Pentecost is fast approaching for those in the Churches of God. This Pentecost is a little different than last years "high" day. This one is different in what the legalists and Pharisees love to refer to as a "double" sabbath. The food nazi's are out in force posting warnings before Pentecost. To them it is ok to hop in your car and drive 50-150 miles behind some smog belching truck for a combined church service somewhere but it is a grievous sin to stop and get a soda or ice cream cone for the kids.
The Pharisees are making demands of the true believers to do the following. Notice that if you do not follow these expectations and go out to lunch between services then you are severely TESTING God. His mercy only extends so far! The chances of dying in a car crash on the way home, choking on your food during lunch or having a heart attack during services increase dramatically. God will NOT be tested by your lunch!
If you don’t already have one, buy a cooler into which you can pack enough food to feed your family and to share if the opportunity arises.
Get acquainted with your local supermarket.
The deli section has cheese, meats, and such things as potato or pasta salad, coleslaw, iced tea, lemonade, and other food that is already prepared and easily consumed.
The produce section has lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes for those who like to decorate their sandwiches or salads with such.
Fresh bread or other baked goods from the bakery and what more do you need for a delicious and nourishing meal? [All of which you can buy BEFORE Sabbath or prepare your own BEFORE Sabbath]Of course remember to pack a bag to stow your trash before putting it in an appropriate receptacle for that purpose.One more thing to remember, next weekend will be a double Sabbath, so plan accordingly.Expect some stares and quizzical looks from other brethren as you set up your very own Sabbath meal (once a deacon offered to treat me to lunch and when I told him, “no, this is a Sabbath you know?”, the clueless look on his face made the entire encounter worthwhile).There may be many who reason, “I have been buying meals on annual holy days for (fill in the blank) years now and nothing serious ever occurred because of it that I can tell).God’s mercy is vast but it does have its limits.
The legalistic mind of the extreme legalists and Pharisees in the Church of God is comical in their justifications. These chief bastardizers of the law have never kept the law in its entirety and will never be able to. It is an IMPOSSIBILITY!
These men fail to notice that Jesus constantly was in a fight with the legalists and Pharisees but never with the tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners that were around him. In fact he sat down to eat with them on many occasions. Almost all of the things he did were done to deliberately provoke the legalists and Pharisees.
On Pentecost as you take out a widow or a family that is struggling financially for lunch, know that what you are doing is good and just and don't let any angry Pharisee wag their fingers in your face.
The people who killed Jesus for disobeying THEIR rules were the legalists and Pharisees.
The legalists and Pharisees are puffed up with pride. They do the law better than anyone else. They have set themselves right with God. External rules are more important than the heart. Being seen obeying the rules exalts them above the filthy sinners in their midst who are eating lunch in a restaurant while they sit outside on the grass with their styrofoam coolers. In spite of the external pomposity they portray, deep inside, their hearts are filled with anger, malice and corruption.