"What PHAT Stands For."
By: Pastor Jack Schneider
“You are the
people of God; He loved you and chose you for His own. Therefore, you must put on compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Be helpful to one another, and forgive one another whenever any of you
has a complaint against someone else. Forgive each other in the same way the
Lord has forgiven you. And to all these add love, which binds all things
together in perfect unity. The peace that Christ gives is to be the judge in
your hearts.” [Col.3:12-15, TEV]
It was
Mothers’ Day Tea at St. Paul School, and I wanted to let these moms and
grandmas know how special it is to have their children in our care. So I
grabbed one of our Youth chocolate chip “Cookie Kits” and used it for the
object lesson. All these ingredients, they were told, are like your children
when brought to us, and we are privileged to add the knowledge of numbers,
colors, letters, etc. But more importantly, we add the knowledge of God’s Word
in His Son, Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the children learn to sing the Truth of
life in Christ and take it home to share with their families!
Each “cookie
kit” assembled by our Youth needs only the addition of butter, an egg, and a
dash of vanilla to end up with a delicious batch of “PHAT” -- pretty, hot,
and tempting
-- mouth-watering goodies [and thanks to Pastor Andy for giving us that
unforgettable acronym]. How awesome it is that our school children are PHAT
witnesses for the Savior, Jesus Christ, in homes that, in numerous cases, are
not Christian!
Now, how
about us -- you and me? We already have the ingredients by virtue of our
baptism into Christ Jesus. He has named us His own [1 Peter 2:9-10]. By His
Spirit we have been poured, mixed and stirred. So where’s the aroma of
fresh-baked cookies? Is it present? The
key to your answer is v.14 in the Colossians text above: “add love” which binds
it all together. Like a recipe missing one key ingredient, a Christian missing
this one component will find his/her life lacking the PHAT-ness of fresh
chocolate chip cookies, and it’s unmistakable.
So here’s
what I’d like us to do… Bake some cookies, soon. I’m serious. Of course, I’d prefer you grab
one of the Youth “Cookie Kits” from under the table in the church foyer because
they illustrate my point exactly, but I’ll settle for your favorite recipe from
grandma. Then take that batch of cookies while still warm and give it to
someone [well, maybe except for one or two…] and tell them what PHAT stands for
-- and Who it stands for. Let them know you love them as a person, and you’ll
be praying for them this week, no strings attached.
It’s amazing
what God can do with a little time, temp…and love.
- Jack
