WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.120 As I said at the beginning of the service, welcome. 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:08.939 We are beginning the season of Lent, and as this is a season to focus on repentance 00:00:08.939 --> 00:00:12.759 and our need for Jesus Christ and the grace that He offers, 00:00:13.480 --> 00:00:19.640 we thought it only appropriate to spend each Sunday in Lent looking at one of the seven deadly sins. 00:00:20.440 --> 00:00:22.740 These are very popular, very well known. 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:29.000 They've influenced and been a part of pop culture in lots of different ways, movies and songs, things like that. 00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:32.600 They're also called the capital vices. 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:38.060 This is a catalog of sins that came from the Middle Ages. 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:40.679 Theologians cataloged capital vices. 00:00:41.240 --> 00:00:50.260 And by capital vices, I mean each deadly sin is like a category, a headwater sin, if you will, 00:00:50.359 --> 00:00:56.420 that is upstream from a whole array of more specific sins downstream. 00:00:56.420 --> 00:01:04.560 So each is a category header, an umbrella that gives rise to all manner of sins within each category. 00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:11.140 And as we look at sin and as we look at each of these, we're going to come back again and again to the same idea. 00:01:11.299 --> 00:01:11.980 And that is this. 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:17.520 The more we study and understand sin, the more we are actually studying joy. 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:20.159 Now I know that doesn't seem to fit. 00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:22.599 But here is the nature of sin. 00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:24.280 The nature of sin is this. 00:01:24.659 --> 00:01:34.259 That we take good, beautiful, wonderful things, gifts that God has given his people, 00:01:34.620 --> 00:01:38.719 and we misuse them in ways that were never intended. 00:01:38.939 --> 00:01:40.140 They become twisted. 00:01:40.140 --> 00:01:48.219 And as a result of misuse, the very things that were meant to give us joy start to rob us of joy. 00:01:48.359 --> 00:01:54.439 And so the more we understand how that works, the more we are actually able to recover joy, 00:01:54.519 --> 00:02:00.700 the kind of joy that God meant his people to experience in relationship with him and one another. 00:02:01.260 --> 00:02:05.939 And so that being said, this week we're turning our attention to the sin of gluttony. 00:02:06.819 --> 00:02:07.299 Gluttony. 00:02:07.299 --> 00:02:11.979 Now I want to make a couple of things clear as we dive into this text. 00:02:12.500 --> 00:02:16.859 A lot of people equate gluttony with obesity. 00:02:17.719 --> 00:02:22.900 And in our secular culture, obesity is very much a secular sin. 00:02:23.500 --> 00:02:29.560 We live in an era of Instagram and Photoshop where body image is highly emphasized 00:02:29.560 --> 00:02:34.340 and with all manner of images confronting us every day. 00:02:35.140 --> 00:02:37.939 Obesity is considered a secular sin by many. 00:02:38.199 --> 00:02:43.620 There is research that shows that people make all kinds of assumptions about people who are overweight 00:02:43.620 --> 00:02:47.039 in terms of their character and intelligence and so on and so forth. 00:02:47.480 --> 00:02:49.180 So the first thing we need to make clear is this. 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:51.020 While it may be a secular sin, 00:02:51.900 --> 00:02:55.319 there is nowhere in Scripture that considers obesity to be a sin at all. 00:02:55.319 --> 00:03:00.819 In fact, there are many reasons that have nothing to do with one's eating habits or character 00:03:00.819 --> 00:03:02.819 why somebody might be obese. 00:03:02.939 --> 00:03:04.379 So it's not considered a sin at all. 00:03:04.459 --> 00:03:05.959 It has nothing to do with gluttony. 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:10.000 There are, in fact, many, many, many skinny gluttons. 00:03:10.859 --> 00:03:14.479 And so as we look at gluttony, we have to separate those two in our mind. 00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:18.679 But the fact remains that we live in a culture that is food-obsessed. 00:03:19.799 --> 00:03:22.500 I mean, we live in a culture that worships food. 00:03:23.839 --> 00:03:30.780 We live in a culture of locally grown, organic, non-GMO celebrity chefs and food network. 00:03:31.699 --> 00:03:36.000 And there is even a website called foodporn.com 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:41.519 where you can literally just go and spend time looking at very, I don't know, 00:03:41.879 --> 00:03:44.299 alluring pictures of food all day long if you want. 00:03:44.679 --> 00:03:46.239 And I suppose people do this kind of thing. 00:03:46.299 --> 00:03:47.879 But this is the kind of culture that we live in. 00:03:48.399 --> 00:03:52.159 And in the interest of having integrity and full disclosure, 00:03:52.979 --> 00:03:56.139 gluttony is absolutely something that I struggle with. 00:03:56.219 --> 00:03:58.319 I'm a great lover of good food. 00:03:58.419 --> 00:04:00.359 And I love to cook good food. 00:04:00.519 --> 00:04:04.899 One of my favorite pastimes is to cook, spend hours in the kitchen. 00:04:05.139 --> 00:04:07.339 And I love to drink good drink. 00:04:07.479 --> 00:04:08.399 I love good whiskey. 00:04:08.539 --> 00:04:09.780 I love good red wine. 00:04:09.780 --> 00:04:11.719 These are things that I enjoy. 00:04:11.719 --> 00:04:16.180 And I realize that they bring me perilously close to 00:04:16.180 --> 00:04:20.720 and sometimes into the territory that we're going to be talking about this evening. 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:22.079 So what is the difference? 00:04:22.180 --> 00:04:22.939 What is gluttony? 00:04:22.980 --> 00:04:28.860 And how do we set it aside or set it apart from simple enjoyment of God's good gifts? 00:04:28.959 --> 00:04:29.899 What makes it gluttony? 00:04:29.980 --> 00:04:30.939 That's what we're going to be looking at. 00:04:30.939 --> 00:04:35.740 And so we're going to be doing that by looking at a case study of a man named Esau 00:04:35.740 --> 00:04:40.319 in the Old Testament in Genesis chapter 25 verses 27 to 34. 00:04:40.600 --> 00:04:43.300 And this case study is going to show us three things about gluttony. 00:04:43.540 --> 00:04:48.759 What it is, where it comes from, and ultimately how to heal from it. 