Pleasantries and Pleasures

There is an old Hasidic tradition: A large drop of honey is placed on the first page of the Torah the first time a Jewish child opens the Bible to read and study it. The child is then instructed to lick the honey from the page, forever imprinting the young scholar with the memory-paste of pleasure, the conviction that the study of Gods Word is sweet.
Its what one might call a sacred pleasure.
Pleasure in life is not something most of us immediately connect to the sacred. Instead the word pleasure is more typically coupled with another word, guilty, as in guilty pleasure.
Its almost as if we think that to find some activity enjoyable, or pleasurable, means it must also be suspect. Heres my proof: an extra rich, extra dense chocolate torte. What is it usually dubbed? Chocolate decadence. And of course there is the old standby of Devils food.
One of my guilty pleasures is cuing up one of my old Rolling Stones records and cranking up the volume while I sing along with Mick to songs such as Rip this Joint and Sympathy for the Devil. Of course, this can only be done when my wife is out of the house (for she has no sympathy for the devil whatsoever).
I also have my Guilty Pleasure Movies films that are generally not regarded highly or are viewed as, well, a bit weird. But what can I say? I like the original Ghostbusters, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, and both Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Now I know Im not alone here. I know some of you listen to Barry Manilow when no one else is around. I even suspect that some of you actually like music that involves an accordion. Youd just never admit it to your kids or pewmates.
For some of us, our guilty pleasure is a day dug into a sandy beach, listening to the waves and scanning a stack of magazines. For others of us, it might be making our way through an eight course, five-star meal with a two-inch-thick wine list.
Guilty Pleasures.
Why do we think we have to feel guilty about our pleasures? Are we secretly convinced that deep down God doesnt want us to have a good time and enjoy life? Are we under the impression that our Creator couldnt possibly take pleasure in watching us creatures savor all that creation has to offer us?
But wait.
Didnt God take great pleasure in watching King David leap and dance with joy before the Lord?
Didnt God take pleasure in the sweet aroma of the burnt offerings on the temple altar?
Didnt God specifically lead the Hebrews to a land flowing with milk and honey, so their mouths and their months would be full of richness and pleasure?
Throughout the Gospels Jesus is always getting into trouble with the religious authorities for having a good time. Good-time Jesus comes eating and drinking.
Good-time Jesus has a favorite hangout: the beach. Whenever he could, good-time Jesus made for the seaside to preach, to teach, to heal, to picnic and eat with friends. Jesus only made for the desert, for the hard-bitten wilderness, when he was driven there by demons, or by the harangue of crowds. When Jesus was relaxing with the disciples, enjoying fellowship with friends, he was usually by the water. There can be no doubt that the waterfront gave Jesus great pleasure. Jesus would love Florida.
Todays Epistle introduces Pauls Pleasure Principle. I know, I know. Very few would ever consider Paul a party animal or call him Good-time Paul. Yet some of the most joyous passages in Scripture come from Paul (Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice). Everyone wants a Paul love passage at their marriage (the greatest of these is love).
Here is Pauls pleasure principle for Christians. Whatever Christians do, whether they eat meat or abstain from meats, whether they mark a myriad of days as special or consider all days to be equally God-blessed; whatever disciples of Jesus do, they do it to the honor of the Lord, or translated differently, to glory God. Whatever Christians do, we do it to bring God pleasure.
The real question is not even what is a guilty pleasure or what is a sacred pleasure. The real test of discipleship is whether we use our lives, our hands, our heads and our hearts to bring God pleasure, to honor the Lord, to glorify God and enjoy His presence forever (as the Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it).
Does your life bring pleasure to the God who created a world overflowing with milk and honey?
Enjoying the tastes, colors, sights, smells, textures, sounds of all that caused the Creator to proclaim it is good that is what honors the Lord and glorifies God.
Too many times we get sucked into piling up pleasantries instead of enjoying sacred pleasures.
Whats the difference between a pleasantry and a pleasure? Pleasantries are superficial, shallow, and usually have a big price tag attached. Pleasantries leave you rich in things and poor in soul. When an economic downturn pinches our pocketbooks, the pleasantries in life are the first to go away. And that is when sacred pleasures sustain us the most.
A Hummer-house the size of a hotel, a McMansion that gives every family member their own wing, is certainly a big footprint pleasantry. But does it come at the expense of sacred pleasures? The sacred pleasures of really living together, of hearing each other, of talking to each other, of playing with each other, of even fighting and negotiating with each other; all those sacred pleasures are what make a home out of a house.
Getting a huge pile of presents, everything that was on your wish list, makes a very pleasant Christmas. But it can never measure up to the sacred pleasure of a holiday spent celebrating the entrance of the Christ child into this world, with the Spirit of Christ breathing through every activity, every gathering, and filling friends and family.
Hosting holiday parties, with lavish spreads, flowing fountains of champagne, and being proclaimed the consummate host, that is a pleasantry some of us crave. But the greatest hosting that we are called to offer is the sacred pleasure of a cup of cold water that is, reaching out to the ones who are in the greatest need. A cup of cold water can be the difference between life and death.
There are two ways to get through life.
Take some wet sand. Clench your fist. Notice how the wet sand gets smaller until it virtually disintegrates before your eyes.
Thats a life of pleasantries.
Take some wet sand. Keep your hands open to the sun. Watch what happens. The sand dries out and gets bigger in your hand . . .until you end up with more than you started with.
Thats a life of sacred pleasures.