Opening sentence. Jesus says: ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. John 6:35
Collect. Heavenly Father, you have placed within the hearts of all your children a longing for your word and a hunger for your truth. Grant that, believing in the One whom you have sent, we may know him to be the true bread of heaven and food of eternal life, your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be glory and honour for ever and ever. Amen.
Reading. Ephesians 4:1-16. Paul takes some pride in being a prisoner in the Lord and also for the Lord. It is his single mindedness that caused him to be a prisoner and which gives him the assurance that he can speak directly to the Ephesians, encouraging them to also be single minded about their own life in Christ. They are to lead a life which is worthy of their calling to be a part of God’s family the church. It is Christ who calls each one and Christ who also equips each one with the gifts needed to build up the church. From Paul’s perspective everything is from Christ and so as Christians our response must be to live in unity with Him and with each other.
Here in our state we have an excellent roadside assistance scheme and at the moment this association is running a TV advertising campaign encouraging people to join. The various announcements show the things that can go wrong for motorists and how the association can help. The slogan is “Better become a member!” It is an emphasis that this letter is impressing on the people to whom Paul is writing. There is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all”. Thus we’d “Better become a member!” The unity in the Spirit is to understand and acknowledge that Jesus is the only Lord and he alone can provide each believer with the gifts they need to contribute to the unity of the church. Unity however does not mean uniformity.
Though he speaks very directly about the obedience to Christ, still Paul recognizes that believers are able to make choices about the way that they live. In any group of people there will be differences of opinion, and different ways of reacting to the events of life. If we think of the era in which Paul is writing all of the congregations under his care had a great variety of members. These included wealthy and poor, freed slaves and those who still were slaves, Jews and Gentiles, not to mention a range of idol worshippers. This melting pot of people upon becoming Christians found a unity through the Spirit to but maintain it required constant obedience to Christ.
Through all the differences is one constant and that is there is one Lord and that Lord determines who we are and what we do. Our actions and attitudes are to be consistently obedient to be in unity under the direction of the Spirit. It is this freedom which leads Paul to “beg us” to lead a life worthy of our life in the Lord.
We have all received the grace gift of salvation but when Paul begins to talk about the gifts of the Spirit it is not a list of all believers as occurs in other places in Paul’s letter; Paul lists the leaders involved in congregational ministry, evangelists, pastors and teachers. These leaders are gifted in order to bring to maturity everyone who believes. The gifts are given so that the unity which is appropriate for the church can be maintained. We are all one but leaders are gifted to lead and this leadership is designed to maintain the unity which Christ has established.
In the middle of our reading we read the phrase “he led captivity captive”. Opinion is divided about what this phrase means. Certainly it is linked to Jesus who descended after his death but who or what was in captivity is unclear. We might surmise that since humanity experienced the fall, all humans have been held in captivity by death, for it is death which takes away the life that God and only God can give. Perhaps the captivity that Jesus captured was death itself, thus putting death under his sovereign control. The gifts that come through Jesus that maintain the unity are given, according to Paul, after He has ascended in his glory.
Prayer. Lord Jesus Christ, you are reigning on high with the Father in glory. All things are now under your control. Grant that we your faithful servants will be faithful in our obedience to you; serving your church well; doing nothing out of self interest but always for your honour and the unity of the church. In your mercy Lord, guide our steps throughout this day so that we may walk with you. Keep us in your presence during every waking hour. Help us to respond to your voice above the noise of the world. May all our companions on life’s journey today be drawn ever closer to you and to your guiding love. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Reading. John 6:24-35. The people knew that Jesus had not gone in the boat with the disciples and that no other boats had left for Capernaum but yet Jesus was no longer in the vicinity. When they went to his home in Capernaum they found that he was already there. The natural question was how did he get there? Jesus does not answer their question but we know that the disciples knew he had walked out to the boat and arrived at Capernaum with them.
In his gospel John has spoken of the signs that Jesus did and so his walking on the water was only for the disciples to know. Though it was important for the disciples to understand Jesus’ sovereignty and power John reminds us that Jesus did not wish the crowd of followers to see that miraculous sign. That decision by Jesus is in keeping with this next section of John’s gospel where Jesus emphasises the need to develop to the full ones spiritual life. When Jesus challenged them to see him as God’s messenger they immediately demanded a sign from him. Prove your credentials to us and we will believe! Jesus knew that they had followed him because he had provided food for them in the wilderness but had not seen in him anything more than a food source. Indeed they reminded Jesus that Moses had provided food in the wilderness which led Jesus to teach them that it was not Moses but it was God who had produced food to sustain life in the wilderness. This teaching allowed them to understand what they should have already known, that the survival of the people was due to the providence of God. Acknowledging the truth of what Jesus has said they then demand the living bread that will give them the fullness of life they need. Jesus then points directly himself as the only source of living bread.
Like the crowd, as we read this statement from John we see again the absolute claim that Jesus makes; only in him can we find true and fulfilled life. Many people work hard to obtain the physical things of life and while that is important it should not be done at the expense of the spiritual and relational aspects of life. We do not live by bread alone, God the giver of life has to also be part of our lives. (Deut 8:3; Matt 4:4) Many have the most up to date equipment and the very latest knowledge about their work but still face life with an understanding of God learned through Sunday school stories. When the hard times of life happen their understanding of God is not adequate the help them through. Jesus has promised in our passage today that those who feed on him, that is know him and trust him will know an ongoing hope that will not let them down. It hope that is built on the truth that Jesus is Lord and all things are guided by his faithful hand.
Prayer. Heavenly Father, you have placed within the hearts of all your children a longing for your word and a hunger for your truth. Grant that believing in the One whom you have sent, we may know him to be the true bread of heaven and food of eternal life, Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be glory and honour for ever and ever. (From Uniting in Worship)
Lord you provide for us the Bread of Life and through your many gifts your family is blessed. Teach us to use your gifts wisely, so that every part of our daily life will point to you and to our gratitude in what you have done. Help us through the Holy Spirit to develop our gifts so that your Spirit will work through them accomplishing those things that you desire that your name may be glorified. This we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Collect. O God, satisfier of hunger, you sent your Son to turn our hearts and minds from evil; help us to steadfastly look to Christ in times of plenty or famine, that we may never hunger or thirst for any other; in the name of our Saviour Jesus. Amen.
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