Fellowship Programs

August 2024 – Deeply Rooted in Nostalgia

August 1, 2024June 2, 2023By
August 2024 – Deeply Rooted in Nostalgia

Vintage Picnic Party

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

Introduction

Do you remember old-fashioned picnics? For many of us, childhood memories involve picnics, flying kites in wide-open spaces, summer road trips to the lake, a day at the park, trips to the zoo, or a ride through the country to experience the splendor of God’s magnificent creation.

A century ago, when Henry Ward Beecher was asked how we could make our nation better, he answered, “Multiply picnics.” An old-fashioned picnic is a great way to celebrate summer. Picnic or classic barbecue-type foods combined with activities such as sack races, face painting, and egg-and-spoon races can make for a lovely, nostalgic celebration.

Menu

Serve a cookout-themed menu, including burgers, hot dogs, chicken, or other favorite grilled meats. Invite women to bring traditional picnic side dishes, such as potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, potato chips, and watermelon. For dessert, summer and apple pie go well together. Set up a large jug of lemonade or put out individual lemonade bottles.

Serve the food in red plastic food baskets lined with red-and-white checkered napkins or parchment paper.

Decorations

It is not necessary to go overboard with decorations because the idea is a celebration of yesteryear’s simpler times. Add a few touches such as red-and-white checkered tablecloths and balloons—display old-fashioned soda bottles in a galvanized bucket of ice.

Games

Organize games where families can participate together. Favorite classic picnic games include sack races, three-legged races, and wheelbarrow relays. A baseball game or dodgeball is a great team-oriented game also.

For the less mobile, have a word or question-type games. A fun activity for adults and kids alike is to play bingo.

Prizes for games could be boxes of Cracker Jack, jump ropes, a set of jacks, or sidewalk chalk. Lemonade mixes in canning jars are another fun gift for summer picnic guests.

Devotion:

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 says, “I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.”

In return to Family Picnics, Russell Cronkhite writes, “Can you hear the laughter? Can you see the cloth-covered tables abounding with an array of fresh salads, platters piled high with fried chicken or glazed ham, and bowls full of fresh-picked produce? Can you taste the simple pleasure of homemade, deli-style sandwiches with just that right touch of mustard and creamy mayonnaise, perfectly paired with those salty, crunchy kettle chips and sweet, cold root beer? Can you smell the wood smoke as ribs sizzle on the grill? Can you hear the friendly voices calling you to tables set with beaded pitchers of sweetened iced tea and those homey, scrumptious desserts?”

Perhaps nothing invokes nostalgia of by-gone picnics like a treasured family recipe. Who can tell me what makes grandma’s cooking the best? The love, care, and time she put into it. I think we can all agree that there is something special about grandma’s recipes. Recently, my mom sent me a picture of my grandma’s Mississippi Mud Cake recipe. On the recipe card was an ingredient that I had heard of but never purchased. Can you guess what it was? Oleo. It’s an old brand name of margarine used as a substitute for butter. I never had the opportunity to watch my grandma make her cake, and in fact, I do not have many memories of her at all. However, I know she was a faithful soldier, loved Jesus, and made a delicious Mississippi Mud Cake.

Baking a cake sure has come a long way since my grandma’s day. It used to take many hours toiling away in the kitchen. Our scripture today from Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 says, “I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.” My grandma always found joy in the toil of baking for her family. It was something that took time, effort, and sometimes a little sweat, but she was happy to do it for those she loved. Watching her family enjoy the product of her toiled efforts brought her so much joy and happiness.

What is the difference between joy and happiness? Joy and happiness are two different emotions that are similar but actually very different. Joy is attributed to something very consistent and internal, while happiness tends to be triggered by external circumstances.

Joy is part of our inner nature as Christians that comes from having a relationship with Jesus.  Happiness is only achievable on earth, while joy is spiritual and only achievable through the love of Christ. Joy is a spiritual fruit that is given to us by the Holy Spirit. Joy is not only attained here on earth, but it is also something that we connect with God because it is given to us by the Spirit. In Galatians 5:22, Paul writes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”

Like my grandmother, we can feel happy when someone enjoys our food, but joy enables us to be light-hearted when our brownies resemble a burnt offering. Joy allows us to live the Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 fully: “I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.”

In the words of Russell Cronkhite, “So what are you waiting for? Call up some friends and pack up the family. Grab the football, the frisbee, the kite-or all three. Turn off the cell phone, pack the hamper, and head out to the yard…or across town to the park…or out into the country. Then spread the blanket, break out the goodies, and celebrate this glorious day with the people you love. All you have to add is the lemonade!”

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