What is this World Hungry For?

Dear St. Luke’s Community,

It’s been just now a year since you extended the call for me to be your rector. My how time flies!! One of the things that made a big impression on me from the first was the Mission Statement of St. Luke’s. In the I’ve been here I find myself attaching it to all kinds of things. This weekly (or almost weekly) update. The Blog that contains these updates. It’s amazing how something can fade into the background in a short time. The Mission Statement above has done so a bit for me.

I was having a conversation with a couple of folks the other day and we started talking about the Mission Statement and we spent an awful lot of time concentrating on the first phrase. ‘Nourished by God’s Word and Sacraments,’

The assumption that it makes is that we, all of God’s people, have a hunger that only the experience of God can satisfy. That seems to me to be the easy part. The more challenging reality at hand is twofold.

1. Invite people to the table and let them express their hunger.

2. Prepare, from our best ingredients of faith and truth, wholesome, nourishing food for the soul.

During the remainder of our conversation we were quite taken with the feeding metaphor that nourishing conjured up for us. I want to encourage you to sit with that image as well as the summer unfolds. It seems to me that it connects beautifully with our self-identified gift of feeding, eating and hospitality. We do those things well, but we can always do all things better and more faithfully. Sit with this question if you will.

”With what shall we feed the stranger at our door who hungers for the transformative power of God in Jesus Christ?”

This, it seems to me, is a great question because there are a whole number of ‘right’ answers. Let’s reflect on this and talk about it as we encounter one another through these languid summer months.

Peace and Good,

The Rev. Warren Earl Hicks, Rector
St. Luke's Episcopal Church
921 Pleasant St.
Worcester, MA 01602
508-756-1990 (Office)
508-756-8277 (Fax)

Blog Address www.frwarren.blogspot.com