For the second Sunday in a row we attended the United Church of Kanab and Fredonia.  For the second Sunday in a row the sermon was about bread.  Pastor Martha Moler was back and preached on the lectionary text of John 6:25-59.  In John 6, Jesus talks to his disciples about being the bread of life.

After feeding the 5,000, Jesus tells the disciples that they need to long for more than their daily needs.  Although he suggests praying for daily needs, Jesus points them toward accepting him as the bread of life.  If they live in him, they will never be hungry again.

Pastor Martha talked about this idea of being such a part of Jesus that you never hunger for anything else.  She said that trying to separate ourselves from Jesus is as impossible as separating last Tuesday’s breakfast from our bodies.  Once we know Jesus, there isn’t any way to get him out.

I really like this idea.  Is Jesus such a part of your life that you cannot separate yourself from him?  There are times I feel far away from God, but I love him completely and know what he has done for me.  Even when I feel far away I trust him and know that he is guiding my life.

But is it a good idea to never hunger for more?  Shouldn’t we always yearn to be closer to Jesus?  Shouldn’t we long to live in his will every moment of every day?  The disciples stood next to Jesus and talked to him every day.  But they still hungered for more.

I am glad that Jesus is an inseparable part of my life.  God sent him from heaven to be my savior.  He lives within me every day.  And I offer my life up to him, as he offered his life up for me.  He is the bread – the most necessary part – of my life.