“Give Us this Bread
Always”
Thanksgiving Service
2013
Timothy Kellogg
Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church
Tuesday, November 25,
2013
When they found him on the other
side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them,
"Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw
signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the
food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it
is on him that God the Father has set his seal." Then
they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe
in him whom he has sent." So they said to him,
"What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and
believe you? What work are you performing? Our
ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, "He gave them
bread from heaven to eat.' " Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I
tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my
Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For
the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives
life to the world." They said to him, "Sir,
give us this bread always." 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. (Jn. 6:25-35, NRSV)
“I’m thankful for the food,” but
there’s always more to the story. The same is true in our gospel message for
today. Five thousand had been fed, but when all was said and done, the crowd
wanted more. They wanted to know what they had to do to get more. They were
reminded of history’s past and given an undying proclamation for all time to
come.
Jesus calls out the intentions of
the people and directs their attention to the bigger picture. It is not the
food they need more of, but him. And, who is he? He is the Christ, the Messiah,
the chosen one, the one sent by God to preserve, provide, and protect for the
people of creation. Throughout human history, people have toiled endlessly for
the sake of abundance and other things, but Jesus, gives a simple answer to
what is needed. The simple answer, “believe.”
The people that tracked Jesus
down, after the feeding, missed the point. Jesus didn’t feed five thousand
people just to give them food to eat. They were thankful for the food, but the
food wasn’t what it was all about. Jesus fed the five thousand to show them a
sign that he was the one sent by God to give life to the world.
The people missed the point
again, by asking how to perform the work of God because they wanted to know how
to get more of their fill. They were thankful for the food, but there was more
to the story. The work of God isn’t about the loaves and fishes, it is about believing
that Jesus is the Christ.
The people missed the point a
third time and asked for a sign in order to believe that Jesus is the Christ.
They asked for a sign using the story of Moses in the wilderness and the
feeding of the Israelites with the manna from heaven. Jesus, again, redirects
them, saying it was not Moses who feed the Israelites, but God.
“For the bread of God is that
which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” And the people missed
the point, yet again, “Give us this bread always,” they said. In turn, Jesus
very directly proclaims to them and to the entire world, “I am the bread of
life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will
never be thirsty.”
The crowd, who followed Jesus, as
he walked this earth, missed the point a lot. Our history is with theirs. When
Moses asked God to give the Israelites manna from heaven, God provided. When
they asked for something else because they already had manna, they had
forgotten that it wasn’t Moses, but God who provided.
Like them, the crowd following
Jesus was fed loaves and fishes. Immediately, they forgot where that came from.
It was not the food that fed them, but the Christ, the Son of God.
Like them, the Church once
indulged in the practice of purchasing forgiveness. Because people forgot that
it’s not the Church who saves us, but the Christ, the Son of God.
Like them, in the abundance of
Western Civilization, people forget that it’s not our accomplishments that make
us better human beings, but the Christ, the Son of God.
It is not wealth that provides
for us or food, alone, that sustains us, but the Christ, the Son of God. It is
not what we have that secures us and protects us, but, the Christ, the Son of
God.
It is not people, possessions, projects, or principles that
give us life, but the Christ, the Son of God.
Throughout the Gospel according
to John, it’s pretty clear that the purpose was and is to believe in Jesus, as
the Christ, the Messiah, the redeemer, and sustainer of life.
Whether we recognize it or not,
we carry this passage with us every Sunday in hearing the words, “forgiven for
you,” eating the bread, and drinking the wine; in which Jesus is truly present
with us, providing a means of grace, and daily sustaining our life and faith.
We recall the proclamation of
this passage tonight, as we give thanks for our baptism; remembering, that
through water and the Word we were invited into the family of God and covered
in grace.
We take this passage with us
daily, as we pray, asking for our “daily bread:” the things we need for the
sustenance of life.
While we are not receiving the
sacrament of Holy Communion tonight, remember the next time you eat the bread and
drink the wine that you are eating the bread of life, and living in the reality
that Jesus is the Christ – the giver and sustainer of life. Jesus offers us
himself, as the bread of life, and we are invited to believe. However, we ought
to be mindful of objectors, like the ones in John’s gospel account because this
is an invitation to live and trust in Jesus, for some, and a threat for others.
We’re invited to be thankful for
the food and remember that there’s more to the story. Jesus is the Christ. In
his grace, we are saved. In his grace, we are baptized into the family of God.
In his grace. we eat the bread and drink from the cup of forgiveness. For, he
is the bread of life, who redeems and sustains us.
I’m thankful for the food, but
sometimes I forget where it comes from, and need to be reminded – no matter how
often I forget – to believe in the one who provides. That reminder, like the
one Jesus gave, is not a threat, but an invitation.
Years ago, I was thankful for the
food, but not long after, I would forget to be thankful amidst the chaos of a
split Thanksgiving.
Years later, I sat around a
somber Thanksgiving table, my older sister, wanting to change the mood, asked,
“What are you thankful for?” Like Jesus’ answer to believe was simple and to
the point. My answer was simple, “I’m thankful for the food.” That day, I
remembered the simple answer.
In recent years, Thanksgiving Day
has been in transition. I was an invited guest at a new Thanksgiving table
because the old one had come and gone. The invitation was mine, all I had to do
was be thankful.
This year, I have yet another
invitation. I am being welcomed into a family, like Jesus welcomes us. I am
being offered a seat at a new table, like Jesus offers us a seat at his table
to eat the bread of life. I am thankful for the food and believe that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of God.
Much like we are invited into the
family of God through baptism and sustained through Holy Communion, the work of
God is consistent, even when life isn’t.
Our invitation to God’s family
and the Lord’s Table is a daily occurrence, continuing for all time, and all
people, we are invited to eat the bread of life, and believe.
God gives us our daily bread: the
people and things we are thankful for, but we almost always want more. When we
seek those comforts and provisions, and appear to come up short – whether
monetarily, vocationally, relationally, or even, religiously – we may, like the
people who heard Jesus call himself “the bread of life,” become frustrated.
But, Jesus, the Christ, has taken
this whole world and everyone, and everything in it, into his arms that were
stretched out upon the cross, and in resurrection, he has wrapped those arms
around us in loving, gracious, forgiveness.
Friends, this is our invitation
to receive the bread of life, in Jesus, who is the Christ and believe in this
sustaining proclamation. May we be thankful for the food and believe. Amen.
