How to Bring Down Abercrombie and Fitch

One of the things that this table teaches us is about what is cool. And we need to realize that would people mean by “cool” is “blessing.” We live in a world that hates god and is constantly telling us about how to be cool, how to hate God and be happy. They show us movie stars, musicians, and professional athletes as the pinnacle of this cool, of happiness, satisfaction, joy, even blessing. This table however pictures something fundamentally different from their conception of cool. Over and over throughout the pages of Scripture the highest, greatest blessings are pictured in table fellowship. Blessed is the man whose wife is a fruitful vine in her house abounding with children around his table. The blessing of God is pictured as fine wine, good bread, a wedding feast, and a wife and children. This table is the cup of blessing; this table is God’s offer of blessing and goodness to you. But this means that God is asking you to reorient your priorities. This means that we are called to warfare, to do battle with those false pictures of blessing and joy. The world hates God. And they are saying this with the clothes they wear, the songs they sing, and the stories they tell. But we are called to do battle with this. We do not do battle with these weapons by refusing to buy clothes, plugging our ears, or going around blindfolded. After the Exodus, God leads his people out into the wilderness and begins to train them for the conquest. He begins running a basic training camp for Israel. And the way he trains them to fight is by teaching them how worship at the tabernacle. The first generation doesn’t get it, but after 40 years their children will be trained for battle having offered sacrifices at the door of the tabernacle, having feasted before the Lord. So too we are called to battle with sin, the flesh, and the devil. And this is your basic training here. As we worship God in spirit and truth, he trains our hands for war and our fingers to fight. And this is the most potent warfare: sitting at a table with the family of God celebrating the victory of Jesus. This is how God has determined to bring down everything that sets itself against him: whether principalities or powers, whether politicians or movie stars, every knee shall bow. So come eat, drink, and rejoice.