The Sunday Sermonette – Eating Paste and Father God’s Words.

I remember many things about my first day in Mrs. Broadus’s First Grade classroom at Fernwood Elementary School in Biloxi. I was very excited about starting school! Mom and Dad packed my leather school satchel with Pink Peral erasers, a pair of little metal scissors, a box of #2 Ticonderoga pencils, a 68-count box of Crayola Crayons, complete with a box sharpener, and a spiral notebook. Dressed in a spiffy pair of starched navy-blue shorts and a white shirt with a matching blue collar, I was ready for school.

Unpacking my satchel, I discovered something that got me into trouble that very first day: LePage’s School Paste. I was already familiar with it from home art projects, and I had discovered early on that I liked its minty taste! Looking back, I now know that its plant-based ingredients kept me from getting sick.

I also knew that eating it was something that my parents disapproved of. So did Mrs. Broadus. During art class, I was discovered licking the application stick, which was smeared with glue. And off to the blackboard I went, to ignominiously stand with my nose in a chalk circle drawn by Mrs. Broadus. My punishment taught me nothing, though. Sixty-six years later, a little pinch of Le Page’s school paste still delights and still quickly digests.

In the Old Testament, God gave Ezekiel a vision in which he was told to “eat and digest” a scroll of prophecy, rather than something ordinary like school paste. This act was more than unusual; it symbolized Ezekiel’s need to fully absorb God’s message. The scroll represented God’s word, and eating it showed Ezekiel taking in God’s message so completely that it became part of him.

After eating the scroll, Ezekiel found that the spiritual food was not only good for him, but it was also as sweet as honey. If you “eat and digest” Father God’s Word, you will find that not only does it strengthen your faith, its wisdom also sweetens your life like honey. As Believers, we need to feed ourselves spiritually just as we do physically.

This means doing more than simply giving God’s Holy Bible a casual glance. It means reflecting on its scriptures until they influence our hearts, minds, actions, and words. So, in 2026, instead of eating childlike “paste,” let’s intentionally take in and “digest” God’s Word, allowing its wisdom and guidance to shape every aspect of our lives.

Ponder this and go forth.