"O taste and see that the LORD is good!" One of the oddest phrases in the Bible are these words found in Psalm 34:8. I hear Christians talking all the time about wanting to see God, touch God, hear from God, but I can't say as I've ever heard anyone say they'd like to taste God. And yet, here it is. From earliest times, a meal was part of worship. The worshipper offered a sacrifice which was then eaten at a holy place with prescribed rituals that gave assurance that the meal was being shared by the god. Even today in many religious traditions, offerings of food are left for the god to consume. In our own Christian tradition we have the holy meal of the Eucharist, or Communion. It is highly symbolic and hardly a meal in the sense we usually think, but it is the centerpiece of our worship as we commune with God the Father through the agency of the Holy Spirit as we figuratively drink the blood and eat the body of Jesus Christ. A casual reading of the liturgy reveals why early Christians were thought to be cannibals.
And here we are told to taste. Today I visited my physician. Medicare mandates such camaraderie, so I hopped on my bike and drove over to have a little chit-chat with a physician''s assistant. For the most part, I'm pretty healthy. I take no prescription medications, and other than some occasional mild tingling in my extremities and the nuisance of plantar fasciitis, I'm in pretty good shape. During the course of our conversation I happened to mention that I have an occasional bout with heartburn. The PA asked if I wanted medication for it, and I declined. I've been down this road before and know perfectly well that if I simply lose about fifteen pounds, the problem takes care of itself. Which brings me back to that business of tasting.
Linda is a good cook, and I am not a picky eater. Most everything tastes good to me. I'm not big on sweets, but her homemade bread or the potato, sausage, onion, and green pepper casserole she made for dinner tonight...it was heavenly! I don't just taste; I savor the nuances. Problem is, there's always just a little bit more. Linda is not known for frugality when it comes to cooking. A single ham is never enough for a family gathering. She either puts another one in the oven or adds a turkey. We have lots of people here for Sunday dinners, and I don't think we've ever even come close to running out.
Taste and see that the LORD is good! That's the command. Slow down; this isn't a fast-food meal; it's a dining experience where we savor the texture as well as the flavor. Christ sets a banquet for his children, and some day we will sit around his table where no one goes hungry and all are satisfied. I am grateful for the taste of heaven we are given here. If the senses are heightened in God's kingdom, it will be utterly amazing. I'm looking forward to it, but in the meantime, want to invite as many as I can to the table. If you've never come, let me encourage you. Why eat this world's green bologna when God offers steak?
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