Three times a day I get hungry. OK . . . MORE than 3 times a day I get hungry, but 3 times a day (on rhythm) I give into that hunger and eat a meal. The purpose of this meal is to alleviate my hunger and fuel my body. As an added bonus, I often get to spend some time with friends or family over that meal: like many of you, some of the best conversations I have happen over food.
My regular pattern of eating is not unique to me. You probably recognize it in your own life. This is how God created us. He created us as NEEDY creations that must be cared for daily with things like food, water, and rest. I think God created us this way (in part) so that we would understand the needs we have in our spiritual lives. I need something outside of myself (food and water) daily to sustain my physical life. We also need something outside of ourselves (God) to sustain our spiritual lives. We cannot forgive our own sin. We cannot create our own righteousness (to a level that pleases our Holy God). We cannot sustain a life that is pleasing to God on our own. Therefore, we daily must abide in Jesus to meet our needs.
In the first century, Jesus performed an amazing miracle. He fed about 12,000 people (5,000 men alone) in John 6. People LOVED this because they were well aware of their physical needs and hungers. “FREE LUNCH” is typically a sign that draws a crowd. However, Jesus knew that the needs of that crowd were greater than simply physical. That’s why Jesus also preached a message (in John 6:22-40) that let them know that the BEST provision He gave was not a physical meal. After all, the people were hungry again just a few hours after eating the fish sandwich Jesus made them. Jesus said that the spiritual bread He gave would be better because if we “ate” this spiritual meal, we would never be hungry or thirsty again. What is that meal? How do we get invited to that table? This is the question we are going to be addressing at Wildwood Community Church on Sunday.
In our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 worship services, we will be sharing the Lord’s Supper together as we look at the spiritual meal Jesus offers us as “the Bread of Life.” Hope to see you Sunday as we worship together! This sermon will help set the stage for our Vacation Bible School theme – “Let’s Eat!” happening all next week at Wildwood. See you Sunday!