Bread of Life

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."

So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
John 6:35-42; John 6:48-51

All sorts of people made New Year's resolutions, some to eat less, lose weight, get a better job - the list is endless. Many of these resolutions are broken within the first few hours or days because we are human. Humanity is subject to failure and bad days. Even those who don't make resolutions end up breaking that. None of us can fix the world alone. Our resolve and our resolutions are lovely. Acknowledging our need for help with everything and for one another is even better.

Jesus said, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." He really riled up the religious around him who wanted to deny what he was saying. They knew him as a child, knew his parents and so therefore doubted. He was an uppity local kid, they presumed. They grumbled just as we sometimes grumble. And in the midst of it we hear God offering us an end to anxiety over life, an end to resolutions and a beginning of a deep relationship. We all need food and water. We need each other and God's love even more.

Today I want to give thanks for my own human need, which forces me to rely on others and ask for help. May we be grateful today for our humanity, which puts in relationship with others and with God. May we not take for granted the love we have been given, but be grateful for many ways our needs are filled. May our resolve be strong this day to love with great joy. May we acknowledge our need and be thankful for the abundance we have today.