Monday was Martin Luther King Day, definitely a reflection-worthy subject, but I did that last Friday. There was the historic inauguration this past week. I did write about that, and I posted it on our blog on Tuesday. The Lectionary scriptures usually provide me plenty of food for thought, and this week was no exception. The reading from Jonah describes the second (or third, or fourth…) chance God gave the people of Nineveh. That was a tempting subject. Sunday’s Gospel Lection is Mark’s account of the calling of the disciples. You can find a children’s message based on this text here.

While I was reflecting on all of these topics, my mind took a path of its own. They do that sometimes! (If your mind never does this, please tell me your secret.) I have had an unidentified hymn tune stuck in my head for several days and suddenly, my brain decided it must know RIGHT NOW what song it was humming. None of my family members could help me identify the song, though they patiently listened to my attempts to hum it for them. Next I searched through The United Methodist Hymnal, an activity fraught with its own opportunities for distraction, but I stayed focused on my quest.

Some time later, having had no luck in locating the song in question, I decided to look in the The Faith We Sing hymnal. At this point, another obstacle arose, as I could not locate my copy of this hymnal supplement. After I had spent many minutes unsuccessfully looking for the book, my husband took pity on me and joined in the search. He located a large print version of The Faith We Sing which I did not remember that I owned, though it had my name written inside the front cover. (The other copy remains hidden!)

Starting at the front of the book and searching page by page, I finally found the song I have been humming for days (which had continued playing in my head throughout this time) – “All Who Hunger”. The song continues in my head, but now I have words to accompany the tune!

Many people in this world hunger – some for food, some for attention, some for a relationship with God, and some for something they can’t quite identify. I invite you to take some time and reflect on the words of Sylvia Dunstan’s hymn, “All Who Hunger”. (#2126 in The Faith We Sing or online) Whatever you are hungering for at the moment, let the words of reassurance in the hymn’s refrain accompany you throughout the weekend:

“Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good.”

~Sally Hoelscher