I told Ed it was to be the great taste of our first strawberry-rhubarb pie of the season. Instead, it was the taste of an experiment gone wrong. My new crumble pie topping was a complete failure. I cut the head off my pie and served pieces of it covered in whipped topping. It was a poor reflection of the wonderful world of pies.聽
My old neighbour encouraged me not to give up on baking pies, because it would be a sad world without pies. Ed believes the only pie not worth eating is a mud pie. According to Ed, I have the secret of good pies because I do not scrimp on sugar and that even lemon meringue pie and key lime pie still need to be sweet as well as tangy.
Ed sees himself as an expert on the taste of every kind of pie, from strawberry-rhubarb, blueberry, saskatoon berry, apple, cherry, peach, raisin, pecan, coconut cream, banana cream, chocolate cream, to pumpkin for starters. If Ed had a restaurant, he would have a pie buffet with a dozen different pies from which people could choose. 鈥淲ho couldn鈥檛 make a meal out of a variety of pies to eat?鈥� Ed asked me.
David Mamet has said that stress cannot exist in the presence of pie. Jane Austin said that good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness. Stephen King has said that a slice of pie (apple?) without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze. I do not know who said that eating humble pie never tastes good, but humble pie is good for one鈥檚 spiritual health.
I could not find a reference for pie in the Bible, but Psalm 118:103 says of God鈥檚 words, 鈥淗ow sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.鈥� God鈥檚 words for us are sweet like pie but not without sour or tangy flavours to awaken our faith鈥檚 taste buds for the richness and depth of God鈥檚 word. When God called Ezekiel to be His prophet to the Israelites, God gave a scroll of His words that Ezekiel was to eat. Then he could say them to the Israelites as God directed him. Ezekiel ate the scroll and said that it tasted as sweet as honey in his mouth.聽
Usually, it is not hard to get people to eat pie, but some will still say 鈥渘o thank you鈥� to pie. God is good, and His word is good, but God warned Ezekiel that many would not listen to God鈥檚 word when Ezekiel spoke God鈥檚 word to them. Psalm 34:8 invites, 鈥淥h taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.鈥�
The best pie in the world means nothing if no one wants to taste it and see how delicious it tastes. Perhaps the pandemic gives us extra time to taste God鈥檚 word and see how God is love.
Reading God鈥檚 word is tasting it. Tasting God鈥檚 words shows God is good, and His love endures forever. 鈥淕od鈥檚 words are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.鈥� (John 20:31)
