“… I think worship — good worship — should make you hungry.” This idea from Thomas McKechnie, an M. Div. student at Emmanuel College, stuck with me long after we at Kimberley Shared Ministry had finished up this year’s Lenten study. (Bless Break Share / Recipes for Faithful Living, Alydia Smith, editor. 2025, p. 70)
Wait a second, I thought. Shouldn’t worship — good worship, whole-hearted worship even — fill us instead of leave us hungry? When I leave church, I want to be satisfied, not dissatisfied; full, not hungry. I want to depart, fortified in my faith, full of God’s love, and ready to serve and “feed” others…physically, emotionally, spiritually. I think I am not alone in this.
Certainly, as a lay worship leader, I want to feed the faithful “hungry” who God has brought into the pews or onto lawn chairs or around a kitchen table. That is one reason I try to set a bountiful, healthful and nourishing liturgical table with new (and old) prayers, music, Scripture, the sacraments if possible, homily, and fellowship — all glorifying God. While I do my best to set an abundant table on God’s behalf, filling the hunger of my fellow congregants, of course, nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with God. Our always present God serves just the right dish with just the right amount of spice to fill and fire up each and every belly and soul.
Yes, being hungry for our ever mysterious, wondrous, limitless Holy One is the beginning of whole-hearted worship, isn’t it? If we come to worship already full, then there is no room for God. Our satiety with our concept of God, with our lives, or with ourselves can get in the way of God giving us exactly the “daily bread” we need. After all, God knows what diet is best for each of us. (Unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily mean three bowls of ice cream; a spoonful or two is likely sufficient!) The question is: will we accept the meal the Lord is giving us?
When we surrender our ideas of what foodstuffs might be best for us and let ourselves be fed by God, we trust that we have all the nutrition to live into whatever circumstances come our way. Thanks to the redeeming love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, each of us are fueled to live righteous lives, live in “right relationship” with the Holy, with each other, with the Earth. Now and in the age to come.
Sometimes (always?) being a little bit empty, a little bit restless, a little bit uncomfortable is part of the meal God serves up. Thomas McKechnie suggests that may have something to do with how we respond to God’s nourishment found in worship: “…when you’re really engaging, when you’re opening yourself to God — to the Divine and to other people, you end up pouring something out, or letting something go, or laying something down, and that space needs to be filled. You need to be nourished after.”
And you know what? Remaining hungry, staying a little bit empty, is a reminder that the very best feast is found in God. And blessedly, our God is always ready to feed us all over again — whether in our simpler summer worship services, through our activities, around our picnic baskets. Thanks be to God.
