Christians Like Cheese

Christians like Cheese.  I should have typed the word "are" between Christians and Cheese.  Let me explain.

There is a day in June which provides the Green Bay Packers and other residents of Wisconsin an opportunity to celebrate.  Somewhere along the way, a keeper of calendar dates declared June 4th National Cheese Day. 

While Americans eat just over half as much cheese per year as the French, 34 pounds per person does sound a bit excessive.  I eat my share of the national average - mainly through the regular consumption of Anchorage's Moose's Tooth pizzas.  (They're amazingly tasty!)  

If you want to begin making plans for a 2020 Cheese Day celebration, the folks at www.holidayscalendar.com provide this advice . . .

"If you want to celebrate National Cheese Day, then all you have to do is enjoy cheese in one of its many forms.  You can have cheese soup, a cheese sandwich or maybe just some cheese ravioli.  Maybe your idea of a good time is having some cheese on crackers or eating a cheese pizza.  How you celebrate this holiday all depends on your personal preferences."

Cheese.com identifies 1829 different types of cheese.  Notice that whether one eats Aged Gouda or Zwister, one eats cheese.  All cheeses from A to Z are types of cheese.

While I am mentioning numbers, I will shift from the topic of cheese to the matter of Christianity.  The keepers of statistics, whomever they may be, identify the total number of Christian denominations at over 33,000.  Notice that whether one attends an Anabaptist church or a church belonging to the West Syriac Rite, one attends a church.

While not all who attend church truly follow Christ, many do.  Therefore Christians of any of the 33,000 denominations, whether living in Afghanistan or Zimbabwe, share the identity of a Christ-follower. 

Just as Cheddar and Brie taste different and are presented in differing ways, Congregational and Baptist churches vary in style and nourish distinct "tastes."  Despite their differences, both of the former are still cheeses and both of the latter are still Christian churches. 

As you gather with friends to enjoy the great variety of cheeses from Aged Gouda to Zwister, perhaps you will choose to eat a grilled cheese sandwich or spoonfuls of cheese soup. All are cheese.

As you gather at church with other Christians to celebrate Jesus, remember that Christians who meet in a church different than ours, still gather in a church.  All are Christ-followers.

#ordinarylives