A Five Course Meal to Being Spiritually 'Fed'

Sparked by:
"Get It Yourself" By Pastor Chip Anderson 4/25/2010


Yes! as a mother of five "You have legs...(a.k.a get it yourself)" is a common phrase in my home when a lazy kid asks me to get them something they are full well and able to get themselves! After years of ministry I have heard over and over "I'm just not being fed" by church goer's as their excuse to leave or complain. In the article referenced,What "I'm Not Being Fed" Really Means I think it IS often a mask to a deeper issue. We often have an unrealistic expectation of a pastor's role. Church shouldn't be a 'fast food drive through' to satisfy spiritual hunger that we stop off at once or twice a week.  A Pastor is not a spiritual 5 course meal to satisfy our every hunger pain either.  When people say they want a 'deeper' message or Pastor, sometimes its that they are lazy and want the Pastor to carry their spiritual needs like a personal chef. We should seek not only to 'be fed' through the pastor but by the ministry as a whole and most importantly by the 'bread of life' (a.k.a J.C). My thoughts are if people are feeling hungry or unfed they're not eating the right bread:) And Jesus said unto them, "I am the Bread of Life. He that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that believeth in Me shall never thirst." John 6:35  But the key phrase is "He that cometh..." so if we are feeling 'mal nourished' it could indicate we aren't 'coming'  after Him.


 I am not going to church to get my full on meal, but rather to remind me of what I should be hungry for in this world and in my day to day living. The sermon should get me curious to explore God's word and God's will for my life in more detail. It should remind me of the basics I can easily overlook through the daily grind ,as well as provide direction for further study. If I equate 'spiritual' hunger as something that us 'church goers' need to have fed, then this would be my analogy of how we congregants can holistically approach this attitude of a church 'not feeding us'.


A 5 Course Meal to Being Spiritually  'Fed'

• Ambiance: Reflective,Contemplative, Needy and Spiritually HUNGRY!
• Location: The soul, heart and mind
  
• "Say Grace" - a.k.a give thanks, pray for the 'food' we are about to receive and for the 'hands' that have prepared it. We should increase our prayer life and live a life of gratitude over the things we have before us and the hands that have put it there.

• Appetizers/ "Cocktail Hour": )

App's get our initial hunger met and they spark excitement and interest in more.  There is  a time for getting to know those around us and mingle. We get to unwind and debrief from the day, a time to relax and prepare for the meal...
This is like plugging into a church community, having fellowship, enjoying the worship, sermon  listening and being able to refocus for the week.

•  2nd Course: Usually Soup/ or Salad

 At this point we're not starving anymore, but getting real hungry for the main course.  It can be the healthy salad that we need for nutrients or the soupy stuff that is full of little dumplings or noodles of knowledge melding together.  This sparks self reflection, questions arise, ideas flow, direction/ guidance is brought to our attention. This may include reading, writing, journaling, investigating, theology, and Bible devotionals/explorations.

• 
  
   3rd Course - Palliate Cleanser:

A sorbet or special fresh fruit to get you ready for your main course and wipe the palliate clean. In order to be able to truly taste the richness of the upcoming main course, the previous tastes in our mouths may need a refresh or cleaning.  This could be taking an inventory or note of our weakness'. We may have to get our lusts/sins in check or at least on the table to fully enjoy the main course. This could include asking for forgiveness, granting forgiveness, saying we're sorry to others and reminding ourselves to be humble.

•  MAIN COURSE

Personally Experiencing God, Son & Holy spirit.  This is the Filet Mignon and Whipped Potatoes course, when we're experiencing this course, is usually when we feel full, really full. This can also be in the form of a 'come to Jesus' moment. Most of our meals in life are not 5 courses and to experience God can be a first time blast of the Holy Spirit too. But in the theme of a 'coursed path to spiritual fullness', this main course goes further. As a way of life we hear God's word through the Bible, Sermons/Pastors, Fellowship, Community, His gentle whisper/nudge and then we actually apply it to our needs, issues, lives, behaviors, healing and identity. Seeing God's love and hand in our lives and seeing His divine purpose for our lives as real- past, present and future is what it's all about.  

•  Dessert

Oh as if ALL the other courses weren't enough! Our belly's are full and our belt needs to be let out- yet still we are not complete.  We are waiting on that final sweet decadence of a finisher to this luxurious meal! Its not that we are still hungry, or 'unsaved' but we just don't feel completely done at the table. Its time to put our faith into action. This could be realizing our God given talents and putting those to work through evangelism, being a Psalmist, teaching, preaching and more. It could be serving others and washing feet. It could be feeding the poor, visiting the imprisoned and helping the needy.  It could just being there for a friend in need. It is living out our faith for others to see God in our lives as a real live manifestation of all we have encountered w/ God...

• Now Pay and Tip.  To be spiritually 'full' it will cost us. We will have to no longer be the final authority in our lives. We may have to leave habits, possessions and people in order to follow Christ. We will have to struggle to resist temptations and humble ourselves to our God, our families and our communities.  We should remember to help others along the way and give testimony's or 'tips' to others about how God has changed our lives and sow into theirs.

In my simple example I think the Pastor's influence is important as a spiritual leader- but you can see that the influence of our time at the weekly church service is really just a small appetizer to our spiritual hunger. I don't expect to be hand fed each course with the Pastor wiping the spilled salad dressing off my shirt. No Chef re-makes the menu off of my personal taste as I walk in the door.  But rather, I want to be given direction towards what tastes good to me on the provided menu, a highlight of the courses before me, the cooking techniques used, some history of the origin of the meal, and some wisdom from the Chef as an expert on how to work through this fabulous five course meal! Not to just end my hunger but to give me a full -well rounded dining experience that excels above a Happy Meal in the drive through.
 
This is how I find my spiritual fullness...