Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see— how good God is.
Blessed are you who run to him. (Psalm 34:8 MSG)
Last week in the American short stories class I’m teaching, we studied O. Henry’s “The Cop and the Anthem.” It’s a story about a homeless man who plans to get arrested in order to spend the winter in a warm jail with three square meals a day. He attempts several minor crimes, hoping the judge will send him “to the island” for the next three months. However, his plans are unexpectedly interrupted by a song.
“[O]n a very quiet corner Soapy stopped. Here was an old, old church. Through one colored-glass window came a soft light. Sweet music came to Soapy’s ears and seemed to hold him there. The moon was above, peaceful and bright. There were few people passing. He could hear birds high above him. And the anthem that came from the church held Soapy there, for he had known it well long ago. In those days his life contained such things as mothers and flowers and high hopes and friends and clean thoughts and clean clothes.
“Soapy’s mind was ready for something like this. He had come to the old church at the right time. There was a sudden and wonderful change in his soul. He saw with sick fear how he had fallen. He saw his worthless days, his wrong desires, his dead hopes, the lost power of his mind. And also in a moment his heart answered this change in his soul. He would fight to change his life. He would pull himself up, out of the mud. He would make a man of himself again. There was time. He was young enough. He would find his old purpose in life, and follow it. That sweet music had changed him. Tomorrow he would find work. A man had once offered him a job. He would find that man tomorrow. He would be somebody in the world. “
All that from a song. Not just any song, but an anthem that reminded him of better days and a more holy life.
Have you ever experienced a song, a smell, or a taste that reminded you of past moments—maybe even dreams you once had? For me, the smell and taste of homemade cinnamon rolls bring back memories of my grandmother. For others, a particular perfume might remind them of a mother’s loving embrace, a favorite aunt, or an encouraging friend. Some may find that an old song or a long-forgotten image sparks a sweet memory. God gave us these senses because he knew they help us remember. Jesus understood this as well during the Last Supper, when He instructed the disciples to take communion and remember:
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19 NIV)
Our senses help us recall God’s goodness, whether we experience it in nature, through the love and actions of others, or in many other ways. We remember these things because God gave us the ability to do so when our senses engage with them.
I won’t spoil the ending of Soapy’s story, so I won’t share the rest of it, but I will say that O. Henry was a master of irony in his writing. God is a master of Creation and we, as his created children, are always called to use what we have been given, including our senses, to remember our God.
Creating God,
Thank you for the beautiful things we know through our senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. Thank you that you use these things to remind you of your majesty, your miracles, and the work Jesus did for us on the Cross. Help us to be aware when you are speaking through our senses so that we may remember what you have done for us and what you continue to do. Bless us with the sense of your Presence, we pray in Jesus’s name, AMEN.
I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.
Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
With your mighty arm you redeemed your people. (Psalm 77:11-15 NIV)
I thank my God every time I remember you. (Philippians 1:3 NIV)
https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/the-cop-and-the-anthem.pdf