When Food and Words Matter

Sermon John 6:25-35 November 22, 2015 @NMPC Thanksgiving Sunday Originally preached November 24, 2013 Community Thanksgiving Worship

When Food and Words Matter

This is Thanksgiving week and today we are here to worship. We are hoping to be filled with good words, good feelings and good thoughts so we can make it thru Thursday. Some of us are so excited for this day to come that we can’t contain our joy. Some of us are anticipating reunions, with new babies, grown children, happy couples just engaged or wed, grammas, grampas, colleagues and special friends. 

Whether we are filled with joyful or wary anticipation, we sure know we need strength for when all those people descend upon us.

And so here we are today gathered in as people of God reminded of the One who came to us as the Bread from Heaven. The Word made flesh dwells within us, the feast of heaven sustains us.

In the gospel of John Jesus, walks the seashores reciting to those who would hear about the offer of eternal food.

In this gospel it is clearly written that food and words DO matter!

We are hungry people. We are yearning people. Within all of us is the deepest desire and longing for relationship and love.

It is a human desire whether we believe in God or not. It is a hunger to love, to be loved and to move closer to the Source of love.

That’s what the crowd in this story of Jesus is doing. They chased him around the lake asking for more words to fill them. They wanted Jesus to show them more miracles and tell them, one more time, what they had to DO to be satisfied.

Isn’t that what we do too? If God could just DO another miracle or show us another sign or at least give us a clear directive then we’ll believe enough to be confident in his love for us.

But, Jesus didn’t offer the crowd a metaphor and doesn’t offer us one either. Jesus gives a clear statement of who he is. He uses the ‘I AM’ directive-the holiest of holy names for God, I AM the bread of life. Jesus IS the bread of life.

Where there is no bread, life cannot flourish. Nations upon nations have fought over bread and still do. The Dr Suess’ book ‘The Bread and Butter Wars speaks to the power and value of bread-such that there is no end to the battles of power for the sake of who has control of the food.

Food matters! And Jesus makes it clear that he is the food that not only nourishes, but gives new life AND gives it to the world!

Words matter too!

And this could be our highest stressor on Thanksgiving.

We certainly can look up the list of things NOT to say at the table. Things like, ‘gee, I think gramma’s pie was the best’-ah, not smart when the hostess just used gramma’s recipe.

Thanksgiving is not the time for disguising thanks with thoughtless digs, or airing grievances, or picking fights, giving advice, or making bold announcements.

Thanksgiving is just that. A time to give thanks, to gather, to listen, to sing, to speak and to offer ourselves to one another. It is a time for conversation-the opportunity to better understand one another; a time to create an environment of hospitality where each person feels welcome.

Our conversations matter. Conversations are at the core of who we are as humans.  Someone asked, “Are we human beings so immersed in conversation that, like fish in water, conversation is our medium for survival, and we just don’t see it?

Could this be true? That our words are a matter of survival? Could it be true that our one on ones and our group meetings and our family meal conversations all are part of the creative nature that sustains, and transforms the realities in which we live?

If this is true then we have the opportunity to start with this holiday season to pay attention to our words.

We have the moment open to us to maintain eye contact, listen with an open heart, speak with confidence and seek to understand the other in our life.

There are all kinds of books and websites out there filled ways to communicate effectively. There are books about strengthening relationships and building families. There are books about reconciliation and forgiveness.

The main focus of these resources is that words matter!

Its not time to stress.

It’s time to look to the Word-with a capital W-who really matters-in this Word-with a capital W- we find the core of who we are as humans.

In this Word-with a capital W-this Jesus- we find who we need for survival.

From the very beginning of this gospel we understand how powerful that message of Word is-the Word became flesh and lived among us, the glory as of a father’s son, full of grace and truth…from his fullness we have received grace upon grace.

Let us turn our hearts to what matters the Food and Word of our Life in Jesus Christ.

By God’s Word and Bread we are fed and this is what satisfies our hungry hearts.

The words of the Eucharist hymn come to mind:

You satisfy the hungry heart with gifts of finest wheat; come give to us O saving Lord, the bread of life to eat. With joyful lips we sing to you our praise and gratitude that you should count us worthy Lord to share this heavenly food.

Amen.