Taste

Rev. Karla Jean Miller
Eliot Church of Newton
September 27, 2009
Mark 9:38-50

How many of you just love to cook?
How many of you would self-identify as a foodie?
How many of you have seen Julia and Julie more than once?
I don’t consider myself a gourmet cook. Or a foodie. But I like to cook—creatively and a bit improvisationally.

For instance, if a recipe calls for mandarin oranges, and I have none on hand, I am too happy to substitute an orange bell pepper--
That’s probably why, when I offered to cook for Liz’s staff party being held at our house, she was quick to say, “oh no, no, we will get it catered.” That’s probably why, come to think of it, the last two Christmases our invited guests have been quick to INSIST they bring the turkey and fixins’.

No, I am not a foodie. But my tendency to improvise on recipes has met with some amazing tasty delights, and treacherous inedible disasters. There is more than one reason a recipe might call for mandarin oranges over orange bell peppers, but I suspect that taste is probably the main reason, and color only secondary.

Taste. If you are trying a new food for the first time, the first thing you might ask is: What does this taste like?
The sense of taste is pretty powerful—so much so that the Psalmist joyfully sings, “O Taste and See That the Lord is Good.” A metaphor, if you will, encouraging the faithful to experience the goodness and richness of God as if you were enjoying a royal banquet.
Or, otherwise.

At the pottery studio this week, I was speaking with two women. One retired, and one in her late 20’s-30s . The retired woman is an atheist, and knows I am a pastor, so almost every time we speak, she brings up religion and how she got turned off her church because they always wanted money. Church, for her has lost its taste. The woman in her late 20’s talked about being an atheist, too. She was raised Catholic, but dropped out of the confirmation process because all of her classmates were groaning how they didn’t believe any of the stuff they were being taught, but they were doing it anyway because they knew they would get a lot of money at their confirmation parties from family and friends. They were in it for the money. She dropped out. That church experience left a bad taste in her mouth.

Our text today is about taste, and balance, and how people ought to live as a community of faithful followers. The disciples were worried about themselves. They were responding jealously in their own self interest to someone who was casting out demons in Jesus name. (Note: In a previous passage before our reading, the disciples were not able to cast out demons, because they forgot to pray.) Instead of being joyful for the person who was freed from suffering and living a new life, they were worried that the agent of healing, who didn’t even know Jesus, was stealing their thunder.

In essence, they were impeding the ministry of another.
So, Jesus admonishes them. “Cut off any part of you that causes the least of these…or yourself to stumble.” Basically, Jesus is telling the disciples to look at themselves. Consider where they are at, as a community. Are you causing others to not experience the good news? Are you jealous of each other? How are you impeding yourselves from experiencing the light and healing and care of God?

“Oh, and by the way,” Jesus says, “be salty.”
Odd thought, isn’t it? Have salt in yourselves?

In antiquity, salt was one of the primary ways to preserve food. It was also used, as today, for a seasoning to make food taste good. In the Old Testament, salt was used in rituals of hospitality and covenant-making. Salt had power to keep what was precious safe, and had the power to destroy, as in the book of Judges where a warrior sowed the field of an enemy with salt to make it barren. Salt was a cleansing agent, regarded as potent against enemies, and many women performed rituals of salting their babies to ward off evil.

Salt represented Permanence. Strength.

No wonder Jesus uses salt as a metaphor for discipleship. Have salt with in yourselves, Jesus urges, be steadfast, long-lasting, distinctive, interesting, tasty—to one another, and to the world. Be different—but in an enticing way. Don’t be tasteless.

For the first time in American religious history, we have a generation of people, the children of the baby boomers, who have not been raised in the church. But, according to recent studies in American religion, many of these people identify as spiritual, but not religious. They are suspect of organized religion that has ceased to be relevant in their worlds, and doubt that Christianity has anything of value to say to their lives. Today, Church is perceived as being about exciting as white bread-and as tasteless as—unsalted popcorn. What’s worse, there are those around us, in our communities, and in our lives where Christianity has left a bad taste in their mouths.

And yet, we who are here today have tasted community, we have tasted heaven here, in church, haven’t we? Sometimes we taste great big gulps of heaven, and sometimes only the tiniest hints of the flavor of heaven—but we have tasted goodness and life and hope, haven’t we?

We have tasted heaven in covered dish suppers, and making lunches for Common Cathedral. We have tasted hope in the silence of worship, and in laughter and tears shared. Scripture is sweet, and hymns sung together are rich. Prayer nourishes. We have tasted grace in those moments you know that everything is going to be o.k. because you know God has your back, and you know you will be cared for. You have tasted hope in the times you have completely lost your faith, you don’t believe in anything, let alone God, and someone else believes for you. The power and permanence and peace of faith are tasted in coffee hour, theological debate, in youth mission trips, and even in annual meetings to pass our budgets. On our lips lingers the balanced and seasoned life of community lived in the absolute, unfailing love of God through Christ. Here at Eliot, we have tasted God. And God is good.
And yet…my mind goes back to the studio. I think about what my younger atheist colleague said: “Most of my friends grew up in the church, but we are atheists. But we long for community, but where do you find that? Some of us are having children, and we want them to have community, but where? Some people find it in church—I actually volunteer at the food pantry at the UU church on Thursdays. There is community there…but there should be something more….”

I piped up. “My church has community! And we are full of doubters, nonbelievers, seekers, believers, and questioners! It’s messy but deep and nourishing.” I was proud to be able to say that.

My friends…how do we offer the taste of community and faith to people like my potter colleagues? Those who are spiritual and not religious? Those who long for something more, but don’t know where to look for it? We know we have what some of them are looking for.

We have to learn how to describe this good taste of faith. And not keep it a secret.
On Regathering Sunday, Tony preached about this very thing—in different words. He said, But we can’t just preach to ourselves and our children. We need to find the words, the tools, the courage to carry the message to those who have not heard.

It tastes good here, doesn’t it? Sometimes we don’t know how to describe to others. But we are going to learn how to do this, together. Share what we have here at Eliot, with others. So today, I am going help you start thinking in this direction….

If worship had a taste
What would it taste like?
Would it taste wild and earthy, like blueberries, eaten straight off the bush?
If prayer had a taste,
Would it taste faint and precious, like the milky scent of a sleeping infant,
Would it taste strong and solid, like long hike in the woods?
If Eliot Church had a taste,
Would it taste like home, like the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven? Would it be salty? Or more like the mélange and variety of tastes that you get in a box of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans? Popcorn flavored, green bean flavored, pomegranate-apple flavored?
Talk about your thoughts on this with one another.
During coffee today. At home. In the car. At dinner. Please.

O Taste and See, that the Lord is good.
Amen.