A Word to Speak

My wife and I are committed to reading to our children.  From the time that they were very little, she and I have enjoyed reading to our kids.  It’s a special time when we can gather around a good book and be transported into a story.  The words have a power to project a world around us to enjoy for a little while, to help us experience beauty and sadness, and to help us think about ideas in ways we hadn’t before. 

As I said on Sunday, words are powerful.  And it was this powerful tool that God chose to use to do some amazing things.  He created the world and everything in it with words.  He reveals Himself to people through words.  And the person of Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, is, himself, called the Word which was made flesh. 

Christians are people whose lives have been touched and transformed by God’s Word.  The Holy Spirit works powerfully through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word.  He is also active when we take up our Bibles to read the Word ourselves; strengthening our faith, delivering forgiveness, and shaping our hearts and minds to be reflective of Christ.  I would add that this true of listening to the Word too, if you have an audio-Bible on your iPod, mp3 player, a disc or an audio tape - or even records, like my grandma had!  (Kids, if you don’t know what records were, they were kind of like cds only they made their sound through a needle with wonderful hissing and scratching sounds.) 

I am often asked by people how they can grow in their faith, have more joy, or be more committed Christ-followers.  My answer is consistently – God’s Word.  Get into a Bible study that digs into the Scriptures.  Hear what God says.  Go to worship and hear the word read and preached.  Not only that, but in worship we sometimes see God’s Word in action in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as it creates faith, forgives sins, and binds us to the hope we have in Jesus.  There is nothing like the Word of God to transform our lives. 

In Isaiah 50:4 we find these beautiful words related to God’s Word.  “The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary.  He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.”    There are a couple things I really love about this passage.  One is the hearing/speaking dynamic.  The other is the idea of being equipped morning by morning for the task ahead of us; speaking a word to sustain the weary. 

Before Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1) He told his disciples that they would be his witnesses at home, nearby, among their enemies, and far away.  We talk about witnessing sometimes, and when we do we often do so in hushed tones of awe.  Really, being a witness just means that you saw or heard something, and now you tell others what you saw and heard.  This is echoed in Peter’s words before the Sanhedrin, “… we cannot help but speak of what we have seen and heard.”  (Acts 4) 

What had they seen and heard?  Jesus – crucified, buried, risen, and ascended.  What about us?  Have we not seen the same thing through the text of the Bible?  Have we not seen and heard of a God who loves us so much as to give His only begotten Son for us?  Have we not beheld with our eyes and perceived with our ears the Good News that there is salvation apart from our own works and efforts?  Have we not looked upon the Word that declares us to be holy, despite our sin, and had words spoken to us that stated, “Your sins are forgiven and washed away in the blood of Jesus!”? 

Hearing and speaking God’s Word go hand in hand.  Woe to the pastor who never reads his Bible.  And pity the Christian that never reads the Word, so she never sees or hears the message to proclaim.  And, friends, if that last sentence describes you, let me just say, “Repent!”  And then, knowing that all your sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake, take up your Bible and read some Psalms, part of Gospel, or even an epistle.  See and hear what the Lord has done for you, hear the powerful word God will speak to you, and then a day will come when you find yourself speaking of Jesus; speaking the words of eternal life. 

Questions to Ponder

-          Isaiah 50:4 talks about an instructed tongue and listening like one being taught.  How have you been instructed in the God’s Word? 

-          The passage speaks of a word to sustain the weary.  What wearies people in this World?  What is the root cause of our problems?  What is the solution?

-          How did you come to know Jesus?  Were words involved? 

-          Isaiah 50:4 speaks of being instructed by God Himself.  How does knowing/believing that God speaks through the Bible directly to us impact your opinion of reading the Word?

-          How do you stay connected to the Lord and hear His Word?  What might you do to deepen that connection with Him?  

A Word to Hear

They say that silence is golden, but sometimes it is oppressive, and if it is unbroken, as it is for the deaf person, silence forms a barrier between people.  Something similar can happen when we cease to hear God’s Word; obstacles begin to go up. 

Our God is a God of community and conversation.  He desires to be with us and to speak with us.  In the normal course of things He does this through the Word –when it is preached, when it is read, in the Sacraments, and when it is embodied by His people.  (…[W]e are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  - 2Corinthians 5:20 ESV)  He wants us to hear Him, and He longs for our response in prayers and actions. 

We must be specific in this, though, this community and conversation with God is something He begins.  We cannot make it happen.  He finds us.  He “calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies” every believer, and keeps us in the one true faith, that is, He keeps us in community and conversation with Him. 

However, like the child who “didn’t hear” his mom when she called because he was having too much fun in the yard, we sometimes choose to not hear God’s Word.  Sometimes we “stuff our ears” to avoid hearing God’s voice.  Not that we always do this intentionally.  Sometimes we are so busy, filled with worried thoughts, and consumed with things of this life that God’s voice is lost in hubbub. 

What do we do then?  How do we hear God’s voice again? 

I think we can find a clue in our Gospel lesson from this past Sunday (Mark 7:31-37).  This reading recorded the encounter of Jesus with a deaf man who could not speak properly.  Jesus healed the man in a peculiar way.  Taking the man away from the crowd to a more private setting, Jesus put his fingers in the man’s ears, and then He spit and touched the man’s tongue.  It was like a form of sign language.  Jesus was telling the man what his problem was.  Putting His fingers in the man’s ear was like saying, “You are deaf.”  Spitting and touching his tongue:  “You can’t speak properly.” 

How is that helpful?  Well, sometimes we need someone to point out the obvious to us.  It’s like when someone says, “You are too busy.”  And you think, “Perhaps that’s why I feel disconnected from my family.”  Or someone says, “You have too much stress.”  And you realize, “Maybe that’s why my prayers seem so shallow, I’m still holding on to my problems instead of giving them to God.”  Again, we gather and someone says, “You are a sinner.”  And we respond, “I need forgiveness.” 

Let’s be clear:  Jesus’ stating the obvious is not mocking or making fun, like we sometimes do when we tell someone, “Duh!  That was obvious!”  It is a statement of compassion that reflects His desire to save the man.  His deep sigh and speaking of, “Ephphatha!  Be opened!” shows that! 

We need to hear that word spoken to us, “Ephphatha!” that we might hear God’s Word anew.  Then our spiritual “ears” are opened to hear God’s Word rightly proclaiming His Law and Gospel to us; telling us of our sin and delivering God’s forgiveness in Christ. 

This will then loosen our tongues, to share the good news of God’s love with others, to sing our Redeemer’s praise, and to speak, “Gloria Dei!” – that is, “Glory to God!” 

  

Questions to Ponder

-          While I have used the events of this healing as a parallel to how Jesus spiritually opens our ears, this is a real event with a real deaf person.  What would be the biggest challenge for that man in this scenario?  What about the crowd?  What about Jesus? 

-          Look at the way Jesus healed the man.  Imagine watching the event as it unfolded.  How did Jesus protect the deaf man’s dignity?  What does this teach us about our care for others? 

-          How did the man respond to the healing?  What about the crowd?  Why is the crowd’s response significant?  (See Isaiah 35:4-7 for a hint.)

-          How are verses 33-35 parallel to God’s application of Law (confronting us with our sin) and Gospel (giving us forgiveness for Jesus’ sake)? 

-          Do you ever shut God’s Word out of your hearing?  If so, how?  Pray about that, repenting and knowing that God forgives you!  (1 John 1:9-10)

-          If God is a God of community and conversation, what does this say about the importance of things like Sunday worship, personal devotions, Bible study and prayer?  

A Word to Watch

Have you ever given thought to how it is that you became a Christian?  Some of you have very interesting stories of conversion.  There was a clear moment that life changed for you and you became a follower of Christ.  Others of us experienced the miracle of conversion in the waters of Baptism when we were very young, and we don’t really remember the moment – although it is no less miraculous!  Any time a person who was dead in trespasses and sin comes to life in Christ it is an amazing thing! 

For every Christian there was a moment when God intervened in his or her life and, through the power of His Word, created faith.  That Word may have been spoken or it may have connected to and combined with the waters of Baptism, but the Word was the tool God used to bring us to faith. 

The Word of God goes by many names; the Word, the Bible, Holy Scriptures, or the Good Book.  Whatever you want to call it, you have a special relationship with the Word (my preferred name for it) because it was with there that you heard about God’s love, forgiveness, mercy, salvation, and, most importantly, Jesus – who is also known as the Word Who Became Flesh.  It is there that you find your connection to Jesus, and therefore your life, forgiveness, power, and hope flow to you through the Word. 

The Word is important – not just for knowledge that imparts, but for all the work it does in our lives.  Isaiah tells us that like the rain and snow that water the earth, the Word goes out and always accomplishes the purpose for which God sent it. 

