Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Living Bread

"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 6:48-51

It was hard to let go of Mary and Joseph. Those of you who follow this daily blog will know that I wrote letters from Mary until Christmas day, and from Joseph's Diary during the 12 days of Christmas until Epiphany. They have to go into Egypt, they have to move on and live their lives without me inside their heads. It felt a little like letting go of my children, having to trust that God would provide for them throughout their journey. And selfishly, being so close to them in my imagination, allowed me to be absorbed by their troubles, as only a parent can.

We are invited by God in this season of Epiphany, this season when the light returns and God is seen in our midst, to believe the promises we have herd from angels and kings. As Joseph and Mary take their child and journey on, so must we, trusting that God will provide direction, support and food along the way. We will be fed and nurtured. We are on a journey too, some to strange lands and emotionally different places, some into the heart of our own darkness. God goes with us to Egypt, our dark places and the strange new worlds we find ourselves in.

Today, I ask God to help me to trust every step of the way and with every breath I take. For many of us the way ahead is unclear and we are hungry to be fed and strengthened. May we step out in faith, as did Joseph and Mary, trusting that God will provide the simple bread we need, and the complex understanding of the road ahead. May we today delight as we venture forth, pilgrims all, with bread and light for our journey.

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