The real thing

Today, I enjoyed the best burger I have ever tasted. Courtesy of 'Big Nicks' burger bar on Broadway, made and cooked to my specifications - it was succulent, flavoursome, huge(!) and truly scrumptious. If bliss could be summed up as a burger - this one was it!

And yet... with such a treasury of delight to choose from (there were over 40 burgers on the menu) - people still go to McDonalds. Why??!!

* Is it that they've never tasted the real thing, and genuinely don't know how good a burger can be?
* Is it that they've tried both, and actually prefer a Big Mac?
* Is it that they feel comfortable among the crowds, knowing that their McDonalds cheeseburger will taste the same in any country in the world?
* Or is it - as an American suggested to me tonight - simply that McDonalds is cheap, and just round the corner?

I wonder if the same is true for Christianity? I know so many people who have never tasted genuine, biblical Christianity. They think religion is about rules, not a relationship. Their picture of God, if they think He exists at all, is either that He is grumpy and judgemental, or well-meaning but impotent. They've never tasted the real thing - the God of grace, who is truly good and wholly sovereign.

I suppose there really are some people out there who have eaten at both McDonalds and Big Nicks - and honestly prefer McDonalds. But my guess is that the majority of Bic Mac fans have simply never tasted the real thing. I suspect, sadly, that the same is true of most non-Christians.