Our Old Testament lesson this past Sunday (Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9) Moses encouraged the people of Israel and us to watch the Word.  That might sound a little weird.  We hear words; not watch them.  But we’ve all heard someone yell, “Watch it!” and we know they’re not asking us to stand and observe something, but to pay attention to a dangerous situation.  In essence, Moses says to us, “Watch it!” because if we lose God’s Word, we are truly lost. 

Moses highlighted this fact by pointing out that God’s Word is our wisdom.  While there are many things in the Bible that people reject and consider foolishness, the reality is that this is the only source to truly know God.  It is the Bible that reveals Jesus to us and shows us that His death and resurrection are our hope and salvation. 

Paul, too, in our second reading (Ephesians 6:10-20) spoke to the importance of the Word, arguing that it is our weapon – the Sword of the Spirit – to fight against our enemies.  He says, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  God’s Word is our tool to fight temptation, the devil, and all sin. 

And Jesus spoke of what makes a person clean or unclean in God’s eyes, saying that it is out of our hearts that sin and all kinds of evil come from.  (Mark 7:14-23) We find that something must come from the outside to make our hearts clean so that good and God-pleasing things flow from us.  That thing that comes from the outside is the Word, and it washes us of all our sins as it brings us Jesus’ forgiveness. 

I strongly encourage you to be people of the Word.  Pick it up.  Read it.  Study it.  Attend a Bible class or ChristCare.  Bring your children to Sunday School and let them see as you stay to grow in the Word, too.  Watch what the Word will do in you and in your family and see how God uses it to give you wisdom, a weapon, and a washing! 

Questions to Ponder

-          Moses encouraged the Israelites to watch themselves and their lives (4:9) so that they do not forget the things their eyes had seen and that they didn’t let it slip from their hearts as long as they lived.  Think back across Moses’ ministry.  What kinds of things happened that showed them God’s love and salvation? 

-          What are the things that happened in our lives to bring us salvation?  (Make sure you think through personal experiences as well as the Bible!) 

-          According to Deuteronomy 4:1 what is the benefit of following the decrees and laws of the LORD?  What is the benefit to us when we live in the Word of God? 

-          In the sermon I told a story about a soldier needing to know his weapon so well he could disassemble and assemble it in the dark.  If the Word is our weapon, how well do you know it?  How can you get to know the Word better?  How might that benefit you? 

-          In John 5:39 Jesus says, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me….”  When we watch the Word who are we actually watching?  What is the benefit of spending time with Him?  

Church Values to Unite our Minds and Wills

How important is community?  Does coming together as the Body of Christ matter? 

According to Acts 2:42-47, it mattered a great deal to the Early Church.  In that section Luke, the author of The Acts of the Apostles, writes, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.  And all who believed were together and had all things in common.  And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.  And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42-47 ESV)

This passage formed the basis for the message this past Sunday as Bob, Pastor K, and Ruth K shared ChristCare ministry with us.  They reminded us of the importance of spending time with our fellow Christians in the Word (Biblical Equipping), fellowship, worship, prayer and missional service.  ChristCare is a ministry based on these principles from Acts 2 and our congregation has been active in this ministry for over a decade. 

As the world changes around us, we are finding that in terms of moral depravity, wild spirituality, and ignorance of Christianity, we are entering into a period of time that is very similar to what the Apostles experienced in the Book of Acts.  Those who study trends and time periods are calling this time “postmodern.”  Two other labels for our place in history are important to know.  They are saying that this time is “post-Christian” and “post-Church.”  People are not growing up with Christianity as the dominant worldview they experience, and they find our faith to be foreign, strange, judgmental, and insignificant to their lives. 

That’s not good news. 

Yet we have the promise of God that His Word never fails, the Church (those who believe in Jesus, not the institution) will never cease to exist, and not a dot or the least stroke of a pen (that’s a jot or tittle for you King James fans) will disappear from God’s Word until the end.  That makes this a time of opportunity!  And that is good news! 

I sometimes wonder what God’s people will do in this brave new world.  I believe ChristCare and ministries that reflect Acts 2:42-47 are part of the future.  The passage says that the early Christians “devoted” themselves to the Apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread (Holy Communion/worship) and prayer.  That word, “devoted,” literally means they were busily engaged with these things.  They persisted in them.  These were their way of life.  Interestingly, the bit about attending the temple is the same word.  They daily persisted in and were engaged in the presence of God.  Their lives were saturated with the faith. 

