Yeast and Feast.

All inclusive! For our ten year anniversary, Lea and I went away to celebrate. We went to the beach. We went on one of those "all inclusive" deals. Everything about the trip is paid for, big or small, in one payment. I can remember sitting on the beach under one of those "tiki hut" thingies. We rested, talked, read, and prayed. One silly little thing that we loved doing when we were at the tiki hut was to have the resort staff bring orange sodas to us and you didn't have to pay when they brought it to you because it's "all inclusive". The payment happened once and it's done. You don't have to keep paying. You could order those orange sodas whenever you wanted to. Already paid! All inclusive baby! The crazy thing was that when you went to one of the resort restaurants with massive, long tables overflowing with foods of all kinds, the same thing applied! All inclusive! The payment already happened....so dig in! Something about knowing that after you feast on a delicious meal, with delicious company, that you are not receiving a bill right after is kind of cool.

So whether it's something small like a cup of orange soda under the tiki hut or an abundant feast at a beautiful banquet table, they are both considered "all inclusive" and both paid for ahead of time.

Jesus says it's the same with the kingdom of God. In the Bible book of Luke, chapters 13 and 14, Jesus is giving pictures about what He says the kingdom of God is like. I'm curious. I want to know what He would say it's like. And what He actually says is so encouraging. He basically says the kingdom of God is like "yeast AND feast".

The simply small and the spectacularly abundant are both present in the kingdom of God. In Luke 13, Jesus says that the kingdom of God is like really, really tiny seeds being planted and becoming big, full trees that birds sit in. And like tiny, tiny yeast mixes all throughout a lump of dough. Both so small and seemingly insignificant, but growing and changing into expansive realities that didn't seem possible when your eye strains to focus on it. And then in Luke 14, Jesus simply says "blessed is the person who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." In the next line He calls it a great banquet. Feast and banquet are words of abundance. We're not simply talking about a lunchable here. This is pointing to abundant and lavish, great expense.

So what's the point? Simply small and spectacularly abundant are all inclusive in God. They have both been paid for. They both get to belong in our story of kingdom growth and living because Jesus paid with blood.

There is a part of me that when the simple orange soda is delivered to the tiki hut and the last bite of the abundant feast is taken inside the beautiful resort dining room that I really should be paying something. It's an ingrained routine. And this is where the finished work of Jesus Christ just blows me away. As we receive mustard seed faith and celebrate lavish banquet love from the heart and hand of our loving God, WE CAN'T PAY FOR IT. There's no way. We can't match the value. We are simply able to receive it with overflowing gratitude that this all inclusive gift is ours. How can it be? Amazing love.

The simply small and spectacularly abundant are ours in Jesus. All inclusive. Blown away.

There's more.