Bread (Day 29 of Lent)

A few Christmases ago, I was sitting in a service at a local church.  I couldn't help but noticing the baby in front of me.  He was squirming around and doing everything he could to get my attention, to be noticed.  So, I played along with him.  I made faces and grabbed his finger, and tried to help him enjoy his time in the huge place filled with thousands of people.  In actuality, that little baby was experiencing something that I really wanted - peace.  There were no signs of discontentment in this little one, and he had this expression on his face that shouted, "There's nothing important except what's happening right now!"  

At the same time, there was a preacher and a sermon.  There was a choir.  There was a production full of lights, music, and stage acts.  Although we were attending a Christmas eve service, the message somehow took a sidetrack.  The topic of adultery and divorce were brought up, and the preacher exclaimed that repentance from these sins was required in order to avoid hell.  My heart sank as I looked three seats down from me at my uncle, who had just cheated on his wife and was on his way to a divorce.  I looked inside my own heart and thought about how I've committed adultery.  I went into the building to receive a message of hope, but instead received a reminder about how bad I was.  

I looked at the baby again, and noticed that he wasn't paying attention to what the preacher was saying. He couldn't understand.  He just kept giggling and urging me to play "peek-a-boo."  In this moment there were two paradigms going on, two perspectives on life bumping right up against each other.  These two paradigms, I believe, will always be running into each other.  The one perspective is, there is a heaven for the good boys and girls, and a hell for the bad boys and girls.  The other perspective is, "I am a child and don't know anything, but I believe that no moment is more important than right now."  

In today's passage for Lent in John chapter six, Jesus is still talking with crowd who just witnessed the amazing miracle of the multiplication of food.  The crowd is still not convinced though.  They want to see what Jesus can do, as if the prior events were not enough.  Jesus tells them, "Anyone who follows me will hunger and thirst no more."  

The crowd remembers the story of Moses and the Israelites, how they wandered through the desert hungry and thirsty.  They recalled how Moses gave them bread from heaven and struck a rock with his staff, causing a fountain of spring water to flow out to the people.  

Jesus says, "The real significance of that story is not that Moses gave them bread from heaven, but that I am the Bread of Life, the real bread, the bread that is giving life to the world."

The crowd responds, "How can we get this bread?  We want it now and forever!"  

Jesus says, "The will of the one who sent me is that everyone received this bread.  My father wants everyone who sees the son, who trusts in who the son is, who trusts what the son does, and who aligns themselves with the son to experience real and eternal life.  I have come to put everything and everyone together again, whole and upright.  The father's will is that by the end of time, not a single detail will be missed, but that everyone will be restored to wholeness."  

What did that baby boy have that I didn't?  Had I lost something somewhere along the way, in the calamities of life, religion, politics?  

Jesus claims that the Father is leading all of us to himself, and that we all eventually come running to him.  He claims that he doesn't let go of us, and holds us in his care that we hunger and thirst no more.  But, like in my experience in the church that evening, there will always be a voice that says, "You're on the road to hell unless. . . "  That evening, I chose to follow the facial expressions of the baby boy.  I was reminded that throughout this life, there will constantly be opposition to the voice that says, "I love you just the way you are.  I'm holding onto you and not letting go."  

Jesus claims that we are on a road of restoration.  With all of the broken parts of our lives and the world around us, he claims that he is putting every bit of us back together, and that we have the opportunity to be awake to this by trusting in who he is (Restorer), what he does (Provider), and aligning ourselves with him (restoring and providing for others).  He doesn't say that when we don't do these things He is going to hold off on the restoration work.  He says that if we want to be awake to what he's doing right now, then we need to trust him and align ourselves with him right now.  We aren't required to "know" anything.  What Jesus wants is simple trust and alignment, like a baby boy oblivious to the world around him.  He's telling us that he's taking care of what we don't know, and that we have nothing to worry about.  Are we willing to open our minds and hearts to the possibility that by trusting and aligning ourselves with Jesus, we will hunger and thirst no more?  

Today's Action:  Examine one area of our life in which "death was brought to life."  In a courageous attempt to trust in Jesus, say "Thank you" out loud.  Examine one area of our life in which we didn't have what it took or what we needed to get through.  In a courageous attempt to trust in Jesus, say "Thank you" again out loud.  Do one thing for someone else today that helps bring restoration or provision to their life.