From the Pastor's Pen, November, 2005:

August 2006 From the Pastor's Pen

“Bread”

"We don't live by bread alone, but we also don't live long without it. To eat is to acknowledge our dependence both on food and on each other. It also reminds us of other kinds of emptiness that not even the blue plate special can touch. "

-Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC

It's

Not long ago I attended a church supper at North Parma UMC, where my husband Michael is the pastor. We were gathered around the folding tables in the fellowship hall, we'd already eyeballed the serving table to see who'd brought what, and we were conversing with the other folks there. Michael was called upon to offer the grace before the meal. Now, friends, 1 wasn't there to critique the prayer my husband prayed, but I did happen to overhear something he said to God in those moments: "help us to recognize our hunger for You." It hit me right between the eyes. We often cast a quick few words toward God at mealtime, but perhaps don't think too much about what we're saying. The “grace” we say over a meal is our way of saying thank you to God; it's how we remind ourselves that it's not just by our own labors that the food is on our table. Michael's words in that prayer were an acknowledgement that, though our bodies would soon be satisfied (or maybe stuffed) with the good things we were about to share, only God can fill the void in our lives; giving us what we're really hungry for.

As many of you know, I nearly always follow the lectionary (a prescribed three-year cycle of scripture readings for worship) in the readings we use for worship here. It gives me a discipline of readings, as well as the comfort in knowing that we're connected with other churches of many denominations in the Church (capital “C,” Christ's Church everywhere). On any given Sunday, churches all around the world may be using the very same Bible readings we are at First United Methodist Church. There are times I vary from those readings, perhaps to fit some local theme or day; or because I am preaching a series of topics. And then there are the times I'd just rather go to some other passage. This August is what some of my colleagues and I refer to, with some dread, as “Bread Summer.” A series of readings through the 6th chapter of the gospel of John quote Jesus as saying over and over: “I am the Bread of Life.” “I am the living bread which came down from heaven.” “I am the Bread of Life.” It gets a little challenging to say new things about it. Sometimes I solve that by just avoiding it! (“Maybe an Old Testament reading would be good right now. . .”) .

But there's a truth we need to hear in Jesus' words.

Though bread may be considered the bad guy in these carbohydrate-conscious days, it is a powerful, evocative symbol. We may remember scenes (and aromas) from our childhood of baking bread. We may envision the many shapes and textures of bread we've eaten. But we need to be reminded that the bread which sustains us is ultimately from God. What sustains us is God, and God's message to us in Jesus Christ. Our hunger is ultimately satisfied only by the grace God has poured so abundantly into the world.

So this “Bread Summer,” I'm exploring those readings. We'll be looking at the passages from John's gospel, following the story of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. We'll explore just what it means that Jesus is “bread” to us. And at the same time, I'm inviting you to share in two informal classes after worship (August 6 and 20), exploring the meaning of the Sacrament of Holy Communion in the United Methodist Church, using in part the document “This Holy Mystery.” I hope you'll come and take part in this opportunity to learn more about Holy Communion.

Together, may we at First United Methodist Church recognize our hunger for God. May it be a part of all we do and all we are. May we offer that hunger up as we plan programs and ministries for the fall. May we be aware of God's abundance as we seek to offer ourselves with abundant giving to the world. May we be hungry for the bread which satisfies us, the abundant life Jesus promises.

This closing reading speaks to me, both as I remember my father baking the bread for our family, and as I think of Jesus, the living bread:

Be gentle when you touch bread.
Let it not lie uncared for, taken for granted or unwanted.
There is such beauty in bread, beauty of sun and soil, beauty of patient toil.
Wind and rains caressed it.
Christ often blessed it.
Be gentle when you touch bread.

On the Journey with you,

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