Scripture Readings:
1 Kings 19:4-8; Ephesian 4:25-5:2; John 6:35,41-51
They were hungry. And thirsty. And close to death.
They cried out and God showed up, sending manna by day and quail by night. The people ate and were filled. Water poured from desert rocks and their thirst was quenched.
God provided food. God provided life.
The young widow slowly watched her grieving mother-in-law grow weaker and weaker. In those days, a woman was nothing without a husband - a man to provide security and worth. Yet, death had stolen the sons and husband of these two women. They had no men and no hope.
They were hungry. And thirsty. And close to death.
Until a stranger was endeared to the widow’s loyalty and looked upon her with kindness. The land-owner told her to glean the wheat from his fields, as much as she wanted, to feed her mother-in-law and herself. Through this kinsman redeemer,
God provided food. God provided life.
The prophet was on the run. He had filled his days serving the one true God and speaking God’s word to the people. In a final test, he showed the king, the queen and all the prophets of Ba-al that their so-called god was no match for Adonai. When Baal brought nothing - God brought a blazing fire. Victorious, the prophet ordered all of Ba-al’s prophets to be slaughtered! But now it was God’s prophet who was on the run. The queen wanted revenge; she wanted him slaughtered. So, he hid in the desert - alone, worn-down, defeated.
He was hungry. He was thirsty. And he wanted to die.
But God sent a messenger to touch the prophet, to give him food and drink. Twice, he ate and he drank. He was given strength for his journey.
God provided food. God provided life.
The Scriptures are filled with stories like these. Both in the Hebrew Bible and in the New Testament, there are stories of men and women who were given a second chance at life because God provided bread. Throughout the Scriptures, and in the everyday reality of our lives, bread and life and intricately entwined. Maybe this connection is why our lectionary focuses on bread for five weeks: every single person on the earth can relate to the innate need to be fed. Stories about food and life are something we all can relate to.
Yet, we also know human beings need more than physical nourishment. The hunger and thirst of the human condition is much deeper than aching bellies and dry throats.
Exhaustion and fear - like the Israelites wandering in the wilderness; Destitution and hopelessness - like Ruth and Naomi; Despair and defeat - like the prophet Elijah.
In modern times, psycho- therapists have found that anxiety is the emotional byproduct of the fear of not having enough. Enough what? Well, it depends on who you are. Anxiety producing fear cuts across economic divides. Some people are anxious about not having enough money to put food on the table for their families - an everyday reality for one in six Oklahomans. While other people experience anxiety about earning a salary that compares with others in their social circle, that will afford them lavish homes, top notch cars and luxurious vacations. Whether it’s having enough food or enough stuff - no matter who you are - the fear of not having enough creates fear, and anxiety, and despair.
Chrystia Freeland writes in her book “Plutocrats: The rise of the New Global Super Rich and Fall of Everyone Else,” that this anxiety reveals there is something deeper driving our angst than mere economic security. Our longing for more comes from a spiritual hunger that cannot be satisfied by earthly things. Our hunger might be pacified by bread. But our deepest hunger requires something more - than just having more.
And so God came to us - incarnate in Jesus - to be our bread, to be our more. In our Gospel lesson for today, we hear Jesus say once again: I am the bread of life. Not only will I provide nourishment for your bodies - but I will provide nourishment for your souls. I will provide comfort in your grief, hope in your despair, and peace in your anxiety. I am the bread that gives you life. Eternal life. Not just life in the world to come, but an abundant life now. A whole life now. A life of meaning and purpose, now. God steps into the muck of life to remind us that we are beloved. We are more than enough.
And so, when we gather for communion, we gather to be fed. The bread and wine of the Eucharist serves as a reminder that Christ is present - with us, in us and through us. Yet even on days like today, when we won’t share in communion, we still gather together to be fed by one another. As Christ is the tangible revelation of God’s love - so are we to be as well. As Christ reveals God, so we reveal Christ. We become the living bread - Christ’s own flesh - for the sake of the world - and for the feeding of one another. We are fed not only by Jesus, but through community.
And yet we gather on Sundays, in churches all over this city - and we don’t really know one another. And even when we do know the people gathered around us we grouse about that one and hang on to old hurts because of what that one did years ago. We live in communities but don’t even know our neighbors, and rarely interact with people who look, think and believe differently than we do. And yet, we are called to be the bread of life for one another. We are called to share in one another’s joys and pain, to build one another up and care for all among us.
Our Ephesians text focuses on this idea of community care. Instead of being a letter written by Paul, some scholars think that the text might in fact be a sermon preached to a Christian community - a small group of people meeting in homes to worship, following in the way of Jesus, and trying to figure out what it means to be church together. I love the way the Message communicates what community looks like:
So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 4:25-5:2, MSG)
If we want to imitate God, we look to Jesus - and and love like that. In Christ we are given the gift of community; we are all connected to one another and are meant to be living bread for one another. Living in community, we are truthful with others and ourselves, we let go of anger and help those who are unable to work. We use our words for good - for building each other up. We forgive one another quickly and fully. We love like Jesus.
Jesus loves fully and extravagantly - never anxious about not having enough or not being enough. He loves with abundance and plenty. Jesus is constantly pushing back on the notion of “what’s in it for me” and instead reminds us, “there’s enough for all.” This is how we are called to love one another in community. We look at Jesus and we love like that.
Last year I went to Nicaragua. The people lived in plastic houses with dirt floors. Sometimes there was enough money for corn for tortillas, but during times of drought, there was only enough for gallo pinto - beans and rice.
The people were hungry. And thirsty. But the sense of community among the village was astonishing.
They cared for one another and shared with one another all that they had. It didn’t matter if they didn’t have food tomorrow, because someone needed food today. Even in in their extreme poverty, they fed the orphans living in the trash dump and sent overflowing baskets of fruit into the overcrowded prisons.
God provides food. God provides life.
Last week I heard a story of a young boy who was always in trouble. He was labeled bad news at school and teachers dreaded having him in their class. He was assigned to a new teacher because of her kindness and gentle nature. His desk was placed next to hers and soon she realized:
He was hungry. And thirsty. And had come close to death.
And so she fed him. Day after day, year after year. She fed him when he was hungry and gave him a home when he had no other choices. She gave him love, a place to belong, and a way out of a life-situation that was set up for his failure from the beginning.
God provides food. God provides life.
Eight teenagers applied for an internship with Tulsa’s Table this summer. They filled out applications, interviewed with the director, and were hired as apprentices to a Tulsa chef.
They came hungry, and thirsty, and with painful stories but hopeful hearts.
Now, they are learning where their food comes from, and how to prepare and cook food that nourishes their bodies. They enjoy feasting on their creations and are learning other skills important to life. They earn a paycheck and have a job to put on a resume. And their experience is centered around food and community.
God provides food. God provides life.
It’s a story as old as time - yet it is a story that is still being told each and every day. If you listen closely, if you watch carefully, the story of food and life is all around you. Called to be imitators of God, you are the bread of life. May you provide strength and life for others, may you build community, and be vessels of hope for those who hunger and thirst for more than this world can give. Amen.
