Lenten Devotional // Day 29

John 6:28-40
They asked, “What must we do in order to accomplish what God requires?”
Jesus replied, “This is what God requires, that you believe in him whom God sent.”
They asked, “What miraculous sign will you do, that we can see and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
Jesus told them, “I assure you, it wasn’t Moses who gave the bread from heaven to you, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
They said, “Sir, give us this bread all the time!”
Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I told you that you have seen me and still don’t believe. Everyone whom the Father gives to me will come to me, and I won’t send away anyone who comes to me. I have come down from heaven not to do my will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of the one who sent me, that I won’t lose anything he has given me, but I will raise it up at the last day. This is my Father’s will: that all who see the Son and believe in him will have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Reflection 
This week we will be reflecting on the “I AM” statements made by Jesus in the book of John. The first of these is “I am the bread of life.” Jesus had just performed a miracle, multiplying bread and fish to feed the masses. Jesus is showing his followers that their hunger will not be fulfilled by bread alone.

Did you know that we have a ministry of bread bakers? Every Sunday, when you take communion, you are eating bread that was handmade by people within our congregation. We have a delicious bread recipe that is loved by many, but that’s a story for another day. Twice a month, this group of people get together to make the bread for all of our sites. They are all different ages, come from different backgrounds, and attend different sites. However, they gather to serve in this specific ministry so that we can be fulfilled by “The Body of Christ” each week. The bread bakers are literally multiplying what they are given to create bread for all of us.
 
Here at the Gathering we have 5 shared practices; Worship, Prayer, Serving, Learning in Groups, and Giving. These are all meant to bring us closer to God, to fulfill us in very specific ways. Bread baking is a prime example of how we can be fulfilled by Jesus in the service of others. Our bread bakers have found a way to fill their own spiritual cup by providing us with physical nourishment, “The Body of Christ.” Jesus can be found in all the things we do, as long as we are paying attention.

Question for Contemplation
What is something in your life that was not truly fulfilling until you put your faith at the center of it?

Prayer
Jesus, bread of life, feed our spirits until we hunger no more. We continually seek you in all things, to follow and be like you in every way possible. We know that we cannot be truly fulfilled in our lives without you at the center of it. In your name we pray, Amen.