Food and Drink

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. John 6:53-57

I am always amazed, when I visit with my Mom, that we have to talk during breakfast about what we are going to have for supper. I used to balk at the planning ahead because it felt like I was being hemmed in. How would I know what I felt like eating this evening? Especially during breakfast! I have come to realize that people think about food and sustenance a great deal. We were in a spice shop the other day and there were things I never heard of, dishes I had no idea existed and people who worry all the time about the right ingredients for their dishes. And these are people who are full and satisfied, able to buy what they need for survival and beyond. None of them seem to go hungry, even for a minute, unless they are on an ew fad diet.

People need food. And people need the love and nurture of a community and a real and understandable connection with their Creator and creation. Jesus understood that and talked about that connection by food images, tangible images that evoke a love that is drawn within and provides both joy and sustenance. Jesus understood we always don't know what we truly need but by using food as the language of love and relationship, we are connected and woven into the heart of God.

Today, I want to remember that no matter how many tasks there are to do, there is God surrounding us, providing us with what we need, even when we don't ask or acknowledge our need. Today I want to be grateful to God who finds ways to help me understand the tremendous love that is ours from God, and who speaks in languages that simple folks like me can grasp for eternity.