The Chicken And The Egg

What came first? The chicken or the egg? I've used this story over and over to explain predicaments I find myself in, or in trying to resolve a sticky problem. I've always thought it was a true place one could come to in life.

Today, I was listening to a sermon by Jedi Master Tim Keller. (I already know how big of a dork I am. That may be the dorkiest combination of words I've ever assembled) He was preaching on the wedding feast in Cana where Jesus performed his first miracle. In typical Keller fashion, there is too much I loved in the sermon to share everything that stuck with me, but what left me pondering the most afterwards was how Jesus acts on us. How he does not wait for us to be great, then bless us as a reward, but how he comes to get us even when we are mired in dirt.

When Jesus rebuked his mother for offering up his services, he wasn't doing it because he had to perform a miracle before he was ready. He said his time had not come, because he was focused on the ultimate wedding feast--his wedding supper with his bride, the church--and the wine that we will drink at that feast. Then he turned, and using the same jugs of water the Jews used to purify themselves before entering His holy presence, he turned water into wine, marking the start of his earthly ministry that culminates in his resurrection, purifying his bride for that glorious wedding feast. Back in Cana, the guests thought the best wine had been saved for last by the groom. They praised the groom for his unnatural generosity. As he smiled at the compliments, he thought about how this could have possibly happened. He didn't do anything. They should have been given water, and shamed him for being so cheap. Instead, they celebrated with the best wine any of them had ever tasted.

The groom didn't work hard for years, do everything right, save up money, and prepare as he should for his wedding day so he could put on the best wedding feast ever. He had a "catering catastrophe" on his hands as Tim Keller puts it. Jesus acted of his own will to bless this man. Jesus created wine out of nothing to bless everyone at the party with a wine they would never forget. Jesus created wine to bless because he wanted to.

I chewed on this while driving to Chik-Fil-A to get a breakfast burrito. (It was spiritually filling, but my stomach wasn't impressed) It led me to thinking about how many people I know, including my family, believe we choose to respond to Jesus's call on our lives. They do not believe that some were chosen before time even began, and that no matter what happens those not chosen will never hear and be saved. They believe a time comes when you recognize the beauty of God's grace and choose it. I believe God reveals his grace to you when he wants, and you can do nothing but respond in overwhelming joy.

I got my burrito in a white Chik-Fil-A bag and put it in my passenger seat. Driving away, I looked down and read this on the bag:

What came first? The Chicken or The Degree?

It was a story about how Chik-Fil-A gives scholarships to deserving Chik-Fil-A employees every year. Then it happened. God gave me the answer to that seemingly endless question:

What came first? The Chicken Or The Egg?

The Chicken came first! God created the first chicken, then that chicken had the first egg, and here we are. Now that blew my little mind! I knew at that moment he had been preparing me for a while to grasp such a simple, but profound truth that's been there all along.

God creates. He acts on us. We do not grow into a place in life where he decides to bless us. He creates our blessing from nothing, and gives it to us for no other reason than he wants to. Now, don't get me wrong, after that blessing, we must grow into maturity and obedience, otherwise we miss the fullness of life. But he CREATES first out of NOTHING. Then we grow from there. What a beautiful, blessed feast it will be.

It's a beautiful thing. The Chicken came First.