John 6: 24-35
(I am referring to a book called The Spirituality of Bread by Donna Sinclair for this sermon, as well.)
Bread is considered to be a life source for most of the world. People since ancient times have cobbled together grains finely ground and water and created enough food to give them sustenance. Manna was considered to be a sort of bread given by God to the Israelites during their journey in the desert. A devilish temptation offered to a starving Jesus during his forty days in the wilderness was a delicious taste of bread. We depend on bread to live.
In a world that is increasingly gluten-free, this can be an interesting concept to discuss. How can something like 'regular ordinary bread' hurt so many people's digestive systems? I suspect it has more to do with current additives and modified growing practices than with the ancient natural stalk of wheat, but I am not here to give you an agricultural changes talk. I am here to talk to you about Jesus being given to us as the bread of life. And the ways we can look at the concept of 'bread of life.' Why is Jesus giving himself to the world compared to bread?
Bread connects us to one another. We associate breads with where we are from... where I come from, for example, cornbread is made in a skillet and has NO sugar added. Every nation on earth seems to have a bread or two that is representative of their culture. I remember days I spent in Paris in college, spreading some soft cheese each morning on a half of a baguette, that combined with my chocolat chaud made for such a wonderful start to the day. And I would wrap the other half in a napkin and put it in my backpack for a delicious lunch later in the day.
Bread connects us to justice. We read of the biblical stories of sharing bread. From the manna in the wilderness, to the woman who makes bread from a little flour and oil, to the feeding of the 5000, to the breaking of the loaf as a symbol of Jesus' approaching death, we are faced time and again in the biblical story with the miraculous nature of sharing bread to create a stronger humanity. Whether we are sharing literal bread with others (in a meal like our Soup, Soup and more event...), or we are sharing the abundance of our resources, bread reminds us that we are called to break our loaves and our lives open for those who need it.
What memories do you have of bread? Have a favorite recipe or holiday where special bread is served? How does bread symbolize holy in your life?
Email me or comment below.
Cinnamon-Cardamon Bread- a staple at our house around Thanksgiving and Christmas. In the winter, we would come home from school or playing and as we walked up to the house it seemed as though the scent of this bread was always wafting from the kitchen. At Christmas, Mom would use it as a way to thank all of the people who had helped us and because of those two things- the scent tying me so strongly to our warm, safe home and that it was a special way in which we thanked those who mean so much to us- makes this bread much more than just the sum of its parts.
ReplyDelete