Satisfaction (MPLS)

Ephesians 4:25–5:2

So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

John 6:35, 41–51

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

‘Text Message’ Reflection:
From Pastor Heather Roth Johnson

When I teach first communion classes, the kids and their adults go on a scavenger hunt throughout the building. One stop they make is to sample some bread and read a children’s book called, “Bread, Bread, Bread” by Ann Morris. When the kids come back, I ask them, “What did they notice in the book?” They usually tell me something like, “Everyone in the world eats some kind of bread!” That is the correct answer. Bread might not look the same in every place, but almost every place has some kind of bread.

In our Bible stories for today, they are about bread. In 1 Kings, Elijah is so tired from traveling and walking that he lies down under a tree to die. He can go no more! But the angels come down and tend to him by making a little bread and bringing a jar of water. They wake him up to eat and drink several times. In the Gospel of John, Jesus announces to the crowd, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Jesus is reminding them that he is the manna from heaven, and that he will bring the people into Holy Communion with God.

Bread is a staple in our diets: we have sliced bread with flour or gluten free, there is baguette, naan, Chelsea buns, sandwich bread, flat or pita, and there is bread with yeast or not. Just as we care for our bodies, we need to care for souls with the bread of life that Jesus so freely gives in Holy Communion. Come and be fed, and your soul with thank you.

‘Text Message’ Reflection Questions:

• What is your favorite kind of bread? Why? What do you like to put on your bread?
• Elijah was treated to breakfast in bed. Have you ever woken up and someone made you toast and coffee? Have you done this for someone before?
• How do you react to the words of Jesus: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Prayer:

God, thank you for your love of bread found in the many forms that feed our bodies, and thank you for your blessings found in bread and wine so that our souls may also be fed. Amen.