There’s not much better than the smell of freshly baked bread in the morning! Bread is one of the oldest foods in many cultures around the world. From flatbread to baguettes to brioche buns to breads for special occasions like challah in Jewish celebrations.

You may consider yourself a bread aficionado. You may even make your own at home. We’re all very familiar with bread. Jesus took that well-known and delicious staple of life and turned it into a whole discourse with the crowds in Galilee. What exactly did Jesus mean in calling himself the Bread of Life? Join us for three Sundays on a sermon series from the gospel of John, chapter 6!

During the coverage of the Paris Olympics these past few days there have been a number of stories told of the lives of the athletes behind the scenes. At least a couple of them touched on the topic of the mental stress and mental blocks that can lead to a loss of confidence in their ability to perform at that level. Elite athletes need a healthy dose of confidence, or their dedication and love of the sport are not likely to translate into success.

No less important than success in athletics is our daily “success” at life in family, work, spiritual growth, and personal relationships. Fear can be a hindrance. Real or imagined, many sources of anxiety and fear creep into everyone’s lives.

Jesus’ disciples . . . . encountered both real and imagined fears one night on a lake. A wind against them as they were struggling to row their boat in the night in the middle of the lake was a real concern. Imagining that the figure walking towards them was a ghost and becoming terrified was not a real concern. The ghost was not there. It was Jesus.

No one wants to live a “fear-filled” life. The regular therapy and mind training that some athletes and others may recommend could be part of a solution to our own real or imaginary fears. But only part. We need a reference point greater than ourselves or other people.
Jesus’ advice is simpler. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Mark 6:50) Knowing Jesus and who he is, is the antidote to fear.

That’s what the disciples had forgotten. The account in the Gospel of Mark interestingly explains that to us: … for they had not understood about the loaves … (Mark 6:52). The disciples had just seen the miraculous feeding of the five thousand men together with any family members that were along with them. The miracle pointed to Jesus as the same God who had fed Israel in the desert, and was now in the world as the Messiah to save.
Seeing what Jesus has done is enough for us. His care and providence. His death and resurrection. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification (Romans 4:25).

Have you understood the lesson of the loaves? God came into the world and showed many times that he was God in the person of Jesus. God in our world watches over us, forgives us and saves us. Take courage!

A few years ago a singer in our country posted: “My truth is MY truth, & it’s mine to own. There is no right or wrong here, it simply just IS.” That is not such an uncommon view now for many people. This particular singer just put it into writing.

“Our” truth can have something to it if we’re simply sharing true things about our own experiences. In a sense no one has the exact same experiences or perspectives as another. But doesn’t the idea of “my truth” easily . . . . creep into “my way or the highway” or into a justification for anything anyone does?

This environment can bring some challenges to our mission of bringing the Word of God to those around us. Even if we care about a person and let them know the message of the Bible transcends any of our own thoughts and ideas, they may close themselves off immediately if a teaching doesn’t fit “their truth.”
That challenge is not as modern as it might seem. The prophet Amos was sent to preach against the king and against the whole nation of Israel. The king, Jeroboam, and his priest didn’t want to hear it. They dismissed Amos and told him to take his prophecies elsewhere.

Amos was not intimidated: 14 Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. 15 But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’” (Amos 7:14-15)

God gives us the right and authority to speak his truth, which is the only eternal and universal truth, and the truth that sets us free in Christ.

We are all sheep. We are all at the same time shepherds by God’s grace. You can be one to help keep the sheep from being shepherdless, both with your own shepherding and leading them to see the Good Shepherd of their souls.

Jesus sees sheep without a shepherd. We do too. Many living without hope or purpose or . . . . a moral foundation to their lives. We “shepherd” as well. Watching over in different ways the spiritual lives of our families and neighbors and acquaintances. We do that through our church with called pastors and leaders. But we also do that ourselves.

We all count ourselves among the sheep who have gone astray and need our Savior. Jesus shepherds us with his grace just as he did that day in the region of Galilee with his teaching of the kingdom of God.

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things (Mark 6:34).Jesus’ reaction lets us in on God’s heart:

Which they did. They started out in a boat to a remote area where no one was around and surely let out a sigh of relief. But it didn’t last long. The people tracked down where they were headed. Word got out. The crowd started forming again. Break time was over!

