As Jesus concluded his Bread of Life discourse, many said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” and they walked away. Read carefully. They did not say the teaching was hard to understand. That was simple. Jesus was teaching that the only chance to enjoy eternity in heaven is through a close, intimate connection to him. He is the only bread that gives eternal life. That isn’t hard to understand, but it can be hard to accept. Eating this bread means reordering our lives so that Jesus is by far our highest priority. It means loving the Blesser infinitely more than his earthly blessings. It means realizing that Jesus is the only thing we really need; that if we had nothing but him, we would not be lacking anything.

Jesus watches the multitudes walking away from him. He turns to the Twelve—he turns to us this week—and he whispers, “You do not want to leave me too, do you?” May the Spirit give us the wisdom to answer, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Services are on Saturday at 5:00pm; Sunday at 8:00am and 10:30am

There are many different theories about the healthiest way to eat. There’s the old food pyramid, built on a foundation of whole grains. There’s the Mediterranean diet, the Adkins diet, the Paleo diet, and many others. We can debate which is best, but what is undeniable is that whatever diet you eat, it won't sustain you forