A December 8, 2023 article published on www.FoxNews.com recently reported that grocery bills have surged almost 250% since 1990! The article, written by Madeline Coggins was titled “'Home Alone' Fans Shocked by Almost 250 Percent Increase in Grocery Prices Since Iconic Shopping Trip: Kevin McCallister's Grocery List Has Gone From $19.83 in 1990 to $72.28 in 2023”.
It recalls how, after being left alone for the holidays, eight-year-old Kevin McCallister famously went grocery shopping in the 1990 classic film “Home Alone”, purchasing a large haul of food and everyday household items for under $20. However, these days, McCallister would need a lot more in his piggy bank…
The items he purchased included a half-gallon of milk, a half-gallon of orange juice, a TV dinner, a loaf of bread, frozen macaroni and cheese, laundry detergent, cling wrap, toilet paper, a pack of army men, and dryer sheets. At the time, the cost to the character, played by Macaulay Culkin, was $19.83. Last year, that same grocery list cost $44.40. And this year, it now costs a whopping $72.28!
Ouch!
And yet, according to the old adage, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Prices may well have increased; but the staples (with the possible exception of the plastic army men) and the need for them arguably remain the same.
This is clearly true of the world since 1990. The products purchased then are arguably still everyday necessities; even if the prices have soared. And if it is true that the world has both changed and stayed the same over the last c. 25 years, how much more is it true of the world over the last two thousand years?!
The world has changed a lot since the first century. After all, the once vaunted Roman Empire is no more. She has been replaced by a long succession of would -be world conquerors, all of whom are now in the dustbin of history. The nation of Israel, once conquered and dispersed by Rome, disappeared for much of this time, until it was miraculously reconstituted in 1948.
Along the way, countless political, economic, military, social, and historical philosophies and/or entities have come and gone. And little wonder, for none of these have met the most basic need of men and women, which has steadfastly remained the same!
You see, the basic need of men and women in every place and at all times throughout history has never been physical, social, economic, or political. Rather it is spiritual! That need, to have their relationship with Almighty God, broken by sin, fully restored, is the most basic need that every single human being in all of history has faced. It remains an everyday necessity to this very day!
And yet, ironically, the price for that necessity has already been paid. It was satisfied through the sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of God’s One and Only Son, Jesus Christ. Indeed, that is the very reason for which He came into this world, which we celebrate at Christmas.
The more things change, the more they stay the same – especially as it concerns one’s eternal destiny! I trust you have found the One Who alone can meet your most basic need.
The Apostle Peter (in the New Testament Book of Acts, chapter 4, verses 8-12) put it this way when he was called before the ruling authorities of his day:
“Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Has your most basic need been met? I know mine has, in the person and work of Jesus Christ. I trust you, like me, have called upon Him to meet that need. After all, some things, among them our need for a Savior, never change!
ARTICLE SOURCE:
https://www.foxnews.com/media/home-alone-fans-shocked-250-percent-increase-grocery-prices-iconic-shopping-trip. According to the article, FOX Business News’ Megan Henney and FOX News’ Dana Blanton also contributed to this report.
SCRIPTURE SOURCE:
https://biblehub.com/niv/acts/4.htm.
It recalls how, after being left alone for the holidays, eight-year-old Kevin McCallister famously went grocery shopping in the 1990 classic film “Home Alone”, purchasing a large haul of food and everyday household items for under $20. However, these days, McCallister would need a lot more in his piggy bank…
The items he purchased included a half-gallon of milk, a half-gallon of orange juice, a TV dinner, a loaf of bread, frozen macaroni and cheese, laundry detergent, cling wrap, toilet paper, a pack of army men, and dryer sheets. At the time, the cost to the character, played by Macaulay Culkin, was $19.83. Last year, that same grocery list cost $44.40. And this year, it now costs a whopping $72.28!
Ouch!
And yet, according to the old adage, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Prices may well have increased; but the staples (with the possible exception of the plastic army men) and the need for them arguably remain the same.
This is clearly true of the world since 1990. The products purchased then are arguably still everyday necessities; even if the prices have soared. And if it is true that the world has both changed and stayed the same over the last c. 25 years, how much more is it true of the world over the last two thousand years?!
The world has changed a lot since the first century. After all, the once vaunted Roman Empire is no more. She has been replaced by a long succession of would -be world conquerors, all of whom are now in the dustbin of history. The nation of Israel, once conquered and dispersed by Rome, disappeared for much of this time, until it was miraculously reconstituted in 1948.
Along the way, countless political, economic, military, social, and historical philosophies and/or entities have come and gone. And little wonder, for none of these have met the most basic need of men and women, which has steadfastly remained the same!
You see, the basic need of men and women in every place and at all times throughout history has never been physical, social, economic, or political. Rather it is spiritual! That need, to have their relationship with Almighty God, broken by sin, fully restored, is the most basic need that every single human being in all of history has faced. It remains an everyday necessity to this very day!
And yet, ironically, the price for that necessity has already been paid. It was satisfied through the sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of God’s One and Only Son, Jesus Christ. Indeed, that is the very reason for which He came into this world, which we celebrate at Christmas.
The more things change, the more they stay the same – especially as it concerns one’s eternal destiny! I trust you have found the One Who alone can meet your most basic need.
The Apostle Peter (in the New Testament Book of Acts, chapter 4, verses 8-12) put it this way when he was called before the ruling authorities of his day:
“Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Has your most basic need been met? I know mine has, in the person and work of Jesus Christ. I trust you, like me, have called upon Him to meet that need. After all, some things, among them our need for a Savior, never change!
ARTICLE SOURCE:
https://www.foxnews.com/media/home-alone-fans-shocked-250-percent-increase-grocery-prices-iconic-shopping-trip. According to the article, FOX Business News’ Megan Henney and FOX News’ Dana Blanton also contributed to this report.
SCRIPTURE SOURCE:
https://biblehub.com/niv/acts/4.htm.