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Sermon for Sunday, August 9, 2009

 

“The Bread of Life – Part 3”

John 6:35, 41-51

Well, we’re still talking about food. One time I thought that we needed to have a covered dish luncheon after this series on John 6. So far, we have asked the question, “What are you hungry for?”  where Jesus fed the 5000 trying to teach them that there was more to life than just eating the food that will perish, but food that endures for eternal life. Last week we talked about spiritual junk food and the damage it can do to our relationship with Jesus. Jesus continues with his teaching on being the Bread of Life in John 6. What I trust we will discover is that a relationship with Jesus is good for us.  Listen to what the scriptures say:

READ John 6:35, 41-51

“If it is true that you are what you eat,” said a man in line at a fast food place,” then I must be fast, cheap and easy.” He’s probably not alone. A lot of us eat food that isn’t particularly good for our health.  Some years ago Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes posed the question, “What are the two biggest categories of nonfiction best sellers?’ Number one he said is cookbooks. Number two?: diet books.

Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, does it?  We fumble through cookbooks to try new recipes that are tempting and good, then we read the diet books and figure how to lose the weight from the food that is tempting and good.

Probably no real surprises there. Food really does kick up all kinds of feelings in people. Most of the people in the world are preoccupied with food; a significant portion of the world wondering if there will be food to eat at all.  In our country we spend a lot of time, energy and money devising ways to eat better and less as well as ways to attract us to eat more. And then there are those especially in third world countries spend a huge portion of time trying to find food to survive.

In our country most of us do not have worry about if there will be food,(although those who work in our food closet ministry might disagree), but we do have to be concerned about the food we eat if we choose to be healthy. And for that to happen one of the things we must do is to read the labels. Check out the labels before they go in the basket. Pay attention to the calories, sodium, cholesterol content, you get the drift and then eat accordingly. Sounds like a good plan.

The Department of Agriculture put together a “food pyramid” some years ago to give us a visual picture of what a healthy diet looks like. The base of the pyramid is the stuff we need to have the most of. It consists of whole grains such as bread, cereal, rice and pasta. It recommends 6-11 servings a day from this group as a staple. The other steps in the pyramid build on that foundation --- fruits and vegetables, meats and diary, with a very small amount of fats and oils at the top. According to the pyramid, it is the bread group that provides a solid foundation for a good diet.

In much the same way, what is good for our stomachs is also good for our spiritual lives. We need our recommended daily minimum requirement of Jesus. He uses strong language. He invited us to “eat” of himself, to devour him, to feed on him. On at least four occasions in just today’s portion of the scripture, he says he is the “bread.”

Now it is a bizarre image if you let it stay at a literal level which is really what happened in the early church. Those outside of the church heard language that made them think Christians were cannibals. We think that is a little off base, but you can see how they get that idea can’t you? “Take eat, this is body, drink, this is my blood.” Justin Martyr, among other of the early church fathers, wrote to make sure it was understood that no cannibalism was taking place.

The truth of the matter is that “consuming” Jesus is good for us.  It is healthy for us. We will live better when we are faithful and committed to Jesus. We may even live longer. Studies have shown that religious people live on the average, longer than the general population. That may be because people of faith often live healthier lifestyles.

It is no coincidence that Jesus uses the image of the bread to describe the most basic element of spiritual health. “I am the bread of life,” he says, “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’ (6:35) All of one’s recommended daily minimum requirements of grace, love, forgiveness, the “food of eternal life” (6:27) are found in a relationship with Christ.

I suggested to you a moment ago that it is important to read the labels on food we buy when it comes to nutrition, even though there is often a debate as to whether some food is good for you or not. How long ago was it that eggs were food to be avoided because of all the cholesterol they were to contain? And then came the word that eating eggs in moderation actually benefits our levels of “good” cholesterol. Coffee supposedly reduces the risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and colon cancer, but the caffeine raises the blood pressure. And then there was that huge misinformation about chocolate and how bad it was for you.  I just knew that some research had gone awry when that came out because it wasn’t long before that was retracted. I could have told you that! You have to weigh all the information and made the best choice. It is all in how you read the label.

The Jews looked at Jesus label and were skeptical about his spiritual value. To them, the label said: “Jesus, son of Joseph the carpenter and Mary of Nazareth,” a 30 something year old carpenter from a nowhere town called Nazareth. They were kinda like the disciple, Nathaniel, when he first checked out the label on Jesus, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (1:46)   Some thought that the old messianic label was sufficient and that Jesus was just a passing fad that would soon fade away.

But for those who believed the Jesus label read, “Jesus is life sustaining.” What Jesus was offering was the kind of nutrition that will fuel us now and in the life that is to come. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven,: said Jesus. “Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.” (6:51) What Jesus is saying to us that who He is as God’s Promised will sustain us in our life’s journey here and into the promised land of God’s eternal presence.

With physical food, we know that food with the right nutritional value is good for us. We see people who eat right, exercise and enjoy things in moderation and observe that they are healthy. I’ve talked with some folks this week who are preparing for a half a marathon soon. They exercise and run daily. I have a hunch they are eating the right foods also. They look like it. They will be healthy and chances are they will stay that way.

Going from an unhealthy diet and lifestyle to a healthy one takes discipline, but it also involves beginning to experience the benefits of eating right. I believe the church is to be a community of faith that is to help us even in those areas of life.

The same is true of our spiritual lives. When we engage in the daily disciplines of cultivating a personal relationship with Jesus through prayer, Bible study, meditation and service, we start to experience the benefits and want more. We learn that such a relationship is good for us on a lot of levels.  We simply need to check the labels ever day to know what he can do in us and through us. When we are living on a steady diet of Jesus’ presence in our lives, others will begin to notice and want to know the secret.

When I was an Associate Pastor in Northern Virginia, I was asked to be chaplain to one of the high school football teams; to pray with them before a game and then to travel with them. We did pray and on one occasion after a game, one of the players said to me, “tell me about Jesus.” Hmm. And we talked.

Maybe there is someone you know, in this room, in your neighborhood, your family who is the living expression of “I’m hungry, but I don’t know where to find the food that satisfies. I’ve grabbed at this experience and that one, buying this and buying that, but never feel fulfilled. I feel like I’m starving to death.”  What would you tell them? Who would you share?

During VBS this week I attended the adult class that Barbara taught. On Wednesday night she passed out cards that had printed on them: “Just as our fingers leave an invisible mark on everything we touch, every day we leave an impression on every person we encounter.”

How you and I live our lives can be the invitation to someone who is hungry to find the Bread of Life…the One we know as Jesus.

To those who are hungry, hear the words of Jesus, “I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me will never be hungry.” What food do you need to eat?

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Address
First Baptist Church, Ashland
800 Thompson Street
Ashland, VA 23005

Phone
(804) 798-9014

Fax
(804) 798-9043

E-mail
fbcashland@verizon.net

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