Spiritual Junk Food

I’d like to steal an analogy from a blogger named Zac Hicks. He talks on his blog about a worship leader being a spiritual dietician. Worship leaders are directing the health of a church by giving them a diet on Sunday mornings—and I would argue that this affects how we “eat” throughout the week. In order for us to grow spiritually we need to think about it like physical fitness (as Paul does frequently- 1 Cor. 9:24-26; Phil 2:16; Hebrews 12:1; 2 Tim 4:7). In order to be a good athlete who can undergo long workouts to endure a marathon, one must have a diet that will sustain and build muscle rather than something that will be empty calories and sit heavy in the stomach.—trust me, I feel like I know more about being in a food coma than eating food that encourages me to be light on my feet.

My conviction as the worship leader at Westchester is that I know many people come in Sunday morning desiring a feast of the most delicious foods. It really seems that bread, butter, heavy cream, and cheese are the components to make a good meal—but that kind of diet will not sustain you. It will only weigh you down and as though there is some sort of spiritual MSG you’ll be hungry again in an hour.

What this looks like in worship is when we become so consumed with our actions. The songs that repeat all of the things we are going to do for God (songs heavy on “I Will” statements) or all the things we are giving up for God (songs heavy on “Surrender” type statements). These things are not bad in themselves; however, if this is 90% of what we sing on a Sunday we will walk away with our stomachs full but then we will be paralyzed and unable to do ministry. If we try to sustain living for God throughout the week with promises of all the things we are going to do or reminding ourselves to “do better!”, “be better!”, and “do more!”—we will burn out faster than me trying to run for the first time in a year.

Let us instead rest on the things Christ has already done! This naturally brings us back to the cross. Let us feast on remembering his blood shed as our sacrifice, for reconciliation, for redemption, to absorb God’s wrath, and how he was resurrected and is reigning as our King! The only issue with this is we have to get used to this diet. As a worship leader I feel like that mom who won’t let you have dessert until you finish your broccoli. But as a leader I’m most concerned with what is going to sustain you and help you grow through your week.

So that this doesn’t become monotonous or begrudging worship let us always remember that we get to sing of God’s love and the good works he has prepared for us to do in his name (Ephesians 2:10). Let us keep those things in context to the overall meal and not be the children who want to fill their whole plate with dessert and fried cheese. That means we still get to enjoy those things…but make sure you keep a balance, and always eat your vegetables!

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Austin Hilmer

About the Author:
Austin serves on staff at Westchester as Associate Pastor of Corporate Worship