For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will be thirsty.” - John 6:33-35
Dear Friends of First,
Lent is a journey, the end of which is the death and resurrection of Christ. It is a season in which we are invited to reflect on the immensity of God’s love made known in Jesus and his victory over sin, evil, and death. In Lent, we are invited to recall what it means to be disciples, followers of Jesus, each and every day. In
the last days of Jesus’ life, he sat at a table sharing the Passover meal with his closest friends and connecting the ancient story of God’s liberating power with himself. After the resurrection, Jesus’ disciples began to gather regularly to break bread in his memory and to experience him in their midst. We do the same thing today. But the upper room was not the only time Jesus was at a table or told stories about tables. We invite you to consider some of these table stories and to reflect on them as we come to the Lord’s Table together in this Lenten season.
The theme I have chosen for this season of Lenten is called, “Let Love Rise!” Let Love Rise, is about how bread goes on a journey - from a single grain planted and nurtured, through the transformation of dough raising to the final breaking and sharing of bread at a table. In this Lenten series, we travel that same journey with one truth: Jesus offers us himself as the bread of life. Every time we share the bread and cup together, we proclaim the risen Christ. Join the journey toward rising and sharing that bread this Lenten season!
Each week, we are asking you to bake bread, different types of bread—yeast breads, quick breads, flat breads, sweet breads—and while you do think about all the steps in the process that transforms grain into nourishment for our bodies. Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry...”
During Lent, we are spiritually hungry for the nourishment that only God and our Savior, Jesus, can give. By making and baking bread, we can meditate on Jesus as the bread of life and the ways he nourishes us in our faith and outreach work in the world. Then just like Jesus we are asked to give it away! Make your bread for Sunday and Thursday worship service, or for Wednesday evening soup supper or just simply give it away. Be a part of nourishing your community by your own hands. And see what joy may come from this new spiritual practice. Think about the ways you practice and express your faith and then notice how these steps of baking bread might support you in your continuing spiritual growth.
I will also be offering a book study to accompany our Lenten Journey. The book is called Meeting Jesus at the Table, by Cynthia M. Campbell, Christine Coy Fohr; illustrated by Kevin Burns. Date and time TBA.
May be grow in faith with Jesus, the Bread of Life,
Pastor Jim