Bread for the Journey

Bread for the Journey
During Lent

Bread – such an amazing, ancient mixture of God’s gifts and human creativity!

Jesus made common use of bread in his ministry in parables, in feeding crowds, in the symbol of his self-sacrifice he shared with his disciples. Through it all, we are given a taste of the abundance God intends for all people.

During the remaining Sundays of Lent, we’ll be exploring the meaning of bread in Jesus’ ministry. How might this feed us, and how can we feed others, where the pain of need and emptiness are real?

Bread-bakers of our church family have graciously volunteered to make use of their skills by providing loaves – and recipes – each week. Here is a list of the scripture texts and themes for each week:

February 21 – Luke 4:1-13. Jesus refuses the tempter’s urging to feed his own hunger by turning a stone into bread.

February 28 – Luke 9:10-17. Jesus feeds a crowd with a few loaves, and fish, revealing God’s abundance.

March 7 – Communion Sunday – Luke 22:7-20. Jesus’ sharing of bread at a Passover becomes a symbol of his self-giving love.

March 14 – Luke 11:1-8. Jesus teaches his disciples to pray for “daily bread” and tells a parable of a friend in need at midnight.

March 21 – Luke 13:18-21. Another parable: How are yeast in bread and the mysterious growth of God’s kingdom similar? And how do we fit in?

I pray that our understanding of God’s presence will be enriched through these weeks. The poet Wallace Stevens hints that the most basic of nature’s gifts to us, such as we find in bread, may hold holy meaning:

How does one stand
To behold the sublime?
What wine does one drink?
What bread does one eat?

Grace and peace,

Rod

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