Vine-ripened…

Ketchup goes back to at least the 1600s. (I prefer the “ketchup” spelling to the more feline-referential “catsup”—but, hey, I’m a dog lover.) It appeared in an American cookbook as early as 1801. But did you know there were originally many other kinds of ketchup besides tomato? One could once choose lobster ketchup, mushroom ketchup, walnut ketchup and many other varieties, the uses of which I leave to your imagination. I suspect there’s good reason why you can’t go to the store and buy anchovy ketchup anymore.
Heinz launched their brand of ketchup in 1876 and there haven’t been many improvements since. Perhaps you remember back in 2000 when there was an attempt to foist purple or green ketchup upon us; those efforts came to naught and ketchup retains its crimson sauciness. Yes, I guess if we’ve mastered anything, you could say that we’ve had ketchup all figured out for quite awhile…except for those times when it’s hard to get it to start flowing out of the bottle.
Thus, a couple years ago, both Heinz and Hunt began packaging their ketchup in “upside-down” bottles. It seems like such a simple solution that you have to wonder why it took a couple of centuries. Churches can have things upside down, too, sometimes for hundreds of years. They focus on keeping rules and building impressive edifices and attracting crowds no matter what the cost. But then there are churches who have righted their message, emphasizing hope, grace, love and forgiveness. Such a simple idea; why does it take so long?
I traded in my old container years ago when I learned that God was not my adversary. When I came to know how much He loved me, it turned my world upside down…and it made that love flow much easier from me. Maybe you’re still stuck there: fearing God, never feeling good enough, always bearing that load of guilt. There’s a much better way. Catch up.