If Jesus came to Christchurch today – who would he have a beer with?
That’s the question Gus challenged people to think about at the Beer Tasting event held last night at Elevate Bar in Cashmere, a suburb of Christchurch. He spoke from Luke 5:27-30:
27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth.“Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. 29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
When he came, Jesus surprised people by spending time with those who were the unpopular and ostracised from society – like Levi the tax collector. Instead, Jesus challenged the religious leaders saying that he had come to call sinners to repent. But the reality is that we’re all sinners, we’ve rejected God and are no longer in relationship with him. But in Jesus, we can know God and live for him. Gus ended his talk with another question: why do the Christians here think they’re sinners and why do they think they need Jesus? Some great conversations followed.
Before Gus’s talk, a local craft brewer shared 6 different beers with those who came along. Each person got to try 100mL of each beer, while hearing about its ingredients, brewing process, and particular flavours. There were varying responses to each of the beers – especially the milk stout which had a very roasted, dark taste.
Jen also shared her testimony of how God has worked in her life. The event was well attended and we pray provides many conversations about our need for Jesus.
So who would Jesus have a beer with? Well he’d want to meet with all of us. And what would he say? I expect he’d say “Come, follow me.”
Read more . . .