Taste the Goodness: Earl Raue
The following homily was shared at our Sunday Evening Eucharist service 3/30/25.
Scripture Readings:
Today is the 4th Sunday of Lent, and as many of you are likely aware (due to my all occasional groaning that is very unlike the Spirit), I've given up sweets for it.
Ignoring ketchup, giving up on added sugar has done far more for me than I ever expected. First and foremost, it's helped me to realize just how often we Americans get offered some sort of sweet. I mean, we have a whole box overflowing with various cakes and mini cherry pies in The Wesley back room. In our first reading, God confirms to Joshua that He has “removed the reproach of Egypt”. Later on during the celebrations, the people eat their first feast provided by the lands of Canaan. I believe that those people were mighty happy, very proud even, when they ate that feast. I know that I personally will be overjoyed when Easter comes.
As much as I'm joking about me giving up sweets, this is actually really important to me. As far as I remember, this year is actually the first year that I'm fully participating in Lent. I remember trying when I was really little, but I forgot after maybe two days, and after that I always just kept forgetting that it was a thing.
Having gone through this with as much diligence as I can muster, I've noticed a comparison. In giving up sweets, I'm learning to say no to things that aren't good for me. This, quite un-strangely I think, is a lot like how the devil tempts us.
Every day we face temptations from things we shouldn't see, eat, or have, and we need to be able to say no to those things. Though it sucks when we have to say no and resist the things we want, it's important that we don't just sit there after that. If there's a donut box that's free to anyone around and we don't leave the room, well, sitting there and staring isn't going to make that temptation go away anytime soon.
What God has been teaching me, and what we see in the Psalm today, is that we are called to taste and see the goodness of the Lord. We are called to bless Him and praise Him at all times.
So, what I'm trying to say is short and simple: to resist our temptations, we need to focus on God, give Him praise, and bless Him. When we do that, we not only empty out the power of our temptations, but we let God fill that space instead.
God promises us that, as long as we follow Him, we will taste and see His goodness. Amen.
Earl is a devoted disciple of Christ and a good friend here at LA Tech Wesley. He is always available for an adventure or a good joke. A senior this school year majoring in English, as well as a member of our Discipleship Team, we look forward to having Earl’s kind and gentle spirit around for years to come.