Sermons

“Taste and See!”

Mark 10:46-52; Psalm 34:1-8 – Rev. Rebecca Littlejohn

Vista La Mesa Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), La Mesa, California – October 25, 2015

Holy God, bless the speaking and the hearing of these words, that we might fully appreciate all your many blessings and know the depth of your goodness. We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.

I’m going to have you help me with the sermon this morning. Don’t worry – it won’t be hard! We’re basically going to do what the children did, so hopefully you’re already warmed up. But before we get to that part, I want to reflect a little on our scripture lessons and why they would encourage us to engage in such a simplistic activity. There is an important line in the story we heard from Mark that I want to lift up. Jesus asks Bartimaeus what he wants, and he replies, “My teacher, let me see again.” “Let me see again.” Unlike the blind man in John 9, Bartimaeus has not been blind from birth. He remembers, at least vaguely, what it’s like to see. In fact, he may be more aware of how wonderful it is than anyone who actually can see. We humans are notorious for not appreciating what we have until it’s gone.

When I was doing my summer of hospital chaplaincy before my ordination, I had the privilege of working with a young woman who was pregnant. She had been diagnosed with a rare form of throat cancer that is usually only contracted by old men in third world countries who have smoked and drunk alcohol most of their lives. It was clear she was frustrated that she, who had never been a smoker or a drinker, and who wasn’t an old man from a third world country, had also been visited by this disease. Because she was pregnant, she couldn’t go through chemo yet. Instead, they had her in the hospital for radiation treatment, until she was close enough to her due date that they could deliver the baby and get on with more serious treatment. But what I remember is what she told me about the side effects of the radiation. Because it was focused on her throat, it had affected her sense of taste. She didn’t enjoy eating anymore. Even her favorite food, spaghetti, tasted horrible to her now. Had it ever occurred to her before her illness to appreciate being able to enjoy spaghetti? I doubt it. Had it ever occurred to me to appreciate being able to enjoy spaghetti? No. We really do have this terrible habit of taking things for granted until they’re taken away from us.

And that is the point today. Whenever things are a mess and we’re feeling frustrated and angry and wondering why the world is out to get us, it helps to try to practice gratitude. “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth,” writes the psalmist. Which is an excellent attitude to have, I’m sure, but one that I’ve often found difficult to maintain. But with today’s emphasis on seeing (as opposed to not seeing) and the call to “taste and see that the Lord is good,” I was reminded that getting back to basics, reminding ourselves to enjoy our five senses might be a good way to turn our hearts back to gratitude. So today, I want to share with you some more of my favorite sensory experiences, and I hope you will share some as well. Our guiding question will be what sight or sound or taste or touch or smell helps you remember that God is good, and why?

I’ll go first. Let’s start with the eyes, because they seem most obvious, don’t they? The first thing I thought of when I asked myself what I love to look at, that reminds me of the goodness of God, was the sight of my cat sleeping. When he’s all curled up, with his face tucked into his paws, A) he’s adorable, but B) he seems so content and trusting. His utter abandon to the beloved task of sleeping is beautiful to behold. He has no fear, no worries, no sense of guilt that he should be doing something more productive. He is a model for us all of what it means to trust in God. Of course, once you take his picture, it wakes him up and he gives you this reproachful glare. So what about you? What is a favorite thing you like to look at, that reminds you of the goodness of God?

Let’s move on to our ears now. I’m going to play a sound for you now, that some of you will recognize. It’s the trumpet fanfare from the musical theme for NPR’s All Things Considered. This sound has a very specific memory for me, not of a specific moment, but of a lot of moments that have coalesced in a particular way in my mind. This sound makes me think of coming home from school and being in the kitchen with my mother as she is making dinner. And for some reason I can’t explain, in this memory, she is making spaghetti for dinner. I may be the only person in the world who associates NPR theme music with spaghetti, but I’m okay with that. For me, this sound association is about nurture and wholesomeness and love, all things that help me remember that God is good. What about you? Is there a sound that helps you recall the goodness of God?

Well, since we’ve already talked about spaghetti twice now, it must be time to move onto the sense of taste. I don’t have very deep theological allusions to make here; I just know what I like. There is this zucchini chocolate cake – yes, I know that sounds weird, but some of you have had it and you know how awesome it is. It has cinnamon and cloves in it, and it might be my very favorite food in the world. Perhaps the metaphor here is the richness of God’s love? There are other things too. A quality tomato – not mealy, not flavorless, but a good one – oh my! With a little garlic salt, if you like. Truly, a sign of the goodness of God. Or a perfect peach, one of those things you can only get by being in the right place at the right time, a sign of the elusiveness and rarity of spiritual ecstasy, the need for patience in seeking the extravagant succulence of the presence of God. What are your favorite tastes? How do they remind you of God’s goodness?

So much of what we enjoy about our favorite foods is about texture, so let’s move on to our sense of touch. It took me a while to figure this one out, until I realized that it didn’t have to be something I feel with my fingers. In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s been a really hot summer and fall. Is there anything worse than hot, tired feet? And thus, I realized that the feeling of walking on nice, cool tile in hot, bare feet is one of the most visceral experiences of relief there is. I think it must be what mercy feels like. What about you? Is there a touch sensation that reminds you of the goodness of God?

Finally – and I saved this one for last, because I think it might be the best – let’s talk about the sense of smell. They say smell is most directly related to memory. It can transport you from where you are to some place you haven’t been in years in mere seconds. For me, one of my most favorite scents in all the world is the smell of garlic and onions sautéing. I’m lucky, because in my house, if I’m smelling this, it’s usually because Todd is cooking it, not me, so I just get to enjoy the wonderful odor. I know it’s not a smell everyone might love, but for me, it’s about the richness of life here on God’s earth, and the way small things can make a big difference, and the way God’s love can flavor everything, if we take the time to let it do so. What about you? What is your favorite smell? How does it remind you of the goodness of God?

When we think about all these ways that we have to experience God’s creation, it becomes easier to live in a place of gratitude. There are signs of God’s goodness all around us. “I will lift mine eyes to the hills,” says the psalmist. We can look at those signs, or maybe we’ll hear them, or taste them, or touch them, or smell them. When life gets rough, when we start to feel put upon and fed up, perhaps we can return to looking and listening and tasting and touching and smelling, and remember within our heart of hearts that God is good. Alleluia and Amen!