Jesus is the True Bread of Heaven

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Fourth Sunday in Lent BCP 219)

Bread has such an interesting history. It comes in so many different varieties. Scientifically it delivers to our bodies some of the nutrients and carbohydrates we need to survive. It is scientifically true as much as Biblically true that humans cannot live on bread alone. After only one month of a bread and water diet you'd begin to develop nutrient deficiencies that would be problematic. Variety and diversity are not only the spices of life, they are also very necessary for our survival. 

The same is true when it comes to spiritual matters. Jesus may be the True Bread of Heaven, but without Scripture, community, and prayer, we humans are worse for wear. Our ability to thrive spiritually is not  based on Jesus only, as our diets are not based on bread only. As God is community, we humans need community, we need connection through prayer, we need the history and wisdom of those who have gone before us to help us survive and thrive spiritually. 

Yes, we most definitely need Jesus. We need the True Bread of Heaven in the words and salvation of Jesus Christ. We pray this week that God may send Jesus to live within us, to be the bread that builds us up and sustains us. Just as we can't live without the spice of variety, we cannot live without our daily dose of bread. Make sure you get your dose of Jesus bread: read some Gospel or pray with Jesus.