Feasting on Living Bread

Rev. Ann Beaty
Tarrytown United Methodist Church

July 6, 2003

John 6: 35, 41-51

The scripture passage today gives us a glimpse of what is being offered to us in relationship with Jesus. This story comes in John's gospel just after the miracles of the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on the water. Just imagine, for a moment, that you are one in the crowd who has witnessed these miracles and is now listening to these words from Jesus about "bread of life".

You are a Jew, so in addition to witnessing these latest miracles, you have heard talk about him in the temple, or in the village shops. You have heard that he preaches and teaches new ideas using phrases like "son of man" and "kingdom of God". You, and others, don't always understand these phrases he uses, and yet you are still drawn to follow him. Why have you come today to see him? Are you curious to know more about what he is offering? Are you ill or hurting and wish for a healing? Have you come for some word of hope or encouragement? Maybe you aren't even sure why you are here, but something in you is drawn to come…to be closer to him…to experience his presence and his power.

In the story in John's gospel, Jesus tells the people that he is the "bread of life" and if they believe in him, they will never hunger or thirst. But they do not believe. Perhaps they merely misunderstand Jesus. We can appreciate that, after all Jesus doesn't always make sense. We never know what he is going to say or do next. He talks about strange things - living water, being born from above, feeding 5,000 people, and now bread from heaven. It isn't easy to understand what he means by these words. The Jews are concerned about their physical needs and Jesus insists on talking about matters of the spirit. The crowd takes Jesus literally and they cannot understand his message for them. Out of their lack of understanding comes disbelief. What they know is that they need bread…the physical stuff. They are familiar with the stories of Moses and their ancestors eating manna in the wilderness as a physical feeding from God. They themselves eat bread daily. Bread sustains life for them.

But for Jesus to be talking about himself as "bread of life" is asking them to go beyond what they know, and experience him in a whole new way. Jesus wants them to understand that life is available to them that goes far beyond mere existence. Life is relationship with God. Jesus wants them to understand that this relationship with God isn't just about belief in some far away Being in Heaven who loves them, but about experiencing God's love for them in the flesh…in the here and now… in his presence. He is offering them that relationship of trust, intimacy, obedience, and love. So, if Jesus gives life, if he is the essential of life that goes beyond mere existence, he can be described as the "bread of life". It seems to me that when Jesus tells them he is the "bread of life" he is saying…"I have come not only to tell you ABOUT a nourishing food for life, but I AM that food that will nourish your heart and soul in ways you never imagined. If you take me in as the "bread of life" all the deepest longings of your heart and soul will be fed.

We can understand why the Jews on the shore that day had trouble taking in this information. We have the benefit of looking back through the Bible stories to understand who Jesus is and yet it is still hard for us to understand what Jesus is offering us as the "bread of life". Maybe it isn't so much about understanding as it is about experiencing the gift. Maybe the Jews were trying too hard to understand the concept Jesus was offering rather than simply experiencing what he came to offer. Maybe sometimes we try too hard to understand what it means to believe when we are really being asking to experience what Jesus is offering. It's not that we aren't to work on understanding and growing in our knowledge of God. God gave us the ability to reason and our intellect and heart to use to learn and grow, but when our inability to figure everything out with knowledge or understanding gets in the way of experiencing God, we can miss out on the "bread of life" being offered right in front of us. In the passage from John's gospel today it's too early in the story for anyone to understand the "bread of life" as Jesus' body and blood. That will come later in the story. John is interested in the reader understanding about the deeper relationship offered with God through Christ.

But we do know that part of the story, and so today, in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we are offered one very significant way to experience Jesus as the "bread of life". Each time we take communion, we say these words in the liturgy…"Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." "Do this in remembrance of me." It is as if Jesus is saying, "take this small piece of bread and small sip of grape juice into you so that I can become a part of you to nourish and sustain you deeply. In a very real way, Jesus becomes to us the living bread each time we take Holy Communion. If we waited to take Holy Communion until the time when we fully understood all that is happening in the Sacrament, think of all the opportunities we would miss to experience the love of Christ feeding us in this special way.

Let me give you an example. In the United Methodist Church we encourage children to participate in Holy Communion with their parents from the moment they can come to the table. There are other Christian denominations that feel it is important for children to be old enough to understand what the sacrament is about before they participate. I can understand and respect why they believe the way they do. But here's why I'm a believer in the way we do it…How many of us adults FULLY understand what is happening in the sacrament of Holy Communion?? Hopefully we do understand some of what we are doing, and why, through education and participation. But when do we reach the point that we FULLY understand everything that is happening when we take communion? Each time we experience Holy Communion, we are drawn closer to Christ who loves us. Each time we experience Holy Communion we understand just a little bit more of how our life is touched by God who loves us. Throughout all our life we continue to gain more and more understanding about what is happening in the sacrament, but none of us fully understands it.

There is some mystery that can't be explained involved in all sacred moments. Children can experience the loving presence of God in relationship with Jesus Christ long before they can understand it or even verbalize it. Children understand what it is to eat together. Children understand what it is to be included and what it is to be excluded. Children understand family and friends together in a warm, safe, loving church environment. I remember a dad telling me one time that he told his 3 year old son on the way to church that we would be having Communion that Sunday. He asked him if he knew what Communion was. Sort of indignant that he was being asked such a stupid question, the child responded, "Sure dad, it's having supper with God. Don't you know that?" Is Holy Communion "having supper with God"? Sure! Is that all it is…no, but that is a part of the mystery of Holy Communion and it is an appropriate way for a 3 year old to understand relationship with God.

If we waited to take Holy Communion until we fully understood it, none of us would ever be ready to participate in the Sacrament and look at all that we would miss in experiencing the love of the risen Christ in our lives. Did those Jews on the shore in the story in John's gospel fully understand what Jesus was telling them about being the "bread of life"? No… Did that keep them from coming to be close to him? No…They kept coming…again and again and again, and just like us, they kept gaining understanding and developing a deeper relationship with God who loves us all. We may not always understand Jesus' words either, but we can respond to his calling and allow ourselves to be drawn to come closer and seek deeper relationship with him.

I'll be the first to admit that it isn't always easy to live with mystery. We like to figure things out. We like to understand everything that is happening and we like to be in control of it. At least, I do and I suspect some of you do too. But the reality is, there is a lot of mystery in our world and in our faith. We can't always figure everything out. Sometimes good things happen to us. Some times bad things happen to us. We don't always get the explanation we are looking for. Sometimes we understand the gospel message for us. Sometimes it seems to remain a mystery. But, even in the mystery, we can experience the presence of Christ nourishing, sustaining, and giving us life giving love.

God's grace comes to us in so many wonderful and mysterious ways. This table has been prepared as one way we are offered an experience in the living bread. What do you hope to experience as you meet Christ today at this table? Just like those Jews long ago, are you curious to know more about what he is offering you? Are you ill or hurting and wish for a healing? Have you come for a word of hope or encouragement? Maybe you aren't even sure why you are here, but something in you is drawn to come…to be closer to Christ…to experience his presence and his power. The invitation has already been given to come to the table. As we said earlier in the service, "Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another." It doesn't say, "Christ our Lord invites to his table all who have it all figured out". Christ invites to his table all who seek relationship. May we come to the table embracing the mysterious gift that is offered so that it may nourish and strengthen us to be God's loving, compassionate servants in the world.

Let us pray…Gracious God, We give you thanks for the many ways your grace comes to us in and through relationship with Jesus Christ. May we use all the gifts you have given us to grow in our faith. Help us to come to this table with an open heart ready to experience anew the risen Christ. Amen.