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:49.720 Let's pray. 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:57.560 Our Father, as we open your word, if we are relying merely on the words and the wisdom 00:04:57.560 --> 00:05:00.440 and the rhetoric of human beings, then we have very little hope. 00:05:01.020 --> 00:05:06.080 It's our great hope that you would speak to us, that you would empower through your Holy 00:05:06.080 --> 00:05:11.920 Spirit your word to penetrate the layers of denial that may be there, to penetrate that 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:17.020 part of us that wants to roll our eyes and wink and nod and laugh at a topic like gluttony, 00:05:17.019 --> 00:05:21.439 that you would bring your word so deeply into our hearts that we would begin to see the 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:27.719 reality of the battle that is waged over these issues, that you would open our hearts thereby 00:05:27.719 --> 00:05:32.000 to your grace and your love, and we would rediscover it anew. 00:05:32.419 --> 00:05:33.899 We pray this in your Son's holy name. 00:05:34.259 --> 00:05:34.539 Amen. 00:05:36.139 --> 00:05:38.099 So what is gluttony? 00:05:38.539 --> 00:05:40.899 Let's look at this story of Esau. 00:05:41.139 --> 00:05:44.139 If you know anything about Esau, he is one of two brothers. 00:05:44.139 --> 00:05:46.639 They are twins, Esau and his brother Jacob. 00:05:47.019 --> 00:05:51.899 But even though they're twins, Esau is considered the firstborn because he came out mere moments 00:05:51.899 --> 00:05:52.879 before Jacob. 00:05:52.979 --> 00:05:56.659 And you can imagine Jacob has a little bit of resentment over this fact because in the 00:05:56.659 --> 00:05:59.500 ancient Near East, being a firstborn was a big deal. 00:06:00.099 --> 00:06:04.500 If you were the firstborn, that was a position of privilege. 00:06:04.799 --> 00:06:10.019 It meant that you stood to inherit double what any of your other siblings would inherit. 00:06:10.219 --> 00:06:14.500 And this is a very wealthy family we're talking about, so his inheritance was going to be 00:06:14.500 --> 00:06:15.079 substantial. 00:06:15.079 --> 00:06:21.959 In addition to that, God had come to his grandfather, Abraham, and he had told Abraham, I'm going 00:06:21.959 --> 00:06:22.839 to bless you. 00:06:22.939 --> 00:06:26.839 And I want you to pass this blessing to your children and their children and their children. 00:06:27.060 --> 00:06:31.060 And this bloodline is going to be established of unique blessing. 00:06:31.279 --> 00:06:32.919 I'm setting your bloodline apart. 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:36.639 And this bloodline is going to eventually lead to an offspring. 00:06:37.060 --> 00:06:42.539 Somebody will be born of this bloodline who will then become a blessing to all the nations. 00:06:42.540 --> 00:06:44.340 This is a very important bloodline. 00:06:44.460 --> 00:06:46.420 And Esau was born into that bloodline. 00:06:46.500 --> 00:06:47.939 He was in that lineage. 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:51.860 And so this is very high stakes that we're talking about here. 00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:52.780 Very high stakes. 00:06:53.420 --> 00:06:58.020 And in this day in particular, Esau has been out hunting all day. 00:06:58.100 --> 00:07:02.259 And presumably he didn't get anything because he comes back home and he's starving. 00:07:03.200 --> 00:07:04.140 And he's exhausted. 00:07:04.139 --> 00:07:10.560 And Jacob just happens to have a pot of lentil stews simmering on the stove, has a little 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:11.459 bread in the oven. 00:07:11.899 --> 00:07:16.339 You can imagine it smelled quite delicious to Esau as he walks in the door. 00:07:16.779 --> 00:07:20.439 So Esau looks at the pot and he says, I've got to have some of that. 00:07:20.740 --> 00:07:24.779 And the Hebrew conveys the idea where he says, I want to swallow all of that. 00:07:24.819 --> 00:07:25.759 I want to gulp it down. 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:26.419 I'm starving. 00:07:26.540 --> 00:07:27.840 I can inhale that whole pot. 00:07:28.939 --> 00:07:33.520 And Jacob being kind of a smart aleck, a younger brother says, oh yeah, well, why don't you 00:07:33.520 --> 00:07:34.960 sell me your birthright and I'll give you some? 00:07:36.100 --> 00:07:39.580 And I can imagine that maybe he was half serious, half sarcastic. 00:07:39.579 --> 00:07:45.039 But Esau's so tired and so famished that Esau says, well, what good would my birthright do 00:07:45.039 --> 00:07:45.979 me if I died of hunger? 00:07:47.039 --> 00:07:53.959 And Jacob, seizing the moment, jumps to his feet and he says, swear to me right now that 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:56.519 if I give you some of this stew, give me your birthright. 00:07:56.560 --> 00:07:56.979 Do you swear? 00:07:58.699 --> 00:08:01.719 And Esau says, fine, take it. 00:08:02.519 --> 00:08:05.120 And he swears the oath and he gets the bowl of stew. 00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:10.959 And thus, as scripture says, he showed contempt for, he disregarded his birthright. 00:08:12.199 --> 00:08:16.340 Now we look at a story like this and we say, how in the world could he have made such a 00:08:16.340 --> 00:08:17.280 stupid mistake? 00:08:17.480 --> 00:08:20.120 He traded away his family's future. 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:26.000 He traded away all this incredible financial inheritance that he stood to receive. 00:08:26.280 --> 00:08:28.000 And he traded away the blessing of God. 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:30.399 And we say, who in their right mind would do such a thing? 00:08:31.500 --> 00:08:32.899 And that's in fact the point. 00:08:32.899 --> 00:08:36.120 Esau is not in his right mind. 00:08:37.100 --> 00:08:39.240 He's not seeing things clearly. 00:08:40.439 --> 00:08:45.559 And we begin to see that Esau has a very dysfunctional relationship with food. 00:08:46.600 --> 00:08:51.240 He has this dysfunctional relationship that skews his outlook. 00:08:51.459 --> 00:08:57.539 He's so over-focused on food that he's blind to the goodness and the blessing of God. 00:08:57.620 --> 00:08:59.600 He loses sight of the big picture. 00:08:59.919 --> 00:09:01.799 And that's essentially what gluttony is. 00:09:01.799 --> 00:09:07.299 It's a dysfunctional relationship with food and drink where food becomes more important 00:09:07.299 --> 00:09:08.500 than anything else. 00:09:09.319 --> 00:09:12.919 Or drink, alcohol, becomes more important than anything else. 00:09:12.959 --> 00:09:14.459 And we lose perspective. 