This spring my family went to the French city of Lyon. We did not know at the time that this was the gastronomical paradise of France. Many times my wife Sandy had heard on the food network that dishes were called “Lyonnaise” cuisine but she did not know that the reference was to this wonderful city in the center of France. The old section of the city is literally filled with hundreds of restaurants specializing in specific French cuisine. We also discovered that there was a restaurant in this wonderful city that is actually depicted in the Disney movie, “Ratatouille”.
When the five members of my family sat down in the elegant, world-class restaurant, the two sections of their menu pleasantly surprised me. One section was al-a-carte from which you could order individual items, and the other section was a “set menu”. The set menu was refreshingly helpful because it had set prices for complete meals making it very easy for us to purchase a family brunch knowing the price of the entire meal with no surprise costs. To our family’s wonderful amazement the set menu was so detailed that it included little extras in the meal that we would not have known to order. Misty, for example, ordered an onion soup that was made with fish that had been roasted and ground into savory dumplings and then put into a fine sauce. The onions were added to it and fresh large croutons were given to her to place in the soup at the right moment; it made an incredibly wonderful experience for Misty! Rocki enjoyed potatoes cooked in four different and original ways, and she still remembers it as a thoroughly unique experience. The most wonderful thing that our family enjoyed was that the set menu was complete, including even desert and beverages. The chef provided every delicious detail in the set meal price.
This week the Lord has shared with me that miracles occur in the supernatural like a “set menu”. God gives a simple word that promises He will do something specific for you. When He told Moses to place his rod in the Red Sea, it was like a “set dinner” for Israel. All the details for the parting the Red Sea were taken care of, including the removal of the Egyptian army.
Many of you have heard the story about how my daughter Rocki Starr was given as a download from the Holy Spirit the skills for writing a complete symphony score. The gift that God gave Rocki was so complete that it included even nuances that I, as a skilled musician, did not know. I remember hearing the Budapest Symphony Orchestra play her score with the violas and trombones doing complex harmonies that satisfied even the most discerning critic from the first chair of viola section who wrote, “Daring music, Rocki”. When I saw this note that the viola player had sent to Rocki, I realized that the Holy Spirit had taught her how to score parts for a symphony orchestra in just ten days. This complete package was like the complete “set meal” in the French restaurant; God had provided every single minute detail.
God told Moses that His name was, “I am that I am.” The meaning of this carries a very simple message: God is everything that you need at the moment you need it. I mentioned to you last week that the Lord told me He would teach me how to be kind, but now He has enlarged this revelation to say, “I will show you how to be like Me and serve every need that your fellow man has.” Wow, how awesome it is that God could make us servants to everyone and help answer every single problem by plugging them into the power of God! It’s an awesome thought!
Anne Lanza gave me another beautiful thought for this week; “Pastor Richard, going to church on Sunday morning is beginning to feel like a trip to Disneyland!”
As the prophet, Timothy Snodgrass, said… there is so much fun and “goof” ahead for all of us!
A Place To Meet Jesus 