The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost - Taste and See

"Taste and see, taste and see 
the goodness of the Lord.
Oh, taste and see, taste and see
the goodness of the Lord, of the Lord."

Most of us know this simple and beautiful hymn written by James E. Moore in the 1980's. In the Episcopal Church, I have most often seen it used as a Communion hymn, inviting us to experience the physical sensations of tasting and seeing Jesus in the bread and wine. So often we allow ourselves to relegate the spiritual life to our minds and hearts and forget to include the very physical nature of our lives. Yet, Jesus, as a man who sat and ate, who fished and drank with his followers is the very incarnation of God, inviting us into the intersection of the spiritual and the physical worlds.

This weekend here in Franklin, we have a whole festival dedicated to tasting and seeing! The Taste of Franklin festival features the goodness of the offerings of area restaurants. We get to hear the goodness of area musicians in their sharing of their talents. We literally get to taste and see the goodness of the Lord in the community and the abundance our area has to offer. I hope that if you enjoy the festival this weekend, you also take a moment here and there to remember to taste and see the goodness that God is offering to you, through the weather, through the food, through the music, through the community of people around you.

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord!