I Am the Bread of Life

This Sunday, our service we will be based upon the “I Am” declaration in John’s Gospel, where Jesus identifies himself as “The Bread of Life”. In this statement, Jesus declares that “Whoever comes to me will never go hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty”. Since Holy Communion feeds the Church, while enabling us to experience the Holy Spirit, I have designed this series of Holy Communion services around the theme of the “I Am” declarations of Jesus, to finish with the declaration “I am the Bread of Life”. The sermon will also extend upon last week’s reading in Exodus 3, where Moses was commissioned as the one who would lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

In the Gospel reading for today, John 6. 25-51, Jesus promises that he will never push away or ignore a person who comes to him in genuine faith for spiritual nourishment. He also offers assurance to the believer that he or she will be kept in God’s love by Jesus’ power.

However, the crowds in Jesus’ day (just like some people today) wanted Jesus to perform some miracle before they would believe and have faith in him. They forgot the miracle that they had witnessed just the day before! Jesus calls for faith before proof; but many human beings want proof before they will even consider faith.

What is the meaning of the Gospel reading for Us? This reading focuses on Jesus as the centre of faith. Jesus gives us a wonderful assurance “All those the Father gives me will come to me and whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (v37), which shows an emphasis on the individual’s choice. The forceful statement “I will never drive away” is an assurance that Jesus will always maintain, protect and care for us. In this reading, we are taught that for a life that satisfies our desire for spiritual nourishment, we need to consistently live through and draw upon Jesus

Yours in Christ

Debra