Bread for Life

Rebecca Sheridan
Sunday, August 11, 2024
John 6:35-51

All of this talking about bread this month has me thinking more about food in general – what I like to eat, and what’s good for me to eat.  Have you ever had to be on a special diet or tried dieting?  Keto, Atkins, Mediterranean, Vegan or Vegetarian, Gluten Free; these are just a few that come to mind.  Americans are sadly not the healthiest of people.  There are studies that show that some of the stuff they put in junk food and fast food are highly addictive so people can’t help but crave more, even though it’s not good for us.  Not to mention, with our busy lifestyles, many of us rely on convenience food and takeout which tends to have higher sugar, fat, and sodium content than fresh, home-prepared food.  All this has led to higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and so on.  Summer sometimes makes it easier to make healthy choice while eating because we have more fresh fruits and vegetables – good food – to eat, but for many of us, eating healthy is an ongoing struggle.  We know it is important to eat healthy foods for our physical health.  Do we know what to do to nourish our spiritual health in the same way?  What is your “spiritual” diet?
As we continue thinking about Holy Communion in reading through chapter 6 of John, today Jesus says “I am the bread of life.” You may be aware that Jesus makes 7 “I am” statements in the gospel of John, connected to very ordinary things – “I am the gate, I am the vine, I am the light of the world…” and so on.  Most cultures around the world have some kind of bread, whether it’s a big round loaf, tortillas, injera, or pita bread, as a basic food staple.  We need food to live, just like we need light and water.   So Jesus uses a very ordinary thing that we encounter and in fact eat daily to teach us about spiritual, holy things.  Jesus tells us again today that we need him for the life that really is life. We need to pay attention not just to the physical, but also to the spiritual.  In receiving the bread and wine at Holy Communion, we actually eat this promise of forgiveness and eternal life given to us through Jesus.  In other words, Jesus the bread of life is healthy food for us.  Holy Communion is not just a physical thing we eat, but also spiritual nourishment.
Just like we strive and struggle to eat healthier and care for our physical bodies, many of us struggle to feed ourselves spiritual food that is healthy.  Jesus invites us again today to consider our spiritual as well as our physical health.  When I look at the very secular culture around us, I am pretty concerned that we are living among many people who are spiritually malnourished, if not spiritually starving to death.  The U.S. surgeon general calling loneliness an epidemic and skyrocketing rates of anxiety and other diagnosable mental illness in all age categories I think are just two societal symptoms that point to how spiritually unhealthy we are collectively.  It is much harder, though, to take notice of our personal spiritual wellness, because you can’t necessarily jump on a scale or take a spiritual health reading like you can measure your blood pressure.  Very simply put, for better spiritual health the medication is Jesus, the bread of life. 
What are some things you do to keep spiritually healthy?  When we dig into what improves our spiritual health, we can look at things like regular prayer practice, reading scripture or a daily devotional, attending worship regularly, taking time to just “be” with God whether it be out in nature or a 5-minute quiet, meditative time, getting together with a few other Christians to talk about God or pray together, serving people in need, giving of our time and financial resources.  All of these things are ways we can grow spiritually.  And thank God, it’s very simple to start – by eating the bread and drinking the wine, being nourished by Christ himself, the bread of life.  If you don’t do much at all to nourish your soul and connect with God, the good news is that getting spiritually fit is pretty much like trying to improve your physical health; start small.  Try coming to church more than you may be doing right now, or try signing up for a regular volunteer job once a month.  Find a daily Bible reading plan and try sticking to it for a week, then two weeks, then a month.  Introduce praying before a meal with your family or before bedtime.  Find a friend or family member to hold you accountable.  Spiritually healthy people help grow other spiritually healthy people.  Not only will a regular spiritual practice help you feel closer to God, I’m guessing God will find ways to encourage you and inspire you with “God sightings” along the way.
Of course, as a Lutheran pastor, I need us all to remember that while working toward better spiritual health is important, it’s not all about what we do.  It’s easy to get out of good spiritual practices – listen for God calling you back again. Return to the Lord, again and again.  And remember, we do these things not to save ourselves, but because God WANTS a better relationship with us for our benefit.  When you come forward for Holy Communion, hear those words – “This is the body of Christ given for you. The blood of Christ shed for you.”  We don’t earn brownie points with God or a better place in heaven for how many times we pray or take Communion or how well we know the Bible.  Holy Communion is Christ’s gift to us, for our benefit.  This is why Jesus says, “I am the bread of life!”  Jesus wants us to get a life!  To know the life that really is life, life abundant, life eternal.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.