Eating with Jesus - Bread of heaven -23 March 2025

Dear friends of BCUC,It’s been too long since I’ve seen that glistening, multi-coloured streak down the boughs of gum trees, speckles of splashes lighting up the reflective black of the asphalt, or spots of dark colour appearing on my t-shirt as I rush to the car, protecting papers from the rain. Oh, how glorious the rain is after such a long dry spell! It refreshes, renews, and brings to life the scents of the bushes and trees. The sound on the roofs and roads is like a roar of praise from heaven.I can’t help but praise the Lord and think of how the Holy Spirit rains down on us in our desert wilderness, doing the very same thing as cloud-tears on a parched land. I can’t help but think of this Sunday’s story—Jesus feeding the 5,000 with barley loaves and fish—provision in a remote place that echoes the redemption of the past, when God showed Moses and His people manna, or bread, raining down from heaven.I can’t help but pray:"Father God, my provider, bring new life into the dry and weary places of my soul. Renew, refresh, and make green and vibrant a world and a community that so desperately need to turn their heads upward, look to the heavens, raise their hands in surrender, and pray: ‘Lord, You are my God, and I am Yours. Let me do Your will.’"This Sunday, we look at the remarkable miracle of Jesus found in all four Gospels—the feeding of the 5,000. That’s 5,000 men, so likely 20,000 mouths fed! After the service, we will enjoy a sausage sizzle together as a throwback to this great picnic by the banks of the Sea of Galilee. (Please note that the planned Hospitality Sunday has been postponed until the last weekend in June.) I want us to reflect on this great meal and ask: What does it reveal about the nature of God and God’s relationship with us?I so look forward to spending time together on Sunday.This Saturday, please look out for Men Walking Together and also pray for the Church Council/Elders retreat as we seek God’s vision for the future. Some of us will be praying and fasting on Friday in preparation. You are welcome to join us, and if God places a vision, scripture, or word on your heart please share it with one of us.God bless,Benji