Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, August 4th, 2024click here for past entries
Loving God, you give us a new heart and a new spirit when we come to you in repentance and faith. Fill us this day with the Spirit of your love, for we come to you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
I should perhaps begin today by asking how many of you were able to follow the discussion that we just heard in today’s gospel…. While it is a series of questions and answers, and there seems to be a lot about bread, at least some of the discussion is circular in nature. The progression goes something like this:
The day before, many in the crowd had witnessed the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, beginning with five barley loaves and two fish. In the gospel of John, this is one of the signs that points to who Jesus really is. Afterwards, Jesus withdraws in order to pray, and the disciples get in the boat and head across the sea to Capernaum. Today’s gospel, then, begins with the crowd heading to Capernaum in order to look for Jesus.
When they find him, Jesus cuts right to the heart of the matter. Even though they witnessed signs that point to Jesus’ identity, they are there because Jesus fed them. They want to have enough food to eat (and who can blame them?!). However, Jesus points them to “the food that endures for eternal life” (Jn. 6:27) – the food that Jesus alone can give.
Their next question is what they need to do in order to fulfill God’s will. Jesus’ answer is essentially, “Believe in me, for God has sent me.” - “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you?” (Jn. 6:30). This is where it gets circular, as they just witnessed a sign in the feeding of the 5,000. The crowd mentions Moses and the manna in the wilderness – the bread from heaven that they could eat. Jesus, in turn, points them to the true bread from heaven, which is given by God. “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (Jn. 6:33). And they respond, “Sir, give us this bread always” (Jn. 6:34).
The bread that gives life to the world. What did the crowd think that they were asking for? And, perhaps more to the point, what do we think that we are asking for? After all, we do pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” In this prayer, and in today’s gospel, are we not talking about more than just bread?
Martin Luther, in his Small Catechism, gives a long list of things that might be included in “daily bread.” The list includes things like food, drink, clothing, shoes, housing, peace, health, good friends, faithful neighbours, and even good government. Anything that is a necessity and that nourishes our bodies is included.
However, the bread from heaven in today’s gospel is even wider and deeper than our basic needs. This is “the food that endures for eternal life,” and the bread that “gives life to the world” (Jn. 6:27, 33) – in other words, Jesus. In fact, in being baptized today, Shannon and Dominique have said, “Sir, give us this bread always.” They have come to the fountain of living waters – to the one who gives life to the world.
While it is important to have a full belly – especially for those who suffer from food insecurity – it is also important to be filled with the Spirit of Jesus. This is the Spirit who is poured out in baptism, and who gives gifts for ministry to all of God’s children. This is the Spirit who helps us to grow up into Christ, learning to speak the truth in love. This is the Spirit who knits us together with others in the body of Christ, sharing one Lord, one faith, and one baptism (Eph. 4).
As we think about being filled with the Holy Spirit, it can be helpful to simply stop, and breathe deeply, and be aware of Christ within us. This is a good thing to do when we are stressed out or facing big challenges. This is a good thing to do several times a day. It is good to breathe deeply, and know that we belong to Christ, and know that we are connected with all others who belong to Christ – in this life or the next. It is also good to seek God’s direction and God’s priorities each and every day, and to remain attentive to the things that God puts right in front of us.
While we continue to need food and drink in order for our bodies to survive, we also need spiritual nourishment. We receive this in worship and in prayer. We are nourished by Word and Sacrament. We are strengthened as we remember our baptism and as we receive the Lord’s Supper. All of us need regular faith infusions – or maybe Spirit infusions. None of us can follow Jesus all on our own.
Thankfully, God has given us all that is needed in order to encounter Jesus, and put our trust in him, and live as his followers on our journey through this world. For, it is Jesus who gives life to the world, giving himself for us, that we might have forgiveness and eternal life. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Lectionary 18(B) John 6:24-35
August 4, 2024 Ephesians 4:1-16
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison
© 2024 Lynne Hutchison All Rights Reserved
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