00:09:14.699 --> 00:09:16.519 We lose sight of God and his blessing. 00:09:16.899 --> 00:09:17.819 That's what gluttony is. 00:09:18.979 --> 00:09:21.379 Now Thomas Aquinas wrote a lot about gluttony. 00:09:21.639 --> 00:09:24.259 And he actually says there are different kinds of gluttony. 00:09:24.259 --> 00:09:29.519 And, you know, we hear this and we say, well, yeah, but I would never do something like what Esau did. 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:36.840 But think about how many of us continue to eat things that we know are bad for us, that we know will shorten our lifespan. 00:09:38.019 --> 00:09:39.679 But we can't help it. 00:09:40.259 --> 00:09:45.419 How many of us drink enough that we would lie about it if anybody here asked? 00:09:45.419 --> 00:09:48.740 That we definitely lie about it when we go get a physical at the doctor. 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:50.539 And they say, how many drinks per week? 00:09:50.579 --> 00:09:51.779 And we lie about it. 00:09:52.539 --> 00:09:52.639 Right? 00:09:52.699 --> 00:09:55.259 I think so many people, why now, why would we do that? 00:09:55.379 --> 00:10:03.419 Why even after growing up years and years and years of anti-drinking and driving campaigns and all of the money that has gone into that, 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:05.719 why will we go out not planning to have a drink? 00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:08.680 And when somebody sets the drinks down, we say, oh, what the heck? 00:10:08.700 --> 00:10:10.279 And we have a couple and then we get in the car and drive. 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:11.960 Why would we do that and put people at risk? 00:10:13.639 --> 00:10:13.779 Right? 00:10:13.860 --> 00:10:18.300 Esau isn't as foolish as we might think at first glance. 00:10:18.759 --> 00:10:21.580 So Thomas Aquinas says that there are different kinds of gluttony. 00:10:21.660 --> 00:10:24.720 The first kind of gluttony is compulsive gluttony. 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:27.399 People who are compulsive eaters and drinkers. 00:10:28.139 --> 00:10:32.040 You see food, you weren't even planning on eating, but before you know it, it's in your mouth. 00:10:32.039 --> 00:10:37.419 Or somebody puts a drink on the table and you said you weren't going to drink and next thing you know you've had two or three. 00:10:38.379 --> 00:10:38.480 Right? 00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:39.620 This is being compulsive. 00:10:39.779 --> 00:10:40.860 That's the first kind of gluttony. 00:10:41.620 --> 00:10:44.159 There's another kind of gluttony, excessive eating. 00:10:44.539 --> 00:10:50.399 So people who binge eat or binge drink, once you start, you just can't stop and you way overdo it. 00:10:51.500 --> 00:10:59.379 Now being a compulsive eater or an excessive binge eater, these are the categories that most people think of when they think of gluttony. 00:10:59.500 --> 00:10:59.679 Right? 00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:03.179 It turns out there are more kinds of gluttony. 00:11:04.019 --> 00:11:07.319 I had a roommate back in grad school years ago. 00:11:07.659 --> 00:11:10.359 And this roommate only had two criteria for food. 00:11:10.759 --> 00:11:13.000 It had to be hot and there had to be a lot of it. 00:11:13.319 --> 00:11:14.319 That's all he cared about. 00:11:14.839 --> 00:11:19.719 And that was very hard for me to take because I'm somebody who loves to cook and I love good food. 00:11:19.720 --> 00:11:30.220 And so I could spend six hours gently simmering bolognese made of beef and pork and lamb and get it just so, just the right consistency. 00:11:30.360 --> 00:11:35.899 And then I could make a homemade tagliatelle and serve it with the bolognese with a little parmigiano-reggiano cheese. 00:11:36.060 --> 00:11:38.800 So maybe fresh basil or parsley on top. 00:11:38.820 --> 00:11:39.700 And I could serve that. 00:11:39.700 --> 00:11:43.520 And he would literally not be able to tell the difference between that and Chef Boyardee. 00:11:44.280 --> 00:11:45.940 And it used to infuriate me. 00:11:46.040 --> 00:11:48.040 And I would look at him and he would just inhale it. 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:49.940 And I would be like, did you taste it? 00:11:50.300 --> 00:11:52.020 Or did it just go straight into your stomach? 00:11:52.480 --> 00:11:55.060 And I used to think that this has to be sinful. 00:11:55.720 --> 00:11:55.940 Right? 00:11:56.120 --> 00:11:57.960 There has to be something wrong here. 00:11:58.160 --> 00:11:58.440 Right? 00:11:59.100 --> 00:12:00.540 There has to be a name for this. 00:12:00.760 --> 00:12:02.400 Well, it turns out I was being sinful. 00:12:02.880 --> 00:12:04.680 It turns out I was being a glutton. 00:12:05.660 --> 00:12:08.420 I wasn't necessarily being a compulsive eater or an excessive eater. 00:12:08.520 --> 00:12:09.460 I was being a snob. 00:12:10.680 --> 00:12:14.420 And being a food snob is a form of gluttony, according to Thomas Aquinas. 00:12:14.740 --> 00:12:18.020 Being the kind of person who says, I will only eat the best food. 00:12:19.020 --> 00:12:19.860 I will only eat the... 00:12:19.860 --> 00:12:22.500 When I go out to lunch, I can't just go out to lunch anywhere. 00:12:22.500 --> 00:12:25.920 I want to look on Yelp and what gets the best reviews within a mile of here. 00:12:25.980 --> 00:12:26.800 That's where I want to go. 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:30.339 You know, the kind of people who look down on people who eat at Applebee's. 00:12:31.059 --> 00:12:31.199 Right? 00:12:31.259 --> 00:12:31.740 Food snob. 00:12:32.139 --> 00:12:32.459 Right? 00:12:33.079 --> 00:12:34.359 That's a form of gluttony. 00:12:34.740 --> 00:12:38.699 Along with that, there's a form of gluttony, not necessarily being a snob, but being a picky eater. 00:12:40.079 --> 00:12:41.359 Being a very picky eater. 00:12:41.459 --> 00:12:45.919 Having lots of unnecessary, sort of faddish dietary restrictions. 00:12:46.459 --> 00:12:48.259 It has to be this, not that, this, not that. 00:12:48.339 --> 00:12:51.199 Now, some dietary restrictions and some diets are very legitimate. 00:12:51.699 --> 00:12:52.059 Absolutely. 00:12:52.059 --> 00:12:56.339 But when it becomes gluttony is when we begin to take pride in. 00:12:56.799 --> 00:12:59.959 We become very legalistic about these restrictions. 00:13:00.359 --> 00:13:00.519 Right? 00:13:00.579 --> 00:13:01.620 So you go over to somebody's house. 