The Bread of our every life
John 6 :24-35 The Bread of our every life
"In our daily lives, we tend to expend an awful amount of effort and energy on not letting go. We constantly try to prove our worth by accomplishing things and being very busy. Or we spend a lot of energy judging other people, trying to prove our righteousness by focusing on the splinter in our neighbor’s eye. Or our effort can be spent jumping from one distraction to the next, avoiding any stillness. This last tactic is especially dangerous in our current culture of distraction, as technology promises to keep us endlessly (mindlessly) entertained — our attention held captive.
But God’s invitation remains the same: Just rest. It’s so simple and so transformative. The radical practice of rest can help us to recognize in ourselves the very patterns of effort that consume our energy and our lives. It can help us to let go of these useless strategies and this relentless striving. Rest takes us to the lip of the well, and helps us to fall into God’s generous grace.
Incorporating the practice of rest into our prayer life means doing less, trusting in Jesus, and letting God do all the work. Catherine of Siena writes, “The sun hears the fields talking about / effort / and the sun / smiles, / and whispers / to me, / ‘Why don’t the fields just rest, for / I am willing to do / everything / to help them / grow?’ / Rest, my dears, in / prayer.”" from Br. Nicholas Bartoli , SSJE
---Sound familiar to anyone? The rest we so much need in Christ we strive to find which is not the way to do it. As Charles Erdman reiterated, " Without Christ there is no real life, here or hereafter." We often mistakenly think that we must be good enough to have Christ , or clean up our act. Of course we saw in Mark that the kernal of the Gospel was and is always repentance. But even that is a grace of the Holy Spirit. Cranmer reminded us in the opening, prayer or Collect, "
Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your grace that your faithful people offer you
true and laudable service: Grant that we may run without stumbling to obtain your
heavenly promises..."
In our Gospel today from John 6 our Lord reminds the disciples that they cannot expect that seeking Him and His miracles/ signs for what they can get is what is needed. " Ye seek me, not because ye saw signs, but because ye ate of the loaves, and were filled." 6 :26
“For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” In other words our own efforts at being good are just that, our own efforts. They do not produce holiness and the spiritual life. James 1:20
We had a discussion on WED night last that was about this. Which comes first God's grace or our belief? This discussion is at the core of our misunderstanding. We cannot produce our own spiritual life out of our own attempts. It must be the Spirit and grace of God working in our hearts to bring us to this point. We talked about Abraham and how clearly the Apostle presents this in Romans 4. When was Abraham's faith counted for righteousness the Apostle asks? " When he was in circumcision ( already a believer in other words).. Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision..." 4:11
The answer is grace precedes faith, and that is the true faith.
Can we pull ourselves up to faith? No. We are born in original sin as the 39 articles teach us. " The condition of Man after the fall of Adam is such , that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and good works , to faith and calling upon God. " Art. 10
And it is dear friends the same in our spiritual lives once we have been a recipient of God's calling grace and love. It is a gift of His love and Spirit and grace to enable us to serve Him . This is the gospel. The other is works. This is the issue for us. We are restless . We are very insecure. But as ST Augustine said, " Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee."
John ," Work not for the food which perishes." " But for the food which abideth unto eternal life which the Son of Man shall give unto you."
2. What is this food? It is the food of belief in Him. v 29 " This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent..." " My Father gives you the true bread out of heaven. ...Jesus said unto them, ' I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." v. 35
Cranmer taught this in opposition to the roman catholics of the day, " “the benefit of Christ’s body that was crucified for us, and of His blood that was shed for us, be really and effectually present with all them that duly receive the Sacraments; but all this I understand of His spiritual presence”.
Another Anglican document said it too, " “The Body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper only after a heavenly and spiritual manner, and the mean whereby the body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith”.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
"In our daily lives, we tend to expend an awful amount of effort and energy on not letting go. We constantly try to prove our worth by accomplishing things and being very busy. Or we spend a lot of energy judging other people, trying to prove our righteousness by focusing on the splinter in our neighbor’s eye. Or our effort can be spent jumping from one distraction to the next, avoiding any stillness. This last tactic is especially dangerous in our current culture of distraction, as technology promises to keep us endlessly (mindlessly) entertained — our attention held captive.
But God’s invitation remains the same: Just rest. It’s so simple and so transformative. The radical practice of rest can help us to recognize in ourselves the very patterns of effort that consume our energy and our lives. It can help us to let go of these useless strategies and this relentless striving. Rest takes us to the lip of the well, and helps us to fall into God’s generous grace.
Incorporating the practice of rest into our prayer life means doing less, trusting in Jesus, and letting God do all the work. Catherine of Siena writes, “The sun hears the fields talking about / effort / and the sun / smiles, / and whispers / to me, / ‘Why don’t the fields just rest, for / I am willing to do / everything / to help them / grow?’ / Rest, my dears, in / prayer.”" from Br. Nicholas Bartoli , SSJE
---Sound familiar to anyone? The rest we so much need in Christ we strive to find which is not the way to do it. As Charles Erdman reiterated, " Without Christ there is no real life, here or hereafter." We often mistakenly think that we must be good enough to have Christ , or clean up our act. Of course we saw in Mark that the kernal of the Gospel was and is always repentance. But even that is a grace of the Holy Spirit. Cranmer reminded us in the opening, prayer or Collect, "
Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your grace that your faithful people offer you
true and laudable service: Grant that we may run without stumbling to obtain your
heavenly promises..."
In our Gospel today from John 6 our Lord reminds the disciples that they cannot expect that seeking Him and His miracles/ signs for what they can get is what is needed. " Ye seek me, not because ye saw signs, but because ye ate of the loaves, and were filled." 6 :26
“For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” In other words our own efforts at being good are just that, our own efforts. They do not produce holiness and the spiritual life. James 1:20
We had a discussion on WED night last that was about this. Which comes first God's grace or our belief? This discussion is at the core of our misunderstanding. We cannot produce our own spiritual life out of our own attempts. It must be the Spirit and grace of God working in our hearts to bring us to this point. We talked about Abraham and how clearly the Apostle presents this in Romans 4. When was Abraham's faith counted for righteousness the Apostle asks? " When he was in circumcision ( already a believer in other words).. Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision..." 4:11
The answer is grace precedes faith, and that is the true faith.
Can we pull ourselves up to faith? No. We are born in original sin as the 39 articles teach us. " The condition of Man after the fall of Adam is such , that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and good works , to faith and calling upon God. " Art. 10
And it is dear friends the same in our spiritual lives once we have been a recipient of God's calling grace and love. It is a gift of His love and Spirit and grace to enable us to serve Him . This is the gospel. The other is works. This is the issue for us. We are restless . We are very insecure. But as ST Augustine said, " Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee."
John ," Work not for the food which perishes." " But for the food which abideth unto eternal life which the Son of Man shall give unto you."
2. What is this food? It is the food of belief in Him. v 29 " This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent..." " My Father gives you the true bread out of heaven. ...Jesus said unto them, ' I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." v. 35
Cranmer taught this in opposition to the roman catholics of the day, " “the benefit of Christ’s body that was crucified for us, and of His blood that was shed for us, be really and effectually present with all them that duly receive the Sacraments; but all this I understand of His spiritual presence”.
Another Anglican document said it too, " “The Body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper only after a heavenly and spiritual manner, and the mean whereby the body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith”.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
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