Faith Daily | 4 May 2022

PRAYER of the DAY - APBA p 507

Gracious Father,

who in your great mercy made glad the disciples

with the sight of the risen Lord:

give us such awareness of his presence with us

that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life,

and serve you continually in righteousness and truth;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

GOSPEL for the Day: John 6: 35-40

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. 36But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.’

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Graeme Curnow

In John’s Gospel “I am the bread of life” is the first of the I AM metaphorical statements that Jesus makes to his disciples, about himself. That statement “I am” harks back to God (Yahweh) revealing Himself to Moses at the burning bush.

If Jesus were in Asia or Africa he might just as appropriately have said “I am the rice bowl” or “I am ugale” ( Maybe in 21st C, urban Australia He might have said I am your cup of coffee”.)

Bread is a staple food which we need to live physically and together with just water, people can survive for a long time without other food. Bread is a marvellous metaphor that is readily understood. It has become symbolic of all food. We use the phrase “Breaking bread together” to signify convivial meals shared together, “Bread from Heaven” means a Blessing like the manna that God rained from Heaven to the Israelite tribe wandering in the desert. Speaking of blessings, isn’t the smell of freshly baked bread a universal delight?

In the passage above Jesus has moved on from the feeding the 5000 and is now teaching about spiritual nourishment. He is contrasting that prior miracle with what he brings to His disciples (then and now) as the Messiah. He is saying that He can satisfy our deepest needs and longings and fulfill us with blessings. We need our Jesus to help us to live spiritually, abundantly and eternally.

FINAL PRAYER David Adam “Traces of Glory”

O Lord our God,

you give us the true bread

that comes down from heaven,

even your Son Jesus Christ our Lord;

grant that we receive him into our lives

we may be filled with the fullness of his love

and abide in him as he abides in us;

through the same Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God for ever.

Amen