00:13:01.699 --> 00:13:02.859 They fix this amazing dinner. 00:13:03.099 --> 00:13:05.079 And you have a very unnecessary food restriction. 00:13:05.219 --> 00:13:06.399 But you assert that strongly. 00:13:06.779 --> 00:13:07.159 I'm sorry. 00:13:07.240 --> 00:13:07.819 I can't eat that. 00:13:08.279 --> 00:13:08.419 Right? 00:13:08.459 --> 00:13:10.399 That's when you're crossing the line into gluttony. 00:13:10.399 --> 00:13:13.279 So these are all forms of gluttony. 00:13:13.379 --> 00:13:15.860 But they all stem from the same core issue. 00:13:16.079 --> 00:13:18.360 Which is an over-focus on food. 00:13:19.199 --> 00:13:20.459 An over-focus on food. 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:22.139 Either by being too indulgent. 00:13:22.980 --> 00:13:24.879 Or by being too restrictive. 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:27.299 Both are forms of gluttony. 00:13:27.379 --> 00:13:28.899 So gluttony is a broad umbrella. 00:13:30.100 --> 00:13:36.980 But they both entail, all of this entails, focusing more on created things than the creator. 00:13:36.980 --> 00:13:39.060 So that's what gluttony is. 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:40.320 Now where does it come from? 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:42.720 Where does this stem from in our hearts? 00:13:43.100 --> 00:13:47.420 Well, we get three clues in scripture with regards to Esau. 00:13:47.899 --> 00:13:49.259 The first clue is this. 00:13:49.580 --> 00:13:54.060 We look at the comparison between the brothers in our passage. 00:13:54.920 --> 00:13:56.820 Hebrew is a very laconic language. 00:13:56.820 --> 00:13:58.980 Which means they don't waste words. 00:13:59.080 --> 00:14:02.420 If they put details in there, it's because they want you to focus on those details. 00:14:02.419 --> 00:14:07.659 And so they tell us a characteristic about each brother and they contrast with one another. 00:14:08.319 --> 00:14:12.860 So it tells us about Jacob in verse 27 that Jacob is a, quote, quiet man. 00:14:13.199 --> 00:14:19.879 Now the word quiet actually means an inner wholeness, an inner completeness, an inner sense of peace. 00:14:20.059 --> 00:14:23.019 So it's telling us that Jacob was still. 00:14:23.839 --> 00:14:27.860 He had an inner stillness that came from a sense of wholeness and completeness. 00:14:27.959 --> 00:14:30.339 He was a quiet, still-hearted man. 00:14:30.340 --> 00:14:34.340 Now by contrast, it says that Esau was a hunter. 00:14:35.220 --> 00:14:42.000 And the word hunter conveys the idea of striving, of seeking, of yearning, of craving. 00:14:42.180 --> 00:14:48.120 He was always on the prowl, always hunting for provisions, hunting for food, hunting for something out there. 00:14:48.200 --> 00:14:49.280 He was always on the move. 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:52.600 And so you can see the contrast that's being established here. 00:14:53.800 --> 00:14:58.240 Jacob has this inner stillness, but Esau is restless and yearning. 00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:01.879 And see, that is what drives gluttonous behavior. 00:15:02.120 --> 00:15:04.080 It's essentially comfort-seeking. 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:08.940 It's being driven by this restlessness. 00:15:09.220 --> 00:15:16.139 You know, alcoholics describe not feeling comfortable in their own skin, not knowing what to do with their hands or with their body. 00:15:16.139 --> 00:15:29.059 And so there's this restlessness to try to find something, some escape, some little comfort boost, some little dopamine hit, some little moment of pleasure or escape that will help you deal with that discomfort. 00:15:30.259 --> 00:15:32.740 It's that restless, comfort-seeking behavior. 00:15:33.039 --> 00:15:34.840 This is why some of us stress eat. 00:15:34.840 --> 00:15:40.340 You know, I call my most stressful days, I call them Five Guys days. 00:15:41.160 --> 00:15:45.720 Because this weird thing happens, if you live in D.C., you know that Five Guys is a burger chain around here. 00:15:46.160 --> 00:15:54.420 And on my most stressful days, even if I've eaten a good lunch and I'm totally full, I will begin to crave that burger and Cajun fries from Five Guys. 00:15:54.580 --> 00:15:57.519 And the craving has nothing to do with my body's need for nutrition. 00:15:58.199 --> 00:16:04.559 It's entirely a result of me trying to comfort myself and deal with the stress, stress eating. 00:16:05.360 --> 00:16:10.679 This is why some of us get, we realize that we get into a ritual of having cocktails literally every night of the week. 00:16:12.159 --> 00:16:16.079 You know, cocktail hour extends two, three, four hours and we do it seven days a week. 00:16:17.539 --> 00:16:20.519 It's this restlessness, comfort-seeking. 00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:25.079 So we see that in Esau, very much a contrast with Jacob. 00:16:25.080 --> 00:16:30.360 And then the second thing we see is we look at Esau's relationship with his dad. 00:16:30.460 --> 00:16:31.740 Look at what it says about that. 00:16:32.900 --> 00:16:35.860 Again, it only gives us one detail, but it's a very important detail. 00:16:36.360 --> 00:16:36.920 Verse 28. 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:39.440 Isaac favored Esau. 00:16:39.920 --> 00:16:42.639 He loved both of his boys, but he favored Esau. 00:16:42.759 --> 00:16:45.139 He was clearly his favorite, and everybody knew it. 00:16:45.540 --> 00:16:45.879 Why? 00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:49.340 Because he loved Esau's cooking. 00:16:49.340 --> 00:16:53.840 A couple of chapters later, Isaac says, 00:16:53.940 --> 00:16:56.600 Esau, bring me some of that delicious food that you make. 00:16:56.680 --> 00:16:58.540 The word is not just the Hebrew word for food. 00:16:58.820 --> 00:17:02.300 It's sumptuous food, fine food, delicious food. 00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:04.940 Bring me some of that delicious food you know I love. 00:17:05.779 --> 00:17:07.420 So what does that tell us about Esau? 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:08.880 Can you imagine growing up with that? 00:17:09.900 --> 00:17:11.480 Well, it tells us a number of things. 00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:14.700 First and foremost, for Esau, food is not just about food. 00:17:15.680 --> 00:17:17.640 For Esau, food is about love. 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:20.480 Food is about dad's love. 00:17:20.800 --> 00:17:22.040 Food is about dad's approval. 00:17:22.740 --> 00:17:24.259 Food is about dad's favoritism. 00:17:24.440 --> 00:17:28.360 Food is a way to gain and secure dad's approval. 