There is an interesting word in v. 46 that needs to be mentioned here.  Oddly, this word does not come out in most English translations.  Verse 46 reads, “Daily they were gathering one mindedly (with one will) in the temple ….”  The word that I translate, “One Mindedly” is homothumadon.  It’s a very important word that shows up primarily in Acts.  You’re going to hear more about this word from me in the future, but let it suffice to say for now that this unity in mind and will rooted in God’s Word, fellowship, worship and prayer is a powerful thing. 

We’ve all experienced the truth that a team can do more than an individual.  In homothumadon, we can accomplish much in Jesus’ name. 

Being shut-in makes it difficult to experience that fellowship.  Please know that we are praying for you, and we crave your prayers for us.  Even when we cannot see each other face to face, we have great unity through God’s Spirit and serve important roles in the body of Christ. 

Questions to Ponder

-          When the first Christians gathered, they didn’t have Bibles like we do.  Instead, when they received the Apostles’ teaching, they received directly from the mouths of Peter, James, John, and the others!  How would hearing these words directly from the Apostles’ lips be different from how we hear God’s Word today?  Would that be helpful?  More difficult?  Value neutral?

-          Look back through the values of the early Church.  They devoted themselves to the Word of God, gathering with believers and friends, worshipping, and praying.  The result was incredible selfless service that was noticed by the people around them and God brought new believers into their fellowship daily.  What is your level of devotion to these values?  How do you see them displayed in your life?  How about in Gloria Dei? 

-          What could we modern Christians learn from these ancient ones that Acts 2 talks about? 

-          What challenges you in this passage?  What comforts you? 

-          Think about the concept of homothumadon – one mindedness.  How do the values of the early Church reinforce a unity in thought and purpose?  If we are to be one minded, how do we decide which mind to be united in?  Check out 1 Corinthians 2:16! 

Eating Flesh, Drinking Blood and Receiving Eternal Life

I was cleaning my desk this week and I ran across a picture of my son Rick (our oldest) on his first day of kindergarten.  It was a bit of a nostalgic moment because now he’s starting high school, and Lucy (our youngest) is starting kindergarten.  It is a bittersweet thing to watch our children grow up.  Part of us wants to keep them and cuddle them as little ones forever, but the reality is they need to grow up, and oh how we rejoice as we see them develop into adults using the gifts and abilities God blessed them with. 

Something that moves my heart like few experiences can is when I see young people living their faith in inspirational ways.  I am very passionate about passing on the faith to the next generation, and when I see children and youth displaying that faith … that’s a “Hallelujah moment” for me. 

Talking with the youth who went on the Anchor of Hope mission trip and listening to them in the Bible study presentation last Sunday was a great joy for me.  We have wonderful kids who are part of our congregation, and their work in Baltimore was a blessing to Our Savior Lutheran Church where they worked, Lutheran World Relief, the Brethren Relief Distribution Center, Habitat for Humanity, the kids in the neighborhood where they stayed, and to us back here at Gloria Dei.  In short; they did great work for the Kingdom of God! 

They also served as an excellent example of using earthly ministry opportunities for the sake of God’s eternal priorities.  Their work, prayers, and devotions all served to connect the physical work that they did to the goal of sharing the love of Jesus with others. 

As people, fallen and sinful, we often have a hard time keeping caring for people’s physical needs and their spiritual needs in a proper tension.  The truth is we need both, as I’ve said at other points, because we are both physical and spiritual, body and soul. 

Caring for the poor, feeding the hungry, advocating for justice, stewarding the environment and the like are good and godly activities in-and-of themselves, yet in-and-of themselves they do not bring salvation to people.  These things must be coupled with the proclamation of the Gospel.  Peter highlights how important this is when he asks, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”  There is no hope for eternal life, forgiveness, or salvation anywhere other than the Word of God. 

There is a popular quote which is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi that says, “Preach the Gospel.  Use words if necessary.”  It reflects the attitude that it is what we do that matters, and not what we say.  There are two problems with this.  First, Francis never said it.  Second, words are always necessary to proclaim the good news of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, when you get right down to it!  Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”  Apart from the proclamation of Jesus, spiritually eating and drinking His presence in the Word, there is no life. 

Our actions matter, though!  Kids working in the city make a statement.  Being kind to people sends a message.  Defending others communicates.  Spending time talking to your neighbor delivers a testimony.  These things give us opportunity to speak the words of eternal life and to be heard.  From there it is Jesus’ job to give new life to that person. 

 

Questions to Ponder:

The Gospel Lesson from last Sunday was John 6:51-69. 

