Living Bread

So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 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 for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ John 6:30-33;48-51

For many years, I made bread for the family, which I learned to do from my mother. Invariably, someone would always call me when I was elbow deep in the kneading process. In the days when the phone was hardwired into a wall, as they were in many kitchens, this meant grabbing a receiver with yeasty, sticky hands Evidence was always left over. Often times I would forget to wipe down the phone until another call came in and the mess reminded me. Living is messy just like kneading bread is messy.

Jesus lives his life being tested at every turn, it seems. Some of us might feel that way too. Life, as one test after another, and we are always worried that we will miss the boat or get the questions wrong. Jesus reminds his followers that their worries and self doubt are not necessary. The messiness and testiness of life are a given. What is also a given is God's love for us. We are love beyond measure and God aches for a living relationship with all of us.

Today I ask God to help me not worry about the next test but concentrate on loving God and others. May the messiness of life not keep us from reaching out to answer the needs around us.