00:17:29.340 --> 00:17:33.020 And so food is very tied to emotions for Esau. 00:17:33.100 --> 00:17:34.340 It's very tied to relationship. 00:17:34.600 --> 00:17:35.720 Food represents love. 00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:39.400 And so I think underneath that restlessness and craving, 00:17:40.700 --> 00:17:43.860 what you will often find is that food for people, 00:17:43.940 --> 00:17:45.400 especially people with eating disorders, 00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:47.160 people who struggle with a variety of eating disorders, 00:17:47.640 --> 00:17:49.759 food has become a way to deal with emotions. 00:17:50.920 --> 00:17:53.600 Some of us have deep wounds from childhood, 00:17:53.800 --> 00:17:56.160 deep places of emptiness and hurt and pain. 00:17:56.540 --> 00:17:59.560 And you discover along the way that food is a really great way 00:17:59.560 --> 00:18:00.840 to make yourself feel better. 00:18:01.120 --> 00:18:04.340 And so you begin to project all of your emotional needs onto food, 00:18:04.420 --> 00:18:06.460 either eating food or not eating food. 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:09.160 And it becomes a way to deal with emotional issues. 00:18:09.160 --> 00:18:09.640 Right? 00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:12.759 This drives many different eating disorders. 00:18:14.320 --> 00:18:18.560 So food has become very much an emotional reality for Esau. 00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:22.420 And then the third thing, as we continue to go deeper into this, 00:18:22.600 --> 00:18:24.160 is actually not in this passage. 00:18:24.360 --> 00:18:26.080 It's in the New Testament in the book of Hebrews. 00:18:26.340 --> 00:18:29.860 We actually see a reference to Esau in Hebrews chapter 12. 00:18:29.859 --> 00:18:31.619 It says in verse 15, 00:18:31.619 --> 00:18:52.719 So it's calling Esau a root of bitterness. 00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:54.480 Now, what is that? 00:18:54.559 --> 00:19:00.900 Now, often root of bitterness is misinterpreted as having something to do with bitter feelings 00:19:00.900 --> 00:19:02.220 or an unwillingness to forgive. 00:19:02.319 --> 00:19:04.019 And that's not actually what's going on here. 00:19:04.279 --> 00:19:06.799 It's a reference back to a passage in Deuteronomy. 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:10.180 And a root of bitterness in the context of Deuteronomy 00:19:10.180 --> 00:19:13.580 is talking about someone who assumes, 00:19:14.180 --> 00:19:15.440 they take for granted, 00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:17.900 that God is going to continue to bless them 00:19:17.900 --> 00:19:21.100 even while they are turning away from God 00:19:21.100 --> 00:19:23.160 and worshiping the idols of the nations. 00:19:23.779 --> 00:19:25.580 So it's somebody who is presumptuous 00:19:25.580 --> 00:19:27.920 and just assumes God will bless them, 00:19:28.080 --> 00:19:29.440 that they're entitled to God's blessing, 00:19:29.700 --> 00:19:32.180 and yet they go right on in the stubbornness of their heart 00:19:32.180 --> 00:19:34.460 worshiping the idols of the land. 00:19:34.840 --> 00:19:35.660 And let's be honest, 00:19:35.820 --> 00:19:38.100 food is one of the great idols of our nation. 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:39.380 Right? 00:19:39.380 --> 00:19:41.220 And so Esau's core issue, 00:19:41.320 --> 00:19:42.980 the core of Esau's gluttony, 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:47.060 the core of the dysfunction that he has with regard to food, 00:19:47.300 --> 00:19:48.080 is idolatry. 00:19:49.420 --> 00:19:50.700 It's idolatry. 00:19:51.480 --> 00:19:55.420 That's the root of bitterness that we see in Esau. 00:19:56.300 --> 00:19:57.640 He's trying, in other words, 00:19:57.740 --> 00:20:01.960 to satisfy spiritual hunger with physical food. 00:20:02.820 --> 00:20:03.660 That's it. 00:20:04.180 --> 00:20:07.380 He's trying to satisfy spiritual hunger with physical food. 00:20:07.380 --> 00:20:09.460 And it does tremendous damage, 00:20:09.460 --> 00:20:10.760 as it always does. 00:20:11.340 --> 00:20:13.140 So if we put all of this together, 00:20:13.340 --> 00:20:15.420 here's the anatomy of gluttony. 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:18.960 Gluttony manifests as overeating, 00:20:19.100 --> 00:20:19.920 or over-focusing, 00:20:20.060 --> 00:20:21.560 or overly restricting what we eat, 00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:23.820 thinking about food and drink way too much, 00:20:23.880 --> 00:20:24.880 more than anything else. 00:20:24.880 --> 00:20:26.900 Now, if you go underneath that, 00:20:26.980 --> 00:20:30.860 what you see is that it's driven by this restless comfort seeking. 00:20:31.560 --> 00:20:32.700 If you go under that, 00:20:32.780 --> 00:20:33.980 what you see is that oftentimes, 00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:39.400 that is because we tend to tie emotions and food together. 00:20:39.560 --> 00:20:41.020 Food becomes a substitute, 00:20:41.720 --> 00:20:45.860 a way to either cope with or escape painful emotions and stress. 00:20:45.859 --> 00:20:47.599 And then if you go down below that, 00:20:47.699 --> 00:20:48.579 why is all that happening? 00:20:48.740 --> 00:20:50.439 Well, it's because in our hearts, 00:20:51.479 --> 00:20:55.579 we tend to make things that God has created into gods, 00:20:56.119 --> 00:20:56.979 like food. 00:20:58.019 --> 00:20:59.819 And within gluttony, 00:20:59.959 --> 00:21:02.699 the core of that is an idolatry that looks to food 00:21:02.699 --> 00:21:05.919 and looks to drink to give us things that only God can give us. 00:21:07.259 --> 00:21:08.399 So that's what's going on. 00:21:08.459 --> 00:21:09.719 That's the anatomy of gluttony. 00:21:09.779 --> 00:21:10.799 That's where it comes from. 00:21:10.799 --> 00:21:12.700 So then the question becomes, 00:21:12.839 --> 00:21:14.200 how do we heal from gluttony? 00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:17.139 How do we recover from this? 00:21:18.220 --> 00:21:18.579 And, you know, 00:21:18.619 --> 00:21:21.759 a lot of people think that Christianity is anti-pleasure, 00:21:22.399 --> 00:21:23.940 that it's anti-enjoyment. 00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:25.180 You know, 00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:30.099 asceticism is the thing that people often think of, 00:21:30.180 --> 00:21:33.700 the kind of giving up of all of the earthly pleasures. 00:21:34.339 --> 00:21:36.399 And while that has been a movement within Christianity, 00:21:36.519 --> 00:21:39.099 that is not Christianity's answer to this problem. 