Monday, June 02, 2008

4 Minute Devotions: Dough Boy

Christ's parable of the woman putting yeast in the dough reminds me of my mother patiently baking steak pies when I was a boy. God has fully prepared our salvation. Are we ready to take that opportunity?

Podcast version here

My mom used to make great steak pies. I loved to watch her make up the dough for the crust and pound upon it until the pastry was ready to be rolled. She would then get out the rolling pin with some flour on it and patiently flatten the dough until it was the right texture for the pie.

It was like watching an artist at work. She rolled the dough smoothly and mixed in the flour at just the right time to stop it from sticking to the table or rolling pin. When she was ready, she would carefully lay the pastry over the pie and then pinch the sides with her fingers. Lastly, she would cut a small hole in the center of the pastry to stop the pie from bursting open in the oven. At this point in the process, Mom would usually be humming as she slid the pie into the pre-heated oven.

For the next hour, the aroma in the kitchen was wonderful - a beautiful mixture of meat cooking and pastry baking. At the dinner table we would all gather round with our eyes fixed upon the pie in the middle, anxiously and ravenously waiting for mom to cut the pie. She never disappointed us. The flavor was always delicious and even although it’s almost forty years since I had one of her steak pies, I can still feel the delicacy of the crust in my mouth, along with the tasty meat on my tongue.

It took a lot of time, skill, and preparation to bake the steak pie, but they were always worth it. This has also become a precious memory to me because it reminds of those rare moments when my mother was healthy and sane.

Matthew 13:33 He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

When Jesus speaks about the Kingdom of heaven being like a woman using yeast in the making of some bread, He reminds me of the time, expertise, and preparation that God puts into saving the entire world. God didn’t wake up one morning and decide to save us from our sins. He worked across the centuries to bring His plan of salvation to its completion in Jesus Christ, His Holy Son. And because God took so much time to do this, we are the beneficiaries of that divine planning. We feel the true love of God in our hearts and we taste the fruits of Christ’s success in our lives.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You came into the world at the right place and right time. You were given to us by God to draw all nations towards You, so that the opportunity of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life might be ours. Thank You for Your patience and dedication, Your focus and determination in fulfilling this beautiful plan. Encourage us to share this feast of faithfulness and promise of forgiveness to all whom we love and know. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

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