This past weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity of preaching during our confirmation service. The following are my notes from the sermon:
You can't have just one.
Have you ever experienced something so delicious that you had to eat more? Maybe you've opened a bag of Doritos and minutes later discovered that you've eaten almost the whole bag. Or maybe you've experienced the feeling of walking into a kitchen with fresh baked brownies; the aroma fills the room and you can't help but eat several. One of the best snacks that I've ever experienced is my mom's chocolate chip cookies. My mom makes the best chocolate cookies in the world. There is nothing better than a tall glass of milk and a chocolate chip cookie that has been warmed up in the microwave.
This concept of craving food is not just true of the food we eat. If you've ever played sports, you probably understand what it's like to crave game time. Perhaps you have an upcoming baseball game and you crave the moment you walk out onto the field. Or maybe you are playing football and you crave the moment you can pad up and hit someone. Families experience this feeling after a great vacation; as soon as you return home you crave the moment you can have a vacation like that again.
When we have something good, two things happen. First, we crave more of it. Second, we want to share that experience with others. We crave more and we tell people about it. When the scriptures talk about our relationship with God and God's words to us, it uses this language of tasting and craving that we are very familiar with. In the book of Psalms it describes God's word as being "sweeter than honey." In Hebrews it describes those who have faith as having "tasted the heavenly gift."
"I have tasted and have seen."
In Psalm 34 David writes,
"I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."
David is saying that he has tasted God and he is delicious. He has experienced God and it was so good that he wants us to experience his giidness tii. He has tasted God and he craves more of him. What has David tasted an seen? He has tasted a God that answers him, that delivers him. He has tasted a God that gets rid of his shame. David would find a lot to be ashamed of in his life, but God, because of Christ, gets rid of all our shame. David has tasted and says "He is good."
As we celebrate confirmation, we celebrate what David celebrates. We celebrate that we have tasted God and He is good. We celebrate the parents that have tasted and seen Christ. We celebrate that as they have experienced Christ they craved that relationship, not only for themselves, but for their children. And because of that they encouraged them to "taste and see." We celebrate that small group leaders desired to share their experiences in their small groups. That the group leaders could say, "this is what I've tasted and have seen and I want that for you." And we celebrate that as the confirmands share their faith they have tasted and seen the goodness of a God who has sacrificed his life for them.
Photo Credits: penguincakes