The Bread of Life Given to Us

This is the third and final in a series of sermons using the sixth chapter of John to explore parts of our own communion service – the blessing, breaking, and the giving of bread – to explore the bread of life. Maggie Jarrell, preaching today, confesses that she has always loved bread and has recently learned to make it. That Jesus says he is the “bread of life” means so much more than simply something to fill our stomachs. It is an amazing gift to us, not something to be earned, but something that changes our lives dramatically. The communion prayer we use tells it all: “You have given yourself to us, Lord. Now we give ourselves to others.” We respond by loving others as God first loved us. What will we do in response to the bread of life we’ve been given?