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KitKat Christianity
Jon Burgess24“Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate.25I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ 26“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ Matthew 25:24-27
Don't bury it! Bring it! Jesus was making that point that everyone has something to offer in service to the Lord. It's not about comparing with others. Who has the most or who has the least is not the point. It's about making the most out of what we've been given. What the servant saw as worth little, the Master saw as worth much if invested wisely. Comparison breeds insecurity and fear. The servant squandered the gift by playing it safe instead of risking it all to do something great with what he had been given. The fact that God has given us anything at all is a sign of his trust and a possibility for massive potential if we will tap into it.
If you were to ask me what one of the most gourmet and sought after treats in Japan would be KitKat's wouldn't have even made the list. Then I visited Japan and discovered that people were willing to wait in half-hour lines just buy some packages of these common chocolate wafers. What we find alongside Snickers or Hershey bar in the check-out line here in America has been elevated beyond any mere candy bar. 14 years ago it was discovered that KitKat sounded a lot like the Japanese phrase kittokatsu which means: 'you will surely win'. Customers were buying KitKat's for students heading into exams for good luck. Instead of ignoring this as a fluke, they tapped into this and created a trend. Instead of seeing these wafers as an afterthought they invested time, money and advertising into new flavor combinations. Nestle even went so far as to partner with Le Patissier Takagi, the famous chef in Japan known for his high-end offerings, who now experiments with luxurious and unusual flavors. We've got one flavor in America. In Japan they have created over 300 flavors including: Red bean sandwich, Wasabi, Blueberry cheesecake, Cinnamon cookie, Matcha-green tea, Hojicha roasted tea, Brown sugar syrup, Cappuccino, Edamame soybean, Purple sweet potato, Hot Japanese chili, Baked potato,Strawberry, Citrus golden blend, Pear, Shinshu apple, Fruit parfait, Chocobanana What would happen if Christians did the same with our gifts? Instead of comparing our KitKat gifts with Godiva we used what we have for God? What if we thought outside of the religious box and began to be creative with how we use what we've been given? Let's stop second-guessing ourgifts and start investing them through creative partnerships. Instead of competing and comparing let's start collaborating and coloring outside the lines. Everything from God has eternal potential to impact our culture. Let's use what we've been given for the glory of God and watch as the world stands in line for the Good News.
Lord, where I see limitations You see limitless possibilities. Where I see one flavor you see 300. Where I focus on what I don't have You reveal what I've been given. I'm tired of living out of fear and crisis. I want to live out of faith and creativity. You look at my loaves and fishes and see a feast for thousands. You look at mywater and see wine. You look at my KitKat's and see gourmet confections. Let me see with Your eyes and invest what I've been given in creative ways!
