I haven't been preaching from John and so I welcome the opportunity to read the multitude of resources and develop the sermon for Sunday on John 6:35, 41-51. Yet what else can be said about bread?
I find it troubling that it used to be easy to give up bread for a diet but now I miss it terribly when I do. There's the multi-grain chewy delicious rolls from Wegmans that I've been lightly toasting lately. So filling and so delicious and if, Dean Ornish is correct, they are actually good for me.
Then there's Harris Teeter's whole wheat baguettes that are so nutty flavored and perfect to wipe up the last few drops of sauce. And bagels from Shoppers or Einsteins at Target's food center can't be beat with either 'lite butter' (actually omega 3 oil margarine) or with cream cheese.
And then there is Panera's, full of not-so-good-for-you breads and pastries. Salty breads and sweet baked delights all call to me at this stage of life in a voice I didn't hear when I was younger. Were the options less then or my needs different? How was it that I experience bread differently in this stage of life?
Jesus' as the "I am" of life, the "I am the bread of life" sounds to me like simple nutrition. Take in Jesus and you will be nourished. Eat your fill, its/he's good for you. Maybe at this point of life Jesus, like the bread I love to ingest, offers more than simple nutrition. Maybe I'm in need of a greater filling.
I love the smell of the bakeries in today's large stores and I love the chewy, nutty taste of the many multigrain breads. It's more than nutrition, its pure enjoyment of the taste. Is Jesus saying he offers more than what I need? Can I have something that is both good for me and delicious?
I think that concept will be worth exploring on Sunday because Jesus likes to surprise us with good things and eye-opening statements. Ingest me, he says and live forever. What's not to like?
2 comments:
Hi there... I hope you DO explore that theme: it resonates with me. What's more, it jives with the whole idea of banquet and hospitality and being riddiculed because he didn't fast like the Baptist and all the rest, yes? I will look forward to reading what you come up with. Hope all is well. I'm on vacation and trying to catch up. Blessings.
ps - I am with you re: breads and diets, too! I have mostly stopped eating most breads most of the time, now it is a treat or part of the feast but man... I LOVE the smell and the taste and the texture. And I love to bake bread with my daughters and... on and on.
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