-          Refresh your memory on the context in which Jesus’ conversation with the Jews is happening.  Look back at Mark 6 and compare to John 6.  What kinds of things had been going on that led up to this time of teaching? 

-          Cannibalism was strictly prohibited by the Jewish faith, and it was, rightly, considered a disgusting atrocity.  These listeners would have been revolted by Jesus comments about eating His flesh and drinking His blood.  They would have been further offended by his statement that their forefathers ate manna and died while those who feed on this new bread from heaven will live forever.  Why do you think Jesus used such graphic language?  What was Jesus pointing them away from, and trying to get them to see?  (reference v. 58 & 62)

-          How did many of Jesus’ followers react to this dialog?  (v. 66) How did the 12 Disciples respond?

-          Read v. 67.  What emotions do you think Jesus was feeling at that moment?  Have you ever been abandoned or left to stand alone as you stood up for the truth?  How did that feel?  What comfort can you draw from this passage? 

-          Over the last three weeks we have looked at the tension between physical bread and spiritual bread.  How would you describe that tension in regard to (1) our sinful nature, (2) Jesus’ priorities, and (3) how we do ministry? 

-          What are the implications of Jesus’ statement in v. 65?  Do His words challenge you?  How do we understand the process by which a person becomes a Christian?  (For “bonus points” look up Luther’s explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed and see what He says.) 

Earthly and Eternal Blessings

Every once and a while I hear or read the saying, “If you have trouble sleeping, don’t count sheep; count your blessings.”  It’s a nice reminder.

Take a moment and count your blessings.  Think for a few minute of all the good things in your life. 

What did you list?  Family?  Friends?  Health?  Home?  Job?  Nature?  Forgiveness? 

I often find that when I start thinking about my blessings the physical stuff is what comes to my mind first.  But when I weigh the physical against the spiritual blessings we have received, the heavenly far outweighs the earthly. 

This is essentially the misunderstanding of the people in John 6; they preferred the earthy stuff to the eternal blessings Jesus was offering them.  They thought it was amazing that Jesus healed people.  They loved being miraculously fed with bread and fish.  They rejoiced in the physical blessings Jesus was pouring out on them.  But Jesus reminded them, “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died.  This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.” 

The greatest blessing God has ever given us is that of His Son who was given as the atoning sacrifice to pay for the sins of the world.  This is the greatest good He can give us; Jesus gives us Himself, His life, even His first, last, and resurrected breath.  What a blessing!  God gives us a right relationship with Him through Jesus’ death and resurrection!  We get to be God’s people, and we get to have Him as our God. 

Luther wrote in the Large Catechism, “To ‘have’ God, you can easily see, is not to take hold of Him with our hands or to put Him in a bag (like money) or to lock Him in a chest (like silver vessels).  Instead, to ‘have’ Him means that the heart takes hold of Him and clings to Him.  To cling to Him with the heart is nothing else than to trust in Him entirely.  For this reason God wishes to turn us away from everything else that exists outside of Him and to draw us to Himself.”  (emphasis added)

We worry so much about physical stuff that it distracts us from God.  We desire the physical bread, and disdain the spiritual.  Yet in this chapter that we will linger in through next Sunday (John 6) we hear Jesus calling to the crowd and to us to look beyond the physical blessings to the spiritual gifts, the eternal gifts, the everlasting life that God gives to those who believe in Jesus. 

To be sure, God cares about our physical needs.  It was Jesus, after all, who taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”  God created both the physical and the spiritual, and as human beings we are both physical and spiritual beings.  We don’t want to get so wrapped up in the physical part of life that we lose sight of the spiritual.  Nor do we want to become so “spiritual” that we do no physical good! 

Take some time today to count your blessings, and start with the faith that you have in Jesus, for it is a gift, too!  Then pray a prayer of thanks.  After all, God has promised to hear your prayers. 

Questions to Ponder

Look back at John 6:35-51, our Gospel Lesson from last Sunday. 

-          How does Jesus describe His relationship with the Father here?  What does this mean for where He derives His authority?  What implication does this have for us and our authority to speak God’s Word?

-          In verse 41 it says that the Jews grumbled about Jesus.  Literally, it says that they were grumbling.  Look back in Numbers 14.  How often did the Israelites grumble against God and Moses?  Do we ever grumble against Jesus?

-          In verse 42, what is the Jews’ complaint?  What did they assume about Jesus?  What did they not understand? 

