Forever Bread

This past week we returned to the Gospel Lectionary passages and focussed on John 6:51-58. The sermon can be found here.

The scripture deals with the proclamation of Jesus as being "the living bread that came down from heaven." We are told; "Whoever eats of this bread will live forever". Such a statement is obviously open to misinterpretation!

The passage makes a link between the bread of which Jesus speaks and the manna that the Israelites were sustained by in the wilderness during the Exodus from slavery in Egypt. Just as God sent manna down from heaven, to feed them and sustain them, God sent Jesus, to walk amongst them and to be the One through whom they could find real life.

Question to consider: ‘How does God sustain our lives? How do we find the ‘real life’ Jesus spoke of’
A re-occurring theme in John’s gospel is that the old has gone and, in Jesus, the new had come. This was not a comforting thought for the religious folk of the day, who thought they had a handle on all things God related!

Question to consider: ‘How open are we to do things in new and different way? Are there any preconceptions that we hold that could prevent God working in and through our lives?"

A great hymn of William Williams (Pantecelyn), much loved by Welsh folk, , has the refrain ‘Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more, feed me till I want no more ‘. The hymn reflects that Jesus IS our forever bread and invites us to feed our lives and our spirits upon His love. Here’s the Choir at the Morriston Tabernacle, Swansea, Wales, with an inspirational rendering of this classic hymn.