Originally, I was going to title this post Be a Pink Spoon to connect to a previous writing, but the more I read about the word foretaste in Amy Sherman’s book, Kingdom Calling, the more I considered the verse from Psalm 34:8 written on the spoon rest sitting atop my stove: “Taste and See that the Lord is good.” Sharing her perspective on Psalm 34, Meg Bucher offers, “In our daily lives, we make mistakes, struggle with the status quo, endure unfair hardship and stretch to understand our purpose in life. When the great king [David] wrote, ‘Taste and See that the LORD is good,’ he was expressing his utmost devotion to and love for God, and the unexplainable depths of His compassion. ‘He is good, for he makes all those that trust in him truly blessed; let us therefore be so convinced of his goodness as thereby to be encouraged in the worst of times to trust him,’ writes Matthew Henry in his Bible commentary.”

Although I am in complete agreement of needing to keep my trust in the Lord in both good and difficult times, I want to offer a slightly different perspective today in that Sherman emphasizes the importance of recognizing that our vocation, our profession, is often times the only taste a person receives of what it means to be a Christ follower. Sherman inquires, “are we bringing foretastes of justice and shalom [to the world]—or are we largely engaged in mere charity?” She continues, “We must do a better job of inspiring [others] about the role they play in the mission of God and equipping them to live [transfor]missionally through their vocation.” In other words, are we being a pink spoon so that our colleagues, our neighbors, our students receive a foretaste of Christ?

An online search of the term foretaste defines it as “a sample or suggestion of something that lies ahead.” Sherman challenges us as Christ followers to consider this time on earth, the time we spend working, engaging in the lives of others, as a foretaste of what Heaven will be like, when we see God’s restoration of His creation. This means, Sherman adds, “As we take up our places as agents of restoration, we also become instruments through which our neighbors Taste [and See] more of God’s goodness.”

It’s not often that today we use the word foretaste in our day-to-day vocabulary, but as I read Sherman’s recollection of a message by Reverand Jeff White from Harlem New Song Church, I was reminded of lyrics from the hymn, Blessed Assurance: “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine/Oh what a foretaste of glory divine…Angels descending, bring from above/Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.” In the message, White asks his church members to live as pink spoons. “You know, the spoons that offer you a foretaste of the ice cream to come [at Baskin-Robbins]. Jeff challenged attendees to see themselves as such spoons, for our role in the world is about offering [opportunities to Taste and See] the kingdom to our neighbors near and far… [if we don’t] discern how to live [transfor]missionally through that work, [we] miss a major—in some instances the major—avenue believers have for learning to live as foretastes.”

Although it may be a weighty concept to consider, we are the pink spoons that allow others to Taste and See, as well as experience, how the Bible defines shalom/peace, as “universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight.” And you are fully aware of just how tiny those little pink spoons are—they only provide a small sample of what is to come when you receive an entire scoop of that frozen delight. Imagine how tasty it will be to indulge in the fullness of what God has in store when His restoration is complete!

References:

Bucher, M. (2023, July 27). 10 ways to incorporate the verse “Taste and See That the Lord is Good’ into your everyday life. Bible Study Tools. Retrieved from https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/incorporate-the-verse-taste-and-see-that-the-lord-is-good-into-your-life.html

Crosby, F.  & Knapp, P. (1873). Blessed assurance. Retrieved from https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/308

Sherman, A.L. (2011). Kingdom calling: Vocational stewardship for the common good. IVP Books. (UU BV 4593.S54)