On an unsuspecting fall day in 2012, my good friend Elizabeth shared with me the mystical gift of beer bread. After working hard to make other breads from scratch, I was so relieved to learn of one that technically only required sugar, flour, and a bottle of beer; no kneading & not much measuring. Since I learned of it, I delight in making it for others. It’s so easy and I love sharing the recipe (see recipe below).
Elizabeth and I grew up in the same church, love 90’s music, baking, and crafting. I was so grateful to my friend Elizabeth for sharing that recipe with me. Because she shares many of my interests, I knew that if she was excited about it, I’d probably like it too.
Elizabeth is not only a great baker; she is also a role model for me in telling people about Jesus. She tends to look for every opportunity to talk about how Jesus has changed her life and made it better; how He has made it more fulfilling.
On an unsuspecting day many falls ago, there was a woman who encountered Jesus and was told about a gift even greater than beer bread.
In John 4:10-13, Jesus told the woman that God has a gift for her and that His gift will satisfy her. She would finally find contentment with what God gave her.
And she did.
God’s gift was so satisfying and exciting that John 4:39-42 tells us that, “Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.”
The woman had a specific sphere of influence that didn’t need to be told in a persuasive way or with eloquent language. Her village needed to be pointed to Jesus and invited to know Him.
Elizabeth told me about the recipe. I looked it up and found out everything she had said was true. The Gospel offers a similar guarantee of satisfaction to all who receive it.
Often we are hesitant to share the most beautiful part of our lives. We forget that the Gospel is for everyone. Too commonly, we imagine that the Gospel somehow fits in our own lives in a unique way and that it wouldn’t make sense to just anyone.
Maybe not everyone would be as excited to receive a new recipe as I would but a drowning person is happy to be thrown a life preserver. While it is not for us to decide who is worthy of the life preserver or to whom we “feel comfortable” throwing one, we do have a natural sphere of influence and that is not by mistake.
In 1 Thessalonians 2:8 Paul writes that he and others did not only share the gospel but they also shared their own lives. We all have our own villages to point to Jesus. We are messengers who are blessed with the roles of pointing people to Jesus in the scriptures and delighting in the results.
4 Tbsp. (half stick) butter, melted (**You can double this if you'd like**)
Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x 5x 3-inch loaf pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir the beer and honey into the dry ingredients until just mixed. (I recommend popping your honey in the microwave for a few seconds beforehand to make it easier to stir in!)
Pour half the melted butter into the loaf pan. Then spoon the batter into the pan, and pour the rest of the butter on top of the batter. (Use a pastry brush to spread it around if you'd like.)
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until top is golden brown and a toothpick/knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve immediately.