It’s easy for Christians to fall into a rut: Church is a thing you do, prayer is a box to check, and faith seems far from “the real world.” This fall we let Jesus himself confront our ruts. “Do you believe this?” he asks (Jn. 11:26).
To believe in Jesus is to experience him. It’s more than logic, argument, and doctrine. It is intimate knowledge of God himself. This fall, let Jesus himself speak to you in his seven “I AM” statements in the gospel of John. How is he changing you? What response is he inspiring in you? To believe in him changes everything.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Ponder
Today we ponder the I AM statement: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Why are darkness and night associated with sin and evil? What darkness are you experiencing in your life today?
Word
John 6:26
“Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.’”
Meditation: Filled but Not Satisfied by Anna Jacob
Growing up, Easter and Christmas morning with my family was highlighted with a holiday breakfast consisting of sausage, scrambled eggs, and a giant pan of sticky buns. Known by others as monkey bread, sticky buns are fresh baked bread pieces coated in a sticky, caramel sauce. After baking in a pan, the sticky buns are flipped over onto a tray, allowing the sauce to drip down the warm bread pieces. With fork in hand, pieces are pulled apart and devoured in mere minutes.
As a child, it was easy to take this meal for granted. As an adult, I now understand the time and thought that goes into getting sticky buns made. Time is needed for the bread to rise the night before. The maker rises hours before to finish preparations and get the pan into the oven to bake in time for breakfast. There is a technique to getting the sauce right. Too much liquid and the sauce will not stick to the bread. Too much sugar and the sauce will thicken and not spread well. And then there is the clean up.
But there is more to this family tradition than just bread on the table.
For me, it is the tradition of a family meal. It is time shared with the whole family. Time to spend talking and reminiscing.
In our reading this week, Jesus had just spent the previous day feeding thousands of people with literal bread. But more importantly, he shared the good news with them. Yet the people did not seem satisfied. They crossed a lake to follow him, wanting more. They focused more on the meal than on the time spent with Jesus.
How often do we approach God in a similar way? We get through a day and wake up demanding more from God, not stopping to thank him for what he has already done.
At times, we need to put the fork down and stop and see the God who sits across the table from us. The God who daily provides for us here on earth and in the life to come. Our God can give us what we truly need to be satisfied.
Dear Lord, thank you for knowing and satisfying our needs. Help us to rely on you to daily provide for us. May we continue to look to you for more than just those things that we desire, but the necessities of life. In your name we pray, Amen.
Prayer
Jesus, you said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Chase away the sins in my life that like to hide in the shadows. Dispel confusion and ignorance. Shine into the dark corners of my world today. Amen.
Benediction
May the blessing of the eternal God be upon us and upon our work;
His light to guide us,
His presence to strengthen us,
His love to unite us;
Now and always. Amen.