00:21:39.099 --> 00:21:45.079 In fact, the answer in Christianity to gluttony as well as all sin is the gospel. 00:21:45.639 --> 00:21:48.379 And the gospel is not about the removal of pleasure. 00:21:48.779 --> 00:21:55.099 The gospel is about the restoration of our ability to enjoy God through his gifts. 00:21:55.859 --> 00:21:58.559 So that we celebrate and enjoy the gift. 00:21:59.699 --> 00:22:03.379 And that is a way that we actually enjoy and celebrate the one who gave it, 00:22:03.419 --> 00:22:04.459 instead of forgetting him. 00:22:04.460 --> 00:22:09.880 And so the gospel points us in the direction, 00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:11.319 when it comes to gluttony, 00:22:12.460 --> 00:22:13.579 of beginning to ask, 00:22:13.840 --> 00:22:16.519 if there is indeed in me a spiritual hunger, 00:22:17.440 --> 00:22:23.120 then the way to root out gluttony is to figure out how to feed and satisfy that spiritual hunger. 00:22:23.860 --> 00:22:25.059 And if it's not physical food, 00:22:25.100 --> 00:22:26.819 it has to be spiritual food. 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:28.400 We need spiritual food 00:22:28.400 --> 00:22:30.920 to satisfy spiritual hunger. 00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:32.340 And in the New Testament, 00:22:32.539 --> 00:22:34.279 Jesus performs a miracle 00:22:34.279 --> 00:22:38.060 where he creates enough bread to feed 5,000 people. 00:22:38.640 --> 00:22:39.500 And so the next day, 00:22:39.640 --> 00:22:41.580 as people today would do the same thing, 00:22:41.840 --> 00:22:44.820 all of those people come and they want to find Jesus again. 00:22:45.400 --> 00:22:47.460 And they all find him on the other side of the lake. 00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:49.400 And Jesus discerns their hearts. 00:22:49.500 --> 00:22:50.640 He knows why they've come. 00:22:51.380 --> 00:22:53.039 And he says in John 6, 26, 00:22:53.039 --> 00:22:54.740 Truly, truly, truly, I say to you, 00:22:54.980 --> 00:22:55.920 you're seeking me, 00:22:56.119 --> 00:22:57.659 not because you saw signs, 00:22:57.899 --> 00:22:59.940 but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 00:23:01.039 --> 00:23:03.819 So he knows that they're doing the same thing that Esau did. 00:23:03.899 --> 00:23:05.680 They're more focused on the food 00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:07.500 than on the giver, 00:23:08.299 --> 00:23:09.839 than on the blessing of God himself. 00:23:10.859 --> 00:23:12.279 And so he calls that out. 00:23:12.359 --> 00:23:13.879 And then he says this in verse 27, 00:23:14.440 --> 00:23:16.599 Do not work for the food that perishes, 00:23:17.039 --> 00:23:20.039 but for the food that endures to eternal life, 00:23:20.139 --> 00:23:21.859 which the Son of Man will give you. 00:23:21.859 --> 00:23:23.019 So you hear what he's saying? 00:23:23.479 --> 00:23:25.659 He's saying don't work for physical food, 00:23:25.719 --> 00:23:26.859 because you're going to eat it, 00:23:27.059 --> 00:23:28.079 it's going to go into your body, 00:23:28.139 --> 00:23:29.539 you'll feel temporarily full, 00:23:29.699 --> 00:23:30.939 and then it's going to leave your body, 00:23:31.019 --> 00:23:32.279 and you're going to feel hungry again. 00:23:32.699 --> 00:23:33.959 Don't work for that food. 00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:35.579 That satisfaction won't last. 00:23:36.199 --> 00:23:38.899 The hunger that you're feeling below that physical hunger, 00:23:39.479 --> 00:23:41.379 that deep spiritual longing, 00:23:42.619 --> 00:23:46.099 spend your life looking for the food that will satisfy that. 00:23:47.099 --> 00:23:47.979 Spiritual food. 00:23:48.679 --> 00:23:50.579 So of course, when they realize what he's saying, 00:23:50.579 --> 00:23:52.159 they ask, where is this food? 00:23:52.539 --> 00:23:53.839 And he says directly, 00:23:54.339 --> 00:23:56.500 I am the bread of life. 00:23:56.759 --> 00:23:58.740 Whoever comes to me shall not hunger. 00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:01.079 Whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 00:24:01.419 --> 00:24:02.379 So you get what he's saying. 00:24:02.619 --> 00:24:03.279 Jesus is saying, 00:24:03.419 --> 00:24:05.500 I am the spiritual food 00:24:05.500 --> 00:24:08.500 that will nourish the spiritual hunger in you. 00:24:08.679 --> 00:24:09.539 Apart from me, 00:24:09.619 --> 00:24:11.119 you can find no satisfaction. 00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:13.480 I'm the one who is able to meet 00:24:13.480 --> 00:24:15.659 that deepest need in your heart. 00:24:15.660 --> 00:24:18.360 And so the gospel tells us this. 00:24:18.420 --> 00:24:19.120 Here's the gospel. 00:24:20.740 --> 00:24:22.300 We're all like Esau. 00:24:24.500 --> 00:24:27.460 We have all traded our birthright 00:24:27.460 --> 00:24:29.759 as God's children, 00:24:30.500 --> 00:24:33.620 created to rule in his name over all of creation, 00:24:34.300 --> 00:24:36.279 created to bear his image in the world. 00:24:36.620 --> 00:24:38.259 That we have traded that identity 00:24:38.259 --> 00:24:41.000 not for a pot of lentils, 00:24:41.040 --> 00:24:42.100 because that was real. 00:24:42.099 --> 00:24:44.179 We traded it for even less. 00:24:44.279 --> 00:24:45.619 We traded it for an illusion. 00:24:46.599 --> 00:24:49.019 The illusion that we can actually be in control 00:24:49.019 --> 00:24:49.980 of our own lives 00:24:49.980 --> 00:24:51.579 and be our own gods. 00:24:52.359 --> 00:24:53.079 And the gospel says, 00:24:53.219 --> 00:24:55.099 we traded that birthright away. 00:24:55.279 --> 00:24:56.240 And so as a result, 00:24:56.339 --> 00:24:57.199 we have no hope. 00:24:57.480 --> 00:24:59.559 Hebrews says that Esau went 00:24:59.559 --> 00:25:01.059 and he tried to get his birthright back 00:25:01.059 --> 00:25:02.419 and he cried and he begged, 00:25:02.740 --> 00:25:03.639 but it was too late. 00:25:03.719 --> 00:25:04.679 The birthright was gone. 00:25:06.199 --> 00:25:07.639 But the gospel tells us, 00:25:07.699 --> 00:25:08.419 the good news is this. 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:09.740 It's not too late for us. 00:25:09.740 --> 00:25:11.980 That Jesus Christ, 00:25:12.140 --> 00:25:14.140 who is God's firstborn son, 00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:17.559 was willing to trade his birthright. 00:25:18.940 --> 00:25:21.440 He was willing to take on our sin, 00:25:21.620 --> 00:25:22.519 our rebellion, 00:25:22.700 --> 00:25:24.519 our rejection of God and his blessing. 