Go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!
Ecclesiastes 9:7

God wants us to tuck in.

There are over a thousand chapters in the Bible, but you don’t have to read any further than chapter one to find God inviting people to eat creation. “Look” says God to Adam and Eve, like a waiter pointing out the specials board, “I have provided all kinds of fruit and grain for you to eat”.

And what a buffet it is. Imagine Adam and Eve tasting their way around the Garden of Eden, discovering cherries and chillies, working out what to do with a pineapple or an avocado. Some of the foods are just hanging there from the trees. Others are hidden away underground, waiting to be found. Some are far from obvious, relying on elaborate techniques to unlock their magic – cocoa beans, for example, wheat, or coffee.

God intended all of this as a gift.

God “richly provides us with everything to enjoy” the Apostle Paul tells Timothy.

So let’s enjoy that gift. Share it with others and be generous. Eat well and responsibly. Shop wisely, and make food choices that protect the people and planet that God loves. But most of all, let’s show our appreciation for God’s good gift, and explore that world of flavours and textures that God has laid on for us.

Today is World Food Day, and my suggestion for marking it is this: why not try something new today? Go shopping and see if you can find something you’ve never tasted before. If you have one nearby, maybe visit a cafe or a deli that serves ethnic food that you’ve never experienced. Try something different, and thank God for food. (And if you try something new and find you don’t like it, maybe thank God for the all the joy it’s brought other people!)

Can you worship with your taste buds? Let’s find out.

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Jeremy Williams is a writer, blogger, and founder of Earthbound Ventures, which finds new ways for people to connect with nature. If you need a regular dose of wonder, check them out.