The language of feasts is throughout the Bible, from Old Testament festivals to the New Testament Agape feast (Jude 1:12) and ultimately the Marriage Feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19). God seems to think of worship as a feast!
When sacrifices were offered in the Old Testament, the result was a whole lot of meat to be eaten. Worshipers came to give their best, and to give a lot of it, but they also received the joy of God’s presence AND God’s provision. What a generous God we worship!
What that intimates to me is that we should not “save up” feast-like moments in our worship gatherings. Let’s not ration out powerful moments, as if there’s a shortage of the power of God and we might run out. We can never, ever, ever run out of His power!
I once worked with an organist who was reticent to play last verse hymn embellishments. She thought people would take them for granted if they were used too often. She wanted it to be like a fine dessert that you only order for special occasions. I wish I’d known then to encourage her that every time we are in the presence of Almighty God is a special occasion!
In fact, my experience has been the opposite of what this sweet saint was after. The more powerful encounters I have with my Savior, the hungrier I get for His power.
This is the economy of God. God’s feasts.
But what of this appetizer metaphor? That’s not in the Bible anywhere, is it?
Honestly, I don’t believe it is. But I have come to believe that the weekend worship encounter could serve our people better if we were to do things in a way that whets their appetite. For example, I want to read scripture in such a way that it makes them want to go home and do more of that. I want to sing with them in such a way that it makes them want to look up our Spotify playlist of “Current Worship Songs” and sing to God on their own. I want to lead them in prayer in such a way that they can’t wait to approach the throne of grace in their own quiet time each day.
So the feast becomes an appetizer. We leave the gathering both filled by our experience of God and hungry for more. Perhaps this is what the ancient song writer had in mind when he sang those familiar words in Psalm 42: “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God.” And later in that same lyric, “My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration.”
Now before my scholarly friends push back, I don’t think that’s the historical context of this Psalm. But I do think we can understand something more than was originally intended.
What do you think? Could worship be both a feast and an appetizer?