Wednesday, 8/7/19 – Pressing on…

Cold Noodles and Seaweed

As best I can figure the stuff our Sunday speaker referenced (see Monday’s blog) is “Soba Salad,” “Soba Salad & Seaweed” Is made with soba (buckwheat) noodles and wakame seaweed. The recipe I found also adds lightly blanched asparagus and sliced up raw cucumber. The mixture is then tossed in a lemon-soy vinaigrette with sesame oil, sesame seeds, and ginger. The wakeme seaweed brings a touch of sweetness, the asparagus gives the dish a just-right crispness, and the cucumber helps keep everything cool. Unlikely things tossed together and ending up something extraordinary.

Monday we applied this illustration to how God uses things often considered undesirable to deliver a surprisingly extraordinary thing. “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us,” wrote Paul (2 Cor. 4:7). And in an earlier letter he noted,

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Cor. 1:26-29)

But I see another sermon in the salad…

“Soba Salad and Seaweed” is an unlikely mixture, and perhaps because of that it brings to mind the mixture that composes the Church. It’s good to be in a church with folk who bring crisp new ideas or present old ones in a crisp new way… folk who can add a touch of sweetness when difficult “medicine” needs to be swallowed… and we can always benefit from those who help keep everything cool.

And Paul has words to bring to this application also,

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body… Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Cor. 12:12,13…27)

Like a salad… Like a body… all of these things are lessons to us about our Creator’s great designs and purposes. When you really begin to study it you see the unity and purposefulness of all things in Christ. Rejoice in your part in it! God loves us. He loves you… He needs you to bring your bit to the whole. When you do, you will understand that your ordinary is really something very extraordinary indeed.

Press on…

To hear Don Longworth’s complete message, go to the Lincoln Baptist Church website and look under ‘Media’ for the Aug. 4 message.