The Bread of Life

When Jesus fed a large crowd of people, a story that appears six times in the four gospels, four words are used to describe his actions. He took the bread and when he had blessed it (or given thanks) he broke it and gave it to his disciples to give to the people. Then on the night when he was betrayed to the religious leaders of Jerusalem and to the Roman authorities to be killed, the same words are used to describe the sharing of the bread in what we have come to call “The Lord’s Supper.” He took the bread and when he had blessed it, he broke it and gave it to his disciples saying, “This is my body broken for you. As often as you eat it remember me.”

Then one day, as he talked to people who knew the story of Moses and the manna God provided to feed the people of Israel so they would not starve to death in the desert, He said, “That food that God gave our ancestors kept them alive day by day, but they eventually died. I am the Bread of Life. I am the nourishment that, if you trust me, will give you life day by day and you will never die.”

I want us to feel the power of sharing in an experience that began all those years ago when Jesus and his apprentices fed the crowds. Breaking the bread and sharing the meal, tells us two important truths: 1. We belong to the one who gave his life to give us life. 2. We belong to each other. This is how Paul put it when he wrote to the church at Corinth. “With the cup we are sharing in the blood of Christ. With the bread we are sharing in the body of Christ. Because there is one loaf of bread, all of us, thought many, are one body, for we all share the same loaf” (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).

It is life giving to belong to you folks at New Hope Baptist Church and to belong to Jesus with you. He teaches us how to live the good life. The Bread of Life nourishes us with love, joy, and peace. I am thankful that I have learned how to let Jesus be that Bread for me. He gives me the nourishment I need for my spirit, day by day. He nourishes us as his Body. We have it made. No matter what happens, we belong to Him and to each other – forever!