Is there a food that transports you back in time to a specific place?
It might be your mother’s special family meal. Or perhaps your grandma’s baking. Maybe you connect to the aroma of a special meal at a restaurant.
There is something about food – especially the smell of food – that has the ability to link to and become symbolic of a place, a time or an event.
What is it for you?
This morning, I had a similar experience, but it didn’t involve food. My daily Bible reading included Psalm 136. And just reading that psalm transported me to a time, a place and an event all in one split second.
Psalm 136 is an antiphonal psalm. That means it’s meant to be read by two groups, alternating between them. One group reads a statement, the other group responds in affirmation “For His mercy endures forever.”
It’s a really cool experience to hear the psalm read that way. I imagine ancient Israel gathered in the temple, with the priest reading the statements of the psalm, and the assembled people thundering back to him “For His mercy endures forever!”
Perhaps you’ve even read it that way in one of your worship services. It’s a perfect setup for a worship leader and congregation.
For me, Psalm 136 always goes back to one place. Every year for the past 25+ years my wife and I have celebrated Passover right before Resurrection Sunday. It’s a very special tradition for us, loaded with meaning and insight into what Jesus was thinking and feeling on the night that He was betrayed.
Psalm 136 is always read in our Passover. It’s part of the Grand Hallel (the Great Praise) that is read toward the end of the ceremony as the celebration of redemption reaches its climax.
Reading Psalm 136 this morning took me back to the Passover celebration this year. Standing in the gym at church, surrounded by 200+ celebrants, the smell of horseradish, onions, roasted chicken and potato kugel. As the leader, I called the statements and the assembled people responded in unison “For His mercy endures forever!”
For me, the Passover is a powerfully emotional and significant time. It’s also scripture saturated. It gives context and character and depth to numerous sections of scripture. I feel them differently because of how they show up in that ceremony.
And reading Psalm 136 this morning transported me back to that.
It was lovely.
So my second question to you is, do you associate scripture with any particular location or event or experience?
My wife loves a simple benediction after service – like the benediction out of Jude. That takes her back to her childhood church and the tradition that they followed every week.
This kind of memory is characteristic of a life saturated by scripture.
I think that’s something to be sought-after and valued. There is no way that connecting memories to scripture can steer us wrong.
Yes scripture can be just like food. It can transport us through time and space and bring back memories of significant times or movements by God in our lives.
If you have a significant scripture that transports you, would you share it with me by responding to this email?
If you think, “I don’t really have that.” Let me encourage you to lean into your Bible. This link on my website shares what I think is the absolute easiest way to start to lean into scripture and let it start to work on your life.
https://www.dennis-stevenson.com/resources/oneyearbible/
It’s the way that I engage with scripture today. I actually use the Chronological Bible that is at the bottom of the page.
God promises His word will not return void. You only need to open it and start reading.
Until next time,
Dennis
