My brothers and sisters, what good is it if people say they have faith but do nothing to show it? Claiming to have faith can’t save anyone, can it? Imagine a brother or sister who is naked and never has enough food to eat. What if one of you said, “Go in peace! Stay warm! Have a nice meal!”? What good is it if you don’t actually give them what their body needs? In the same way, faith is dead when it doesn’t result in faithful activity. (James 2.14-16)
October 16 is World Food Day. This is a perfect opportunity plan a service around hunger awareness, advocacy, and reflection on our own call to address hunger issues.
Interactive prayer stations are a wonderful opportunity for people to reflect on any social justice or global issue. The interactive prayer stations are meant to be intergenerational. (For more specific instructions on layout, purpose, design, and more ideas, you can view previous posts tagged under “Interactive Prayer Stations.”) You can see more pictures of these prayer stations here.
This worship service is filled with prayers and songs around the theme of hunger.
Call to Worship (This is sung and repeated by participants. “*” means that the line changes to other verses.)
*Come, let us worship God. (repeat)
Welcome everyone. (repeat)
To the love of God. (repeat)
*Rest for the weary . . . (repeat)
*Food for the hungry . . . (repeat)
*Hope for the children . . . (repeat)
Giving to Life by Ben Johnston-Krase
Grateful for food, brought to our tables
Grateful for hands, harvesting hands
Finding our lives in the hands of another
We are but found at the table of truth
Chorus:
We sing, “Remember Creation!”
We choose wisdom and light
We pray our lives into changing
And we give our living to Life
Grateful for clothes, worn on our backs
Grateful for hands, sewing hands
Finding our lives in the hands of another
We are but found in a garment of truth
Grateful for work, serving and caring
Grateful for hands, laboring hands
Finding our lives in the hands of another
We are but found, a communion of truth
Confession & Assurance (This is a sung prayer called Prayers of the People by Ben Johnston-Krase. “*” indicates words that change. This song is best accompanied by a powerpoint of pictures that address issues of hunger.)
Prayers of the People Powerpoint
We are praying*, oh, we are praying* (2x)
We are man, woman; we are children.
And oh, we are praying*.
Let the rains go. Let the healing river flow.
Let justice roll like waters.
Let the days begin, when new life enters in,
And let your kingdom come.
(*hungry, homeless, crying, singing)
Pass the Peace
John 6.1-13
Read Stone Soup by Jon J. Muth
As Your Family, Lord (to the tune of Kumbaya)
(verse 1) As your family, Lord, meet us here. (3x)
O Lord, speak your word.
(verse 2) At your table, Lord, we are fed. (3x)
O Lord, feed us here.
(verse 3) Fill our spirits, Lord, with your love. (3x)
O Lord, with your love.
(verse 4) Make us faithful, Lord, to your will. (3x)
O Lord, to your will.
(verse 5) As your family, Lord, send us forth. (3x)
O Lord, send us forth.
Interactive Prayer Stations
Station 1: Feed Our Future
This was a station on advocacy. You can view resources for this station here.
Station 2: Feed Our World
Station 3: Feed the Community
Station 4: Feed the Family
* I usually do not suggest using food for reacreational or craft activities especially since it is wasteful. You can use stamps with food images on it. In this case, it was a play on words of “food stamping.”
pews (sung prayers below)
Come and fill our hearts with your peace.
You alone O Lord are holy.
Come and fill our hearts with your peace, Alleluia!
Eat this bread, drink this cup
Come to me and never be hungry
Eat this bread, drink this cup
Trust in me and you will not thirst
One bread, one body, one Lord of all
One cup of blessing which we bless
And we though many throughout the earth.
We are one body in this one Lord. (chorus)
- Gentile or Jew, servant or free, woman or man, no more
- Many the gifts, many the works, one in the Lord of all
- Grain for the fields, scattered and grown, gathered to one for all.
Take, O take me as I am; summon out what I shall be;
Set your seal upon my heart and live in me.
Communal Prayer (Joy Mead, adapted; Holy Ground, ed. Paynter and Boothroyd, Wild Goose Publications, 2005: p.80)
one: We bring before God the needs of the world for the hungry
all: That they may be fed
one: For daily bread
all: Teach us to be thankful
one: For those who produce food
all: That they may live in peace and justice
one: For those who corner land and resources
all: That they may repent
one: For all God’s people
all: That we may know that the earth and sea are the Lord’s
one: For all God’s people
all: That we may eat with gratitude
one: For all God’s people
all: That we may share the blessings of the earth and seas with others
one: God of our future and our present, help us to enable life’s great feast to happen here and now, to open hearts and hands, baskets and pockets; to share bread with our neighbors; to share peace with our neighbors, so that in the most ordinary of miracles all are fed. Amen
Until All Are Fed by Bryan McFarland
How long will we sing? How long will we pray?
How long will we write and send?
How long will we bring? How long will we stay?
How long will we make amends?
REFRAIN
Until all are fed we cry out.
Until all on earth have bread.
Like the One who loves us each & every one
We serve until all are fed.
How long will we talk? How long will we prod?
How long must we fret and hoard?
How long will we walk to tear down this facade?
How long? How long, O Lord?! REFRAIN
How can we stand by and fail to be aghast?
How long ’til we do what’s right?
How could we stand by and choose a lesser fast?
How long ’til we see the light? REFRAIN
On the green, green grass they gathered long ago.
To hear what the Master said.
What they had they shared – some fishes and some loaves.
And they served until all were fed. REFRAIN
Blessing (Liturgy prepared for the Churches’ Week of Action on Food by the Iona Community)
one: Christ has come to proclaim God’s kingdom:
women: to feed the hungry
men: to give sight to the blind,
women: to strengthen the weary,
men: to set the prisoners free
one: May God who created enough for everyone’s need, fill us equally with love and anger
May Christ who shared food with the multitude
Teach us how to share
May the Spirit who makes a new world possible
Help us to make it real.
Still Waters 
I absolutely love your prayer stations! Would you happen to be doing anything like this for Advent? We do a cross+generational event the first Wednesday of every month. I’d love to do something like this at our congregation in December. I’d love to borrow your ideas.
Emily
Thanks Emily! Borrow away. I have done some past advent stations and even christmas intergenerational stuff. I will do one this year but probably won’t post until after Dec 2 when we will do them.
These are fabulous! I was looking for a way to combine Thanksgiving and Advent, so I’m thinking a mixture of one or two of these plus one or two from Advent 1. Thanks SO much for your generosity in sharing!!!!