 Is this beginning to sound familiar? John's gospel continues to
emphasize the abundance and permanence of Jesus Christ. Jesus is
reminding us that in and through him we will be nourished and
sustained. But what should we make of Jesus' words? I feel that I am
a believer in Jesus Christ and yet I thirst all the time. I feel
that I have come to Christ and yet I get hungry several times a day.
Is Jesus speaking of our literal physical needs? Of course not.
Jesus is talking about our spiritual needs, those needs that lead us
to reach out to various and sundry sources for the sustenance of our
souls. Think of it this way, all of us need to be loved, or at least
want to be loved. In an attempt to be loved we scour the world for
people to love us and many of us have been lucky enough to find a
few people who truly love us. But even they can let us down from
time to time, even they can leave us alone and isolated, even they
can be absent when we most need them.
But not Jesus Christ. The love that Christ is promising in this
passage is a love that is never absent, never angry, never failing.
When we come to Christ our need to feel love is forever satisfied.
When we believe in Christ our need to constantly drink from love's
cup is cured. In Christ you are truly, truly loved. You are loved.
You. Think about that. No matter where you go in this world, no
matter what is happening to you or how you might be suffering you
are, in this very moment, actively being loved by the savior of
humanity, the son of the living God. You. And this love is so great,
so powerful that even as we stand at death's door and pass through
its mournful gates, the love of Christ stands with us. You are
loved. You. That's the bread of life. |
Prayer: Holy God, thank you so much for loving me. Help me
to feel your love right now that, through your love, I might grow in
my belief and relationship with you. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
[text from file received by Phil Blackburn, First Presbyterian
Church]
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