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. (John 6:35)

Give us this day our daily bread… (Matthew 6:11)

I don’t know why, but I always have to think twice about Jesus’ words, “I am the bread of life.” I get it – Jesus came into the world to give us life, to sustain us with what we need and bring us eternal life, but the whole bread thing, for some reason, I get stuck on that.

Bread is an important source of nutrition for every culture in the world. Baguette, tortilla, naan, challah, pita, rye, sourdough, banana. The popular low-carb diets really go against everything that we have been taught about eating well. Removing bread from our diet doesn’t seem natural.

And so Jesus, calling himself the bread of life, was speaking in terms that would be familiar to everyone, and for all time. In calling himself the bread of life, Jesus was reminding us that our faith has to do with things of heaven, and also with the things of earth. “Christianity cannot be reduced to a concern with the spiritual things alone. It also has to do with the earthly, the fleshly, the bodily, the physical.” (French p 70)

We need to care not only for our spiritual health, but also our physical health. We must first put on our own oxygen mask before we can help anyone else. We need to pay attention our life in the world, and that includes not only our diet, but our outlook, our exercise habits and our community. (see http://www.bluezones.com/)

When we pray give us this day our daily bread, we are praying for “whatever we need to protect the gift” of life that we have been given by God. (French p 70)

Prayer for today

Help us, gracious God, to care for ourselves so we can care for the world you have created. Amen.