Great crowds turned out to see him and hear him and seek out his healing. So much so that Jesus and the disciples didn’t even have time to eat. Parents know that feeling. Those who work long hours know that feeling. There’s so much on their plates that at times even basic needs like food get pushed to the side. Jesus and the disciples had to get away for a while and rest.

As Jesus began to openly carry out his ministry as the anointed Savior promised in the Old Testament, he achieved a large level of popularity. The people were anxiously waiting for some type of leader to bring them hope, not unlike people throughout history. They saw in Jesus the potential to be that leader. They were impressed with the miracles he performed and the authority with which he spoke.

Wouldn’t it be great to walk outside and have breakfast and dinner ready for you on the porch? Every day? It’s not too likely anyone would turn down that service!
In a desert there are not many options for food. And the whole Israelite nation wandered around in a desert environment for 40 years. That would be quite a few mouths to feed for quite a long time.
The Lord was very gracious to his people. He said to Moses: Tell them, “At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” (Exodus 16:12) That’s how it went. The manna definitely was a regular occurrence every morning (6 days a week) for the entire 40 years. The quail was there as well, although we can’t say for sure it arrived all the time during the desert wanderings. All the Israelites had to do was walk outside and their food was waiting for them.
This, despite their frequent grumbling and complaining. God is good to the world he . . . . created, and provides all the sustenance we need.
An astounding miracle. Manna six days a week, 312 days or so a year, for 40 years. Really the miracle of food is not that much different for us. The intricate details of plant and animal life that cannot be reproduced outside of God’s power. The complex processes needed to produce just one grain of wheat or one grape on the vine. Then the systems and labor involved in getting the food to a supermarket nearby. More than enough food even as the population of the world continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Your cheerios and ribeye steaks are manna and quail from heaven, only available to you because of God’s almighty power.
People that visit the U.S. for the first time are often amazed at the abundance and variety of the food in our country. Every meal is a chance to give thanks to our gracious God in prayer and reverence for his good gifts to the world.
Every meal is also consumed, and we get hungry again. When we enjoy our food, we look in faith to Jesus’ teaching about himself, the “true bread,” that gives true life.
 

32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

We are all ministers of Jesus Christ! Just by being believers through the work of the Spirit, we are automatically ministers. Ministry simply means service. We all in Christ serve God and our neighbor.

Caring for your family, sharing the comfort of the gospel with a hurting soul, bringing food to the hungry, teaching a child about the Word – these are all some of the hundreds or thousands of different forms ministry takes.

While so many search for meaning, we have it in the Lord’s purposes in us and through us. What is meaningful about your own personal ministry? Join us Sundays for our NEW SERMON SERIES, “MEANINGFUL MINISTRY,” to deepen your appreciation for Christian service.

We are a mix of all kinds of things on our inside. We know our bodies are mostly water. Anywhere from 50 to 60 percent on average. We’re made up of fat, muscle and bone. There are millions of microorganisms crawling around in and on us, generally good ones. On an emotional level we have happiness and sadness, instincts good and bad.

We also “carry around in our body the death of Jesus” (2 Corinthians 4:10). That’s the way the Apostle Paul sees it under inspiration of . . . . the Spirit as he reflects on how fragile we are as we minister with the gospel. In our body is the death of Jesus.

No one likes to think about “death” being inside them (although in a way that’s true physically for us all!). This is a special death. The death of Jesus. All that means is that we will also go through some level of persecution and suffering while we share the light of Christ in this world. Philippians 3:10 says something similar: I want to know Christ—yes, … and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.

This is always the case. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, is how it’s put in our Bible verse from 2 Corinthians. Living the light of the gospel will most definitely involve hardship of some kind. Let’s not be too surprised by that!

However, there are a couple wonderful blessings that come out of this. First, if we, the messengers, are less glorious, that just points people more to the glory of the gospel message. And that’s where we want them to look anyway. Second, if we participate in his death, we will also participate in his life. The full Bible verse from above is as follows: We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. Carrying around Jesus’ death all the time isn’t so bad when life with Jesus is ours through faith, and his full life for us in heaven is right around the corner.