-          What do these passages say about how a person comes to faith?  (Pull out your copy of Luther’s Small Catechism and read over his explanation to the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed.)  How does this fit with the exhortation to decide to follow Jesus?

-          How many times does Jesus talk about raising people up in the reading?  Look beyond it and see if Jesus mentions it again.  What is our hope after we die?  How can this belief help you in your daily life?

-          Re-read verses 49-51.  How would you explain what Jesus is saying here to a child or to a person who does not yet believe in Jesus?  How does this impact your daily life? 

-          When do earthly things distract you from God’s eternal blessings?  Where do your daily experiences run into eternal realities?  Where do physical and spiritual realities come together in your life? 

Spiritual Junk Food and the Bread of Life

I have a confession to make.  I love junk food.  I sometimes shudder when I have to gas up my truck (not only because of the price of gas, but) because of all the delicious treats inside the gas station!  I have found very few fatty, over preserved, sugary, or sodium laden snack foods that I don’t like.  The problem is that those foods just aren’t good for me.  (Nor are they good for you, in case you were wondering.)  They range from nutritionally vapid to downright bad for you! 

In our Gospel lesson on Sunday we started reading from John 6.  We’ll be reading from John 6 for the next two weeks, too.  This is the section where Jesus refers to Himself as the bread of life.  He also confronted His hearers’ motivation for coming to Him.  You see, many of the people there had been part of the crowd when Jesus miraculously fed five-thousand men, plus women and children, with five loaves of bread and two fish.  They were looking for another meal, so Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.  Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”  (See John 6:22-35 for the whole reading.) 

Jesus’ message is this:  God is offering you salvation through faith in Him.  “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.”  That’s what he desires for you.  Jesus is the bread of life, and He satisfies our hunger, and even slakes our thirst. 

So God is offering us the bread of life, Jesus’ presence and salvation in our lives.  But often, instead of the bread of life, we desire spiritual junk food. 

What do I mean by spiritual junk food?  Anything that offers you happiness apart from Jesus is spiritual junk food.  Messages that offer you self-help instead of God’s intervention in your life are nutritional nothingness.  Worldviews that ignore sin, forgiveness, atonement, and God’s salvation are bankrupt bread.  And anyone who offers you these things or the hope of somehow building a life that revolves around yourself, your desires, and your ideas, is flat out trying to poison you. 

1 John 4:1 urges us to test the spirits.  As we talk about the bread of life we can translate that as, “Look at the nutritional content of what you’re feeding your soul.”  Paul warned in Ephesians 4:14 that there are teachings and beliefs that are rooted in the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.  The only way to avoid such false teaching, such spiritual junk food, is through faith in and knowledge of Christ.  The nutritional standard is God’s Word, and we must constantly ask, “What does the Word say?” 

God gives us spiritual food that lasts in His Word and the Sacraments.  It’s not always as appealing to us as junk food.  Sometimes the food He gives us is hard to eat – especially if He is confronting us with our sin.  Other times the food is very pleasant – like when He tells us of His love and forgiveness.  Either way, we are invited to “taste and see that the Lord is good.”  (Psalm 34:8) 

Blessings on your week!

Questions to Ponder:

Over the last few weeks we’ve read a series of Gospel lessons that take place one after the other.  Starting in Mark 6 we read about the beheading of John the Baptist, the feeding of the 5,000, and Jesus walking on the water.  Now in John 6 we are reading the conversation that took place after these events.  As you read over these lessons is there anything that strikes you?  Does knowing that these events follow in sequence help in understanding the text?  Why or why not?

Look back at John 6:15 and then re-read John 6:26-27.  What did the people who followed Jesus desire from Him?  What did He want to give them? 

In verse 28 the people ask, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”  What was Jesus’ answer?  How is that significant for us as we think about our relationship with God?  What is the main thing God wants for us? 

“When they found [Jesus] on the other side of the lake, they asked him, ‘Rabbi, when did you get here?’”  Have you ever been surprised to find that Jesus was present with you?  Have you ever been in a situation where you asked, “Jesus, when did you get here?”  Where has Jesus gotten into your life?  What difference has it made?

Jesus said, “Do not work for food that spoils ….”  What are the spiritual foods that spoil in your life?  What kinds of spiritual junk food tempt you? 

Jesus used an image – the bread of life – to communicate the truth that He is the one who gives life to the world.  How does bread help us understand what Jesus does for us?  What mental images come to you when you hear the word, “bread” and the phrase, “bread of life”?  Do these help us draw closer to Jesus?  If so, how?