00:25:24.620 --> 00:25:25.680 He took that onto himself, 00:25:25.779 --> 00:25:26.440 our idolatry, 00:25:26.539 --> 00:25:27.160 our gluttony. 00:25:28.180 --> 00:25:29.539 He died the death 00:25:29.539 --> 00:25:31.359 that we deserve to die in our place. 00:25:31.620 --> 00:25:32.880 And while he was doing that, 00:25:32.880 --> 00:25:37.580 we received all of the privileges 00:25:37.580 --> 00:25:38.560 and the status 00:25:38.560 --> 00:25:39.380 and the blessing 00:25:39.380 --> 00:25:41.400 of God's firstborn son. 00:25:41.520 --> 00:25:43.460 We received an imperishable, 00:25:43.600 --> 00:25:44.780 unfading inheritance 00:25:44.780 --> 00:25:46.860 that is kept for us 00:25:46.860 --> 00:25:48.120 in the new creation, 00:25:48.280 --> 00:25:49.680 the down payment of which 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:50.780 is the Holy Spirit, 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:51.760 which is the seal 00:25:51.760 --> 00:25:52.740 and the guarantee 00:25:52.740 --> 00:25:55.140 that that inheritance is ours. 00:25:55.840 --> 00:25:57.440 And we gain that status 00:25:57.440 --> 00:25:58.340 and we gain 00:25:58.340 --> 00:26:00.100 the place of honor 00:26:00.100 --> 00:26:01.020 at God's table. 00:26:01.019 --> 00:26:03.299 So this is the good news 00:26:03.299 --> 00:26:04.359 of the gospel. 00:26:05.940 --> 00:26:07.400 And so every time 00:26:07.400 --> 00:26:08.720 we feel that sense 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:09.539 of restlessness, 00:26:10.279 --> 00:26:11.319 that craving, 00:26:11.480 --> 00:26:12.079 that desire, 00:26:12.220 --> 00:26:13.440 every time we are compelled 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:14.319 to eat 00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:15.900 or we can't stop ourselves, 00:26:16.039 --> 00:26:17.299 every time we're haunted 00:26:17.299 --> 00:26:18.900 by thoughts of food 00:26:18.900 --> 00:26:19.759 in any form, 00:26:20.359 --> 00:26:21.180 we need to begin 00:26:21.180 --> 00:26:22.400 to be able to identify 00:26:22.400 --> 00:26:23.480 what's really going on. 00:26:23.599 --> 00:26:24.779 That is not actually 00:26:24.779 --> 00:26:25.619 physical hunger. 00:26:26.299 --> 00:26:27.079 We need to be able 00:26:27.079 --> 00:26:27.859 to tell the difference 00:26:27.859 --> 00:26:29.319 between being really hungry 00:26:29.319 --> 00:26:30.480 where we need nutrients 00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:32.680 and being spiritually hungry 00:26:32.680 --> 00:26:34.420 where we need spiritual food. 00:26:35.440 --> 00:26:36.120 And we need to begin 00:26:36.120 --> 00:26:37.200 to realize that food 00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:38.160 and drink are not going 00:26:38.160 --> 00:26:39.860 to satisfy that spiritual hunger. 00:26:39.980 --> 00:26:40.860 They only leave us 00:26:40.860 --> 00:26:41.539 more empty 00:26:41.539 --> 00:26:42.799 and more depressed. 00:26:43.480 --> 00:26:44.539 And so those are times 00:26:44.539 --> 00:26:45.480 when it is crucial 00:26:45.480 --> 00:26:46.599 that we identify 00:26:46.599 --> 00:26:47.279 that longing 00:26:47.279 --> 00:26:48.579 and that we remember 00:26:48.579 --> 00:26:50.059 the love 00:26:50.059 --> 00:26:50.819 and the grace 00:26:50.819 --> 00:26:51.920 and the provision 00:26:51.920 --> 00:26:53.120 of Jesus 00:26:53.120 --> 00:26:54.759 that comes 00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:55.400 through the gospel. 00:26:56.339 --> 00:26:57.160 And fortunately, 00:26:57.160 --> 00:26:58.340 Jesus gave us 00:26:58.340 --> 00:26:59.259 an amazing way 00:26:59.259 --> 00:27:00.040 to remember 00:27:00.040 --> 00:27:01.340 the gospel. 00:27:02.160 --> 00:27:03.120 And appropriately, 00:27:03.480 --> 00:27:05.140 it is a meal. 00:27:05.820 --> 00:27:06.400 And Jesus said, 00:27:06.480 --> 00:27:07.720 every time you come together 00:27:07.720 --> 00:27:09.200 and you share this meal, 00:27:09.460 --> 00:27:10.440 do it in remembrance 00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:10.960 of me, 00:27:11.040 --> 00:27:11.640 in remembrance 00:27:11.640 --> 00:27:12.960 of everything 00:27:12.960 --> 00:27:13.920 that we just talked about, 00:27:13.980 --> 00:27:14.519 in remembrance 00:27:14.519 --> 00:27:16.000 that I traded my birthright 00:27:16.000 --> 00:27:16.900 with you. 00:27:17.160 --> 00:27:17.960 Do it in remembrance 00:27:17.960 --> 00:27:18.600 of that. 00:27:19.140 --> 00:27:19.620 And you know, 00:27:19.680 --> 00:27:20.519 I actually believe 00:27:20.519 --> 00:27:21.400 that the Eucharist 00:27:21.400 --> 00:27:23.980 is powerfully able 00:27:23.980 --> 00:27:25.940 to heal and restore 00:27:25.940 --> 00:27:27.319 specifically issues 00:27:27.319 --> 00:27:29.220 of gluttony, 00:27:29.319 --> 00:27:30.279 specifically issues 00:27:30.279 --> 00:27:31.559 of eating disorders. 00:27:32.440 --> 00:27:34.480 I read an amazing piece 00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:35.360 just this past week 00:27:35.360 --> 00:27:35.880 of somebody, 00:27:36.240 --> 00:27:37.299 a woman who had struggled 00:27:37.299 --> 00:27:37.819 for years 00:27:37.819 --> 00:27:38.599 with eating disorders. 00:27:39.339 --> 00:27:39.940 And by the way, 00:27:40.019 --> 00:27:40.140 you know, 00:27:40.200 --> 00:27:40.599 as I said, 00:27:40.700 --> 00:27:41.640 anorexia, bulimia, 00:27:41.759 --> 00:27:42.700 all of it would fit 00:27:42.700 --> 00:27:43.259 within gluttony. 00:27:43.339 --> 00:27:44.700 It's all an over-obsession 00:27:44.700 --> 00:27:45.240 with food. 00:27:46.319 --> 00:27:47.140 But this woman 00:27:47.140 --> 00:27:48.539 had tried different programs 00:27:48.539 --> 00:27:49.059 and treatments 00:27:49.059 --> 00:27:49.640 and books 00:27:49.640 --> 00:27:51.400 and nothing had really worked. 00:27:51.559 --> 00:27:52.680 And then she was a Christian, 00:27:52.680 --> 00:27:53.860 but then she came into 00:27:53.860 --> 00:27:55.680 a liturgical sacramental church 00:27:55.680 --> 00:27:57.299 and she began to receive 00:27:57.299 --> 00:27:58.299 the Eucharist 00:27:58.299 --> 00:27:59.039 in a way that began 00:27:59.039 --> 00:28:00.019 to connect for her 00:28:00.019 --> 00:28:00.779 the dots 00:28:00.779 --> 00:28:01.560 to help understand 00:28:01.560 --> 00:28:02.840 what was actually happening 00:28:02.840 --> 00:28:03.940 at the table. 00:28:04.320 --> 00:28:05.080 And she writes 00:28:05.080 --> 00:28:05.840 this beautiful piece 00:28:05.840 --> 00:28:07.000 about how that over time 00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:07.720 began to heal 00:28:07.720 --> 00:28:08.840 her eating disorder. 