How to Share Biblical Principles with Your Grandchildren on Pizza Night
Kids love pizza, and I do too. The perfect chewy/crunchy crust. Pizza sauce, everything from marinara to Alfredo works for me, with a swirl of pesto. Don’t get me started on toppings. And yes, pineapple qualifies.
But how do you bring Jesus into pizza night? It’s not as hard as you think.
Pizza and Smashed Tomatoes
First up, a teaching from my friend, author Tim Shoemaker. Tim writes great MG fiction, but he also has a gift for devotionals, especially for boys. This one involves smashed tomatoes.
Your instructions:
You’ll need one large Ziploc bag and one beautiful ripe tomato for each grandchild.
Have each child put their tomato into the bag and seal it. Double check the seal.
Tell them to smash their tomatoes. Use a mallet. A rolling pin. Let them go to town on it.
Now ask them, “Is the tomato ruined? Is it good for anything now?”
Chances are they’ll say yes, it’s ruined and no, it’s not good for anything. At the very least, it’s a mess.
However, in the hands of a chef, a smashed tomato turns into something tasty. Tomato soup. Spaghetti sauce. Ketchup. Or pizza sauce. If you are handy in the kitchen, make your own sauce with the smashed tomatoes. If not, have a jar of sauce ready for tasting and for your pizza later.
Then, transition to the real lesson. Sometimes hard things happen that leave us feeling like a smashed tomato. Unkind words. An illness or injury. Maybe we lose someone we love. Perhaps we get a bad grade on a test. Let them contribute ideas too.
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
When we give those smashed tomatoes to God, He brings good from bad. Just like a chef can make something delicious from a “ruined” tomato, God specializes in bringing positives from something negative.
If you have a personal story that relates, share it as you prepare your pizza. (No, pressure. Frozen pizza works too.)
If you can follow up with a movie that echoes the Romans 8 verse, go for it. I love The Secret Garden (the version where Colin Firth makes a cameo appearance at the end. The movie’s theme music is Chopin’s Nocturne #19. We have watched this movie sooo many times and it never disappoints.).
Later, be on the lookout for smashed tomato moments and remind them of Romans 8:28.
Pizza and the Crust
The second thought for pizza night centers on the crust. Crust makes or breaks a pizza. There’s a pizza place we used go to in Arlington called Corky’s and they have the best crust ever. I burn my mouth every time, ya’ll, I mean, really burn it. It’s so good I can’t wait for it to cool. I’m gluten free now and trust me, cauliflower pizza crust is not the same. Can I get an Amen?
For the best pizza, you need the real deal. Crust is foundational.
Likewise, Jesus is foundational. You can’t have a pizza without the crust and life without Jesus is like going gluten free. Cauliflower doesn’t measure up.
“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:11-13
Jesus is the crust, the foundation, for our life pizza. Without Him, it’s just sauce and stuff. Jesus brings it all together.
Top That Pizza
Lastly, toppings. You can take several angles here.
The Ratatouille angle. In the Disney movie, Remy is amazed at the many different foods, and the endless combinations chefs make in preparing those ingredients. Think about it. God gave us tomatoes, basil, garlic, olives, peppers, and whatever makes your topping list. He could have given us oatmeal and called it a day. But He didn’t.
Genesis 1:12 reads, “The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.”
Have the grandkids list their favorite toppings. Wonder at the flavor range and thank God He gave us choices.
Another angle is this, unusual ingredients can make the best toppings. I don’t know your feelings on pineapple and pizza, but in my opinion, they partner well. We love California Pizza Kitchen’s BBQ pizza and make it ourselves all the time. My oldest loves a white pizza with Alfredo sauce. I put balsalmic glaze on everything. Figs, prosciutto? Bring it on.
Have a variety of unusual toppings available. Reward those brave enough to try them.
What’s the spiritual tie-in? God has filled Scripture with unusual things. Parting the Red Sea with a stick. Walking around Jericho to bring down its walls. Sending ravens to feed his prophet. Or how about how God uses unusual people to partner with Him? A shepherd boy became a king. A prophet became a meal ticket for a pagan widow and son. A fisherman became a speaker. God became a baby.
As believers, we need to be prepared for the unusual and trust God enough to go with it, so, encourage your grandkids to experiment with new flavors.
Let’s pray: Father God, thank You for pizza night. Thank you for mozzarella cheese, smashed tomato sauce, and a huge range of toppings. Thank you, Jesus, for being our foundation. May our grandkids learn that You are our Center, our crust on which we build our lives. Thank you for turning our smashed tomatoes into something good. Thank You that Your ways are not our ways and unusual doesn’t mean bad. May our grandkids taste and see that You are good. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Make your pizza night one they remember.
Resources:
Next week: Seeds: How to Share the Mystery of Life from Death with Your Grandchildren
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