I Am the Bread of Life

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 for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; John 6:41-54

Bread in some sort is the staple of life. Bread and water. Of course, there are many more foods, glorious vegetables, meat and vegetable proteins as well as milks and cheeses. Life would be terribly boring and limited if all we consumed was bread and water. Whole channels, televisions shows and competitions are all dedicated to food, recipes and creativity in the kitchen. Yet we can be distracted by all the glitz and glamor and fail to see the essential need in all of us. We ache for meaning, we ache to be known and loved. We ache for more than just basic needs; we ache for eternal connection and lasting relationships. Jesus promises if we simply believe, we will be fed and spiritually full. Life be more than basic survival; our lives will have meaning.

Gracious Creator, you call us your children

provide abundantly for all of our needs

and comfort us when we are afraid.

These days we are scared all the time

the daily chores seem more difficult

and we draw away from our neighbors.

You, Lord, are the still the living bread

and we are aching to be fully fed

so we might serve the world without fear again. Amen.