00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:10.140 It began to actually 00:28:10.140 --> 00:28:11.880 transform her entire 00:28:11.880 --> 00:28:13.480 relationship with food, 00:28:13.580 --> 00:28:14.440 her relationship 00:28:14.440 --> 00:28:15.320 with her body, 00:28:15.420 --> 00:28:16.019 her relationship 00:28:16.019 --> 00:28:16.660 with matter. 00:28:16.779 --> 00:28:17.500 She began to realize 00:28:17.500 --> 00:28:18.980 how much God loves matter. 00:28:19.299 --> 00:28:20.259 She began to see food 00:28:20.259 --> 00:28:20.980 not as an end 00:28:20.980 --> 00:28:21.580 unto itself 00:28:21.580 --> 00:28:22.600 but as a means 00:28:22.599 --> 00:28:23.539 a way of connecting 00:28:23.539 --> 00:28:24.719 with these greater, 00:28:25.099 --> 00:28:25.319 deeper, 00:28:25.439 --> 00:28:26.619 more brilliant realities. 00:28:27.779 --> 00:28:28.319 And I think 00:28:28.319 --> 00:28:29.459 that's what's on offer 00:28:29.459 --> 00:28:30.659 at the table. 00:28:31.199 --> 00:28:32.719 It helps us remember 00:28:32.719 --> 00:28:33.919 who we are 00:28:33.919 --> 00:28:35.099 in Jesus Christ. 00:28:35.959 --> 00:28:36.699 Marcel Proust 00:28:36.699 --> 00:28:38.259 wrote a book. 00:28:38.359 --> 00:28:39.000 It has a couple 00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:39.500 of different 00:28:39.500 --> 00:28:40.639 translated titles. 00:28:40.779 --> 00:28:41.299 The most recent 00:28:41.299 --> 00:28:42.759 is In Search of Lost Time, 00:28:43.179 --> 00:28:44.199 his famous novel. 00:28:44.679 --> 00:28:45.839 And in Proust's novel 00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:47.059 in the early part 00:28:47.059 --> 00:28:48.599 of the first volume, 00:28:48.959 --> 00:28:50.059 there is a moment 00:28:50.059 --> 00:28:50.899 where the narrator 00:28:50.900 --> 00:28:51.840 who is trying 00:28:51.840 --> 00:28:53.080 to recover his past. 00:28:53.160 --> 00:28:53.920 He's trying to recover 00:28:53.920 --> 00:28:55.300 a sense of his childhood, 00:28:55.420 --> 00:28:56.440 these things that he's lost 00:28:56.440 --> 00:28:57.519 that are fragmented. 00:28:57.880 --> 00:28:58.519 And he takes 00:28:58.519 --> 00:28:59.660 a little Madeline cookie, 00:28:59.800 --> 00:29:01.540 a little French sort of cake, 00:29:01.680 --> 00:29:02.620 and he dips it 00:29:02.620 --> 00:29:03.300 into some tea 00:29:03.300 --> 00:29:04.660 and he puts it 00:29:04.660 --> 00:29:05.600 to his lips. 00:29:05.740 --> 00:29:06.580 And the moment 00:29:06.580 --> 00:29:08.019 this tea-soaked cake 00:29:08.019 --> 00:29:09.460 touches his mouth, 00:29:09.759 --> 00:29:11.340 the taste and the smell 00:29:11.340 --> 00:29:12.380 flood his senses 00:29:12.380 --> 00:29:13.259 and immediately 00:29:13.259 --> 00:29:14.320 he's transported 00:29:14.320 --> 00:29:15.280 back to his childhood. 00:29:15.279 --> 00:29:15.399 childhood. 00:29:16.139 --> 00:29:16.879 And all of a sudden 00:29:16.879 --> 00:29:17.799 he is plunged 00:29:17.799 --> 00:29:18.759 as though it is 00:29:18.759 --> 00:29:20.240 reality itself 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:21.299 into this moment 00:29:21.299 --> 00:29:22.539 of sensory experience 00:29:22.539 --> 00:29:23.420 and memory 00:29:23.420 --> 00:29:24.779 and it all floods in 00:29:24.779 --> 00:29:25.500 and then he begins 00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:26.440 to try to make sense 00:29:26.440 --> 00:29:28.099 of this experience 00:29:28.099 --> 00:29:28.779 that he's had. 00:29:28.960 --> 00:29:29.299 It's called 00:29:29.299 --> 00:29:30.259 a Proustian moment. 00:29:31.440 --> 00:29:32.720 And as beautiful 00:29:32.720 --> 00:29:33.740 as that illustration is, 00:29:33.799 --> 00:29:34.960 it pales in comparison 00:29:34.960 --> 00:29:35.720 to the Eucharist. 00:29:36.379 --> 00:29:37.160 Because the minute 00:29:37.160 --> 00:29:38.079 we take the bread 00:29:38.079 --> 00:29:38.799 that has been dipped 00:29:38.799 --> 00:29:39.539 in wine 00:29:39.539 --> 00:29:40.319 and we put it 00:29:40.319 --> 00:29:40.879 to our lips, 00:29:41.019 --> 00:29:41.639 that taste 00:29:41.639 --> 00:29:42.519 and that smell 00:29:42.519 --> 00:29:43.980 and that evocative power 00:29:43.980 --> 00:29:44.980 that food has 00:29:44.980 --> 00:29:45.799 to connect us 00:29:45.799 --> 00:29:46.440 to something 00:29:46.440 --> 00:29:47.299 beyond ourselves, 00:29:47.420 --> 00:29:48.519 that kicks in. 00:29:49.240 --> 00:29:50.039 And all of a sudden 00:29:50.039 --> 00:29:50.759 we are immediately 00:29:50.759 --> 00:29:51.799 transported back 00:29:51.799 --> 00:29:52.519 to that moment 00:29:52.519 --> 00:29:54.000 just before his crucifixion 00:29:54.000 --> 00:29:54.900 when Jesus sat 00:29:54.900 --> 00:29:55.920 for one last time 00:29:55.920 --> 00:29:56.880 with his disciples 00:29:56.880 --> 00:29:57.799 huddled with his arms 00:29:57.799 --> 00:29:58.420 around them 00:29:58.420 --> 00:30:02.140 pledging his love 00:30:02.140 --> 00:30:02.500 to them, 00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:03.599 promising that he 00:30:03.599 --> 00:30:04.339 would never leave them, 00:30:04.539 --> 00:30:05.339 that he would come again. 00:30:06.519 --> 00:30:07.860 And at the same moment 00:30:07.860 --> 00:30:08.700 we are transported 00:30:08.700 --> 00:30:09.660 into the future, 00:30:10.079 --> 00:30:10.700 to the moment 00:30:10.700 --> 00:30:11.720 when Jesus fulfills 00:30:11.720 --> 00:30:12.299 that promise, 00:30:12.500 --> 00:30:13.539 when he comes again. 00:30:13.539 --> 00:30:14.139 And do you know 00:30:14.139 --> 00:30:14.819 what scripture says 00:30:14.819 --> 00:30:15.659 about that day? 00:30:16.879 --> 00:30:18.180 It's a great feast. 00:30:19.399 --> 00:30:20.440 The wedding supper 00:30:20.440 --> 00:30:21.059 of the Lamb 00:30:21.059 --> 00:30:21.859 in the New Jerusalem. 00:30:22.599 --> 00:30:23.680 And on that day, 00:30:24.379 --> 00:30:25.399 at that feast, 00:30:25.599 --> 00:30:26.700 all of that craving, 00:30:26.859 --> 00:30:27.460 that longing, 00:30:27.639 --> 00:30:28.519 that comfort seeking, 00:30:28.659 --> 00:30:29.279 that yearning, 00:30:29.539 --> 00:30:30.440 that incompleteness, 00:30:30.539 --> 00:30:31.000 that emptiness, 00:30:31.180 --> 00:30:31.960 all of that 00:30:31.960 --> 00:30:33.079 will finally be satisfied. 00:30:34.639 --> 00:30:35.359 And that will be 00:30:35.359 --> 00:30:35.940 the feast 00:30:35.940 --> 00:30:37.420 to end all feasts. 00:30:38.359 --> 00:30:39.579 And that is the feast 00:30:39.579 --> 00:30:41.220 to which all our feasts 00:30:41.220 --> 00:30:42.119 point. 00:30:42.119 --> 00:30:44.579 Let's pray. 00:30:44.579 --> 00:30:44.619 Let's pray. 00:30:44.619 --> 00:31:14.599 Thank you.