I am the Bread of Life

 

 I suppose it’s only human nature to have faith in the things we see rather the things we can’t. God knew our nature long before and better than we did. The whole purpose of his incarnation in Jesus was for him to be able to reach us in his humanity through our physical senses. We place out “faith” in tangible things we can see, touch and experience like career, finances, family, relationships, and our own ability to control our lives. Unfortunately, life has a way of reminding us that our faith in those things may be fleeting and not as fulfilling as we planned or expected.

Most of us are likely to experience a significant setbacks in our lives and what we once counted on were no longer as reliable. And even people close to us like our family, and our friends…well are not unkind, just hard to find and are imminently capable of doing what humans do, and disappoint us.

In a very real sense, most of what we invest our faith in falls under the category of “perishable.” After feeding the 5000 with five loaves and two fish, Jesus and the disciples crossed the lake, only to find that the crowd had followed him there. When they approached him, he knew they were expecting a repeat performance of the feeding of the multitude.

Jesus was constantly aware of the dangers of a faith that is based on visible and tangible elements. Getting what you asked for without spiritual elbow grease is not faith. Jesus was calling his followers to a completely different kind of faith. Humans are conditioned to believe in those things they can identify with their five senses. “Seeing is believing,” right? Well maybe not in God’s way of thinking. Jesus was calling his followers to a faith without external props and to things that are felt and not necessarily seen.

When we take the risk of “casting our lot with the one whom God sent” to carry out God’s mission in the world, we experience a peace, a freedom, a quality of life that none of our “perishable things” can possibly provide. When we take the risk of faith, we find the life that God offers truly satisfies us in ways we may never have expected. The only “bread” that can truly satisfy our hunger is the bread that God offers us, the Bread of Life. (John 6:24-35).

Through Him With Him and In Him

 

Is there any Gospel reading more familiar to us than Jesus feeding the multitudes (John 6:1-15)? Let’s put aside the inclination to call Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand a miracle. Why? Primarily because it misses the point and distracts us from the true miracles that take place in the story. For the one who made the world out of nothing and created light from darkness, multiplying some food and loaves was no major feat. John reminds us that the wonders Jesus performed throughout his ministry were always indications of the character of the God of love whose divine presence Jesus bears. Make no mistake, what Jesus did is anything but pedestrian but the point isn’t what Jesus did, but why he did it.  Compassion through Him with Him and in Him, is the hallmark of Jesus' ministry. This single word summarizes God’s unconditional love for us and is at the core of his incarnation in Jesus. 

Ok, let’s get back to our miracle… that was no minor endeavor. What we now call “food scarcity” was rampant in the ancient world. And so the disciples’ suggestion that the hordes of people go away and buy food isn’t just unrealistic it’s ridiculous. First, they were in a deserted place in the middle of nowhere, and second, they would likely not have any money to buy food anyway. We are reminded in our reading in Mark last week that the disciples had just returned from their ministries and with Jesus were looking forward to rest and retreat. Jesus instructs them to put aside their self- interests and desire to be left alone, and feed the multitude… themselves!  Which brings us to the real miracle of the story: Jesus uses the disciples, even when they would rather look after themselves, to tend to the needs of these thousands of men, women, and children. They go from “we have nothing here but five loaves and fishes” to one of abundance to “thank you, God, for these five loaves and fishes.” Whatever their initial skepticism, or doubt, or self-indulgence, the disciples are caught up in Jesus’ words of abundance and “they all ate and were filled” as God worked through these reluctant disciples to care for the poor and hungry that he loves so much. 

And that miracle continues when  we hear about first responders tirelessly searching for survivors in the Surfside Florida disaster and the unsung heroes of the Covid19 pandemic. How about a parent who puts his/her dreams aside to care for the needs of their children or aging parent first. God is still at work performing miracles through us, his disciples eager, reluctant, and everything in between.

The real wonder of this story is that it continues. God cares deeply and passionately for those who are most vulnerable:  the poor, the homeless, the hungry. And God continues to use us to care for them.  Let those of us who have been fed by God’s heavenly food go and do likewise by sharing God’s love with all we meet and especially with those in deepest need. There are two miracles in this story. They have little to do with simply multiplying loaves and fishes, and by remembering them, we are hopefully prepared to continue to follow Jesus and care for those in need. And that is no small thing at a time like this. Thank you God.

 

Summertime and the Living is Easy

 

Rest… A break from all the bustle and activity. Rest…A chance to renew, to stop, to slow. Rest… And end of work, if only for a little while. Rest…An opportunity to stop doing that you may simply be. Rest…What a beautiful word!

Jesus' simple invitation in Mark 6:30-34 to "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest awhile" is not just an invitation to take an afternoon off or go on vacation -- though those may be important elements -- this is an invitation to loosen our shackles and climb out of the cages following the year of Covid19 confinement. It's an invitation to stop the rat race that defines success by more possessions and not by the substance or quality of our lives.

 Maybe that's the essence of Sabbath rest and our Scripture discussion and reflection?  They provide a chance to step back from the things consume our time and distract us from God's presence in our lives. Jesus wants us to rest. He wants us to recognize the “trap” we call success and the rat race we call modern life. He wants us to reflect on how much time we really spend together and actually enjoy the things we’ve worked so hard to attain. 

God wants us to live a fully abundant life that is measured qualitatively and+ not quantitatively.

How do we begin? Maybe we might consider just one evening when we will shut down our computer, or turn off our cell phones or, say no to one obligation or appointment. After all, it’s summertime and the living is easy.