isn’t that disgusting. They drag religion into everything.” This man was missing the main ingredient of Christmas.
The birth of Christ is not part of the Christmas story; it is the Christmas story. It is the main ingredient.
Without ceasing to be God, Jesus became man so that he might reveal God to mankind and redeem sinful man.
It is through His becoming a child in a manger that we see the great extent to which God has gone to demonstrate His love for us. God so loved everyone that He gave the very first Christmas gift (John 3:16).
God extends this gift to all who will accept it. He gave eternal life through the Babe in the manger.
Let us not forget the Main Ingredient of Christmas as we celebrate the holidays.
Jesus is Lord!
Send comments about this, or any, Coffee Talk to Rick Walston at: CES @ ColumbiaSeminary.edu
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