Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
The Sacrament of Holy Qurbana
John 6:26-35
Swithin Titus
St. Johns MTC, NY
35 Jesus said to
them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and
whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
As a child my favorite part of service was always the sermon.
I was always fascinated by the people who would stand every Sunday morning
and talk about how amazing God was. They would share their stories of how God
saved them and turned their lives around. As I grew older and I began
examining my faith - I got sad. Why didn't God reveal Himself to me the
way He had to everyone else? Desperate for a sign I often found myself
questioning God.
Then one day, God decided to reveal himself to
me. I was elected lay leader in my parish. To say I was ready would be
disingenuous. Like most teens, I viewed service as a ritual. Something we
did over and over again until it became so ingrained into our muscle memory
that every Sunday whether
we were at church or not, we found ourselves repeating the Nicene Creed.
In John 6:25-36, Jesus had just performed two
miracles back to back: feeding the 5000 and walking on water. If that
happened today, it would have been shared by millions via twitter and most of
us would have laughed it off and said "no way that's real- its got to be
CGI". The reaction would not have been much different even in those
times because faith was lacking.
When the followers found Jesus, they
asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus
replied "Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because
you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves of bread and had
your fill." Even after such an outward display of his heavenly
powers, Jesus knew that they had not come because their faith compelled them,
but because they saw these amazing things and sought their own superficial
gain.
In vs. 30-31, the people went on to ask Jesus
for a sign, similar to Moses in the wilderness, that would prove He was indeed
who He said He was. Unfazed by their inability to comprehend the signs he
had already performed, Jesus perfectly responded "I am the Bread of
Life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in
me will never be thirsty. " (vs. 35).
Prayer: Father
God, help us to open our eyes to what is before us. We seek you daily and come
to your presence humbled by what we have been given and what you have bestowed
upon us. Allow us to be more and more open to you Father and build our
relationship so that others can see Your influence in us! Help us to be
examples of Your light. Our Lord and everlasting refuge. Amen!
Thought for the day: Don't waste time searching for our God who stands before you everyday!