Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors 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. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ John 6:41-51
Among our Indigenous tribes here in the States, one of the most familiar foods, craved and essential to life, is fry bread. Many folks think fry bread is a traditional dish. Actually, it is not. Fry bread is the result of the ingenuity of Native women, who took the bland commodities given by our federal government and made something delicious. Since tribes were dislocated, removed and penned in on reservations, fry bread made the limited diet special. And, for me it is a symbol of our resilience and hope in the face of terrible politics and constancy violence and abuse. Jesus offers us himself, not a commodity but a relationship, one that gives and restores life, even in the worst of times.
Gracious Creator, source of bread and life
you feed us both physically and spiritually
you tend to us like fragile new spring plants
and water us with new life and new hope.
We find ourselves in dangerous times again
when greed for land and dominance reign
when the most vulnerable cower in fear
from the very people that should be caring for them.
Revive us, Lord, with your heavenly food
give us the strength to persist when weary
to serve the needy even when the skies darken
and feed us so we carry your love here and now. Amen.
