Desiring the Bread of Life… A Transforming Position
The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
Proper Twelve
July 30, 2006
John 6:1-21
A Sermon preached by the Reverend Canon Carolynne G. Williams
If our Gospeler, Father Bill, had continued to read, we would have heard these words…..
……”For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world…. I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.’’ (John 33, 35).
Those words I want to believe all of the time. God, the bread of life.
God, the bread of life who sustains me and responds to my every need, especially through others.
Believing in and on the name of God, garners power. It welcomes a sense of hospitality and gives a point of reference that is grounded in faith.
There are many names for God. I ask you to call upon the name in your mind and heart that you give to God to call upon God’s power. The one true God.
God is lovingly called upon as Sustainer, Redeemer, lifegiver, painbearer. The bread of life.
When receive communion, the words that are given to us are,” The Body of Christ, The Bread of Heaven.” We also hear at times, “The body of Christ, the Bread of life”.
“The body of Christ, the bread of life.”
What implications and insights do we have in our lives today? Does the process of hearing those words lead us to believe those words? There are some here who would respond. Yes, those words, the action of receiving substance, the hunger being satisfied, the void being filled.
Those words give me life. Those words are a part of my soul.
The void, the space within is filled by allowing the power and potential of the body to become one.
It is filled when you volunteer your time or give with a financial gift to Buckhead Christian Ministry. A place where over a period of time, 5000 are fed with food, clothes put on their backs and shelter is extended beyond what an individual may have been able to provide because of a loss of a job etc.
The emptiness within is filled when you volunteer to carry out the ministry that you believe that you have been called to do.
“The body has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.(1 Corinthians 12:12) “I am the bread of life”.
When Jesus accepted the boys lunch that his mother had prepared and given to him to sustain him on the day’s journey…When he took the fish and the bread and Blessed it, he broke it and gave it to those who were hungry, about five thousand, needs were met.
Bellies were filled. Aches and hunger pains within those who ate were removed.
When the five thousand were being fed, it was not mere satisfaction that was offered. When their hunger pains dissipated, they could turn their attention to what was happening around them. They could hear and actively participate in seeing and questioning the miracles that were happening around them.
We can recall the miracles of long ago, but we are usually pressed to be convinced that they actually happened. We also are suspect about anyone who may say that they have witnessed or been a part of seeing and understanding a miracle.
The disciples were present with our Lord. It was difficult, even for them, to accept the profound character of God.
Later in this gospel, after the momentous feast, Jesus says to his disciples, who have since stepped into a boat. A strong wind comes out of no where and causes panic among the disciples. They are afraid. He says to them, “It is I”; Do not be afraid”( John 6:20.)
When we become fearful, the bread of life says to us do not be afraid.
About two years ago, our daughter had to have surgery on an emergency basis.
Prior to her having this very serious surgery, there was no indication that there was a need for surgery, no less having to have this performed on an emergency basis. The procedure went well and following, she received excellent care. We received unparallel Pastoral Care. One of the physicians following the surgery said to me that she had not seen anything like this malady in her 25 years of practice.
Our daughter, Piper is fine and is whole. Her birthday is today. She is 25 years of age.
This experience however, caused me to look squarely at the need for God, The bread of life, the sustenance of God, in a manner in which I had not anticipated.
I believed in the bread of life sustaining, I talked about it giving strength. The consolation of God’s comfort was extended to and through Perry and me as her parents... The presence of the incarnate was evident and was permeable. How so? We were given strength to make decisions, quickly and with some fear, but, trusting in the wisdom of our Lord and recognizing the skills, gifts and compassion of her surgeons.
What is this bread of Life? What is it that sustains us? What do we seek with passion and commitment?
Seeking that which we are convinced that sustains us can take us in many directions.
Joyce Rupp, in her book, May I have this Dance, suggests in seeking the bread of life, in recognizing that the fire of God dances in us, we will become ever more generous with our forgiveness and more daring in our action, especially for a justice that will heal our world.
In seeking the bread of life for substance, we will be encouraged to renew our vision of who we long to be. The more we seek to be our authentic selves, our vision of life will encompass a passion and commitment which is life giving and life sustaining.
We will obtain a renewed enthusiasm for living, our passion for God and God’s creation will increase. We will continue to embrace an openness for truth and we will long for a change, a transformation.
Somehow, seeking substance that only God can give, opens our lives to opportunities on an experiential level that is life giving.
The temptation to live from day to day not being awake to the presence of Christ through others is diminished greatly.
We often seek sustenance from places and things. We invest a tremendous amount of energy, time and cash into illusions which lead us to believe that we have it all together. These venues attempt to control our human condition and we hear whispers of … God is not needed. Our eyes give us visions that say all is well with the world. This happens when we view circumstances of life as a smorgasbord. We pick and choose the comfortable and beautiful and reject that which may call us to look at the image of Christ in places where we did not expect to see it.
We are called to give our first fruits to the creator, without exception. The fruits of our gifts and talents are used to sustain others. The exchange within the community will move from one person to the next. It will forge ahead and reach behind to the next generation. We become intertwined and focused. The result is all manna of life being balanced. Imagine, a balanced life with freedom to live and grow and have our being.
When we trust the process of following the prompting of the Holy spirit, our lives will take turns and go distances which we never anticipated.
When we come to the Altar of God, to leave our burdens, when we come to the altar to be reminded of our baptism and to receive the openness of God’s grace, let us receive the bread of life with Thanksgiving and with gladness. He says, “I am the bread of Life, whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty…..” (John 6:35)
Amen.
Comments? Contact The Rev. Carolynne Williams: cwilliams@stphilipscathedral.org