#Living Psalm 78: 23-29_Mankin, July 28, 2024

May I ask you
how long has it been been 
since you last felt completely satisfied?

How long since you sat at a table
without calculating the grocery bill,
the cost of fruit to feed these children,
considering whether you have enough
to stretch if a friend stays for dinner?

How long has it been since you threw out
crusts of toast without feeling guilt
for the families who can’t wait for school,
with its two meals a day, to begin again?

How long since you filled your plate 
at a wedding without wondering 
what might be served in celebration 
of a newlywed couple in Gaza 
or the Ukraine? 

How many hours has it been
since you saw an ad reminding you
that people would like you better 
if you starved (fashionably, of course)? 

May I ask, too, how much time has passed
since you met the eyes of another 
across the table, asked about their day,
put away your phone so you could hear
and taste what it is you crave?

How many days or months or years
have passed since you experienced
abundance in a single mouthful,
satisfaction in one meal?

May I ask you, Beloved,
to sit and join me, 
to experience what it means 
to be fed by God’s love 
until you are well
and truly full?