Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Tenth Sunday after Trinity. Our Church Services today are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11 am at St Thomas'.
If you are unable to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "Here is Bread, Here is Wine"
Today's Gospel
John 6:24-35 Jesus the Bread of Life
The next day, when the people who remained after the feeding of the five thousand saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 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 never be thirsty.”
Reflection
We all get hungry. Sometimes it’s that annoying rumble in mid-morning between breakfast and lunch or in mid-afternoon between lunch and dinner, when we feel we simply must have a little something to fill the gap. A bar of chocolate, a biscuit or a piece of cake. Whatever we choose it’s probably not good for us and in reality not something that we desperately need to survive.
There are also times when we eat far too much in one meal. I was reminded particularly about those ‘eat as much as you can’ buffets. Whether it’s at a party like a wedding reception or an Indian restaurant, we see people coming back to the table with plates so over-loaded it’s a miracle that they don’t spill all over the table.
Sometimes, it’s because the food is just there, or sometimes we take more than we can eat because we want to believe we’ve got the best value for money. That’s usually followed by an element of remorse – not because we feel sorry for being greedy but because we’re just so stuffed with food that we start to feel uncomfortable. Our stomachs are literally aching.
Then there’s a different kind of hunger – a hunger for success or achievement, a hunger for a better life, be that more money or happiness.
These are not necessarily bad things. With respect to food, it is of course essential to sustain life, we simply cannot live without it. Although maybe after a massive buffet you might manage a day or two.
John tells us of the morning after the feeding of the five thousand when everyone had had their fill and woke in the morning to find Jesus and the disciples had already left. The party was over and they had moved on, so to speak.
Many of the crowd who had camped overnight decided to follow Jesus. Jesus challenges them and openly accuses them of wanting more free food rather than the benefit of his teaching about the kingdom of God; “you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”
So Jesus gives them the message that there is much more to hunger for than food – he is telling them that they also need to hunger for spiritual nourishment, to hunger for food for their souls, to hunger for him - ‘The Bread of Life’.
We need to hunger for Jesus with the same feeling as we do for food, and understand that if our souls are not nourished then our faith is weak. We need to feed on Jesus through a regular prayer life and reading scripture and doing what Jesus taught us, that is to love one another.
To put it into perspective, reading more scripture might be as simple as reading a a favourite bible passage or reflection from time to time or just spending a few moments talking to Jesus. It doesn’t necessarily mean binge reading the bible for hours every day – that would be the same as overeating at the buffet and would probably be quite tiresome.
It’s also about spending a little time reflecting on where you have experienced God at work in your life and thinking about where we have not been as Christ-like as we want to be. And if there are things we need to say sorry for, then just do that in a silent prayer to God, who is waiting to hear that so that he can freely forgive you with his grace.
To accept Jesus as the living bread of life, means to live the way he taught us.
To understand Jesus as the bread of life, might mean that we have to give up a little more of our time and be more passionate about our faith. To have faith that God will provide what we need – which may of course be different from what we want.
Today, we receive the life giving bread of Jesus. May we be passionate about our faith. May we trust in God and may we truly accept the forgiveness Christ gives.Paul
Our Prayers
Most gracious Father,
We thank you that you love us and provide for our needs.
We are grateful for what you do in our lives every day.
We pray that we will find the hunger and desire for you
and trust in your love for us.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer"
