From this morning’s Psalm reading: “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the LORD; the humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together...O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” (Psalm 34:1-3,8). The Psalmist has praise in his mouth, proclaiming His boasting in the matchless works of God. He then invites the hearer/reader to have the praises of God in his own mouth; a shared meal, of sorts...a fellowship meal of the best things of God: truths about Who He is and what He has done.
John the apostle repeatedly follows the Psalmist’s pattern, rejoicing in what he has seen and speaking of it so others may share in these words of life unto saving belief:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being...and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we SAW His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth...no one has SEEN God at any time; the only begotten God Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (John 1:1-3,14,18).
“And he who has SEEN has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe” (John 19:35; cf. 17:20; 20:29).
“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have SEEN with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life - and the life was manifested, and we have SEEN and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us - what we have SEEN and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete” (1 John 1:1-4).
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he SAW. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Revelation 1:1-3).
This is the fellowship meal of Christ's Church: prophets and teachers (Acts 13:1; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11) who taste the Word spoken by the Scripture witnesses and then present the bounty to the congregation, training the congregation to speak it to each other and the world. See, proclaim, taste, believe, proclaim...rejoice in the feast!
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