For the past several weeks, the weekly Gospel reading for Sunday has focused us on bread . We’ve been looking at Jesus as the Bread of Life….Jesus the one who multiples the loaves and fish, and Jesus as the Manna who comes down from heaven to feed us all, and Jesus as the BREAD of Life. All in chapter 6 of John.
Which part of the story resonates with you ?
Jesus providing for hungry people
Jesus providing an abundance! ( There are baskets of leftovers! )
Jesus as Manna that comes down from heaven…our daily bread.
Jesus is our sustenance …our nourishment.
Which Bread do you need right now?
Have you paid attention to bread in your daily life? Like sandwiches, toast, rolls out at dinner?
I saw a lot of bread photos in my Instagram feed during the Olympics….Paris is filled with boulangeries and athletes and tourists alike were enjoying bread and croissants of all sizes!
What have you noticed about bread lately? Is your bread in scarcity or abundance? stale or fresh? daily or only on special occasions? Is this how we view Jesus?
Rob and I were talking this week about these passages. He said “ the heart of the Gospel is bread! “ He reminded me that those who were listening to Jesus were Jewish and spent their lives focused on food and doing food a regimented way, eating only the right things. They’d been focused on bread most of their lives…from the stories about manna to the passover unleavened bread. And now Jesus was saying that he was that BREAD!
We also talked about how much food was a part of the culture, about hospitality and welcome. Food was about community. Food is still about community.
It helps us know where we are and who we are! Food nourishes our bodies AND also our souls.
Everyone has a comfort food and a childhood memory food that brings us joy and warmth just thinking about eating it! We have foods that are family traditions and those that reflect where we are from! And if you come south to visit us, I will definitely introduce you to some southern bbq, grits, fried chicken and biscuits!
And Biscuits bring us back to Jesus as bread…Are you hungry yet?
Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman says “ Jesus brings humanity to God’s Table.” Jesus came to bring people together. He is showing us a new way to live, not creating a new religion. Breaking bread is about doing life together.
It’s about remembering that we are neighbors, friends, family.
This BREAD isn’t just for the in crowd, or the wealthy but for everyone!
It’s about nourishment and being nourished in love.
“Jesus brings humanity to God’s Table.”
How does the TABLE factor into your faith life? Not the communion table, but the regular dinner table?
Since covid, we’ve gotten into a bad habit of not eating regular meals at our table. Our table became our desk. Now we tend to grab our plates and watch a movie. We’ve also sadly gotten out of the habit of having people over for meals. Which sucks because we do believe that hospitality is 21st century evangelism. Not sharing bible verses, but sharing great food around a table and laughing and telling stories! That is life. That is the way of Jesus.
“I am the Bread of Life”
Blessed are you who know hungry.
Blessed are you who know thirsty.
Blessed are you who know hollow, empty.
I’m not talking to you peckish;
I’m talking to you who are conscious
of just how long it’s been
since your last real meal.
Blessed are you when you pass up
on the offer of a fast food snack.
Blessed are you when you don’t make do
with just any old crap.
Blessed are you who know your true need,
you who know where to truly feed.
Blessed are you who look to me,
– for I am the true life-giving manna,
sent down by your Jehovah-Jireh.
I am the bread of eternal life.
Whoever comes to me
should be ready with a butter knife.
For you will never go hungry.
I’m hungry for that BREAD and I am so ready to have people over and build bigger tables!
TRY THIS WITH YOUR COMMUNITY: A great way to help your community engage with the Tables of Jesus is through the AT THE TABLE WITH JESUS Sacred Space prayer experience that can be set up for a special event or done as a weekly sermon/teaching series. Great for a fall experience finishing with a celebration at Thanksgiving! You can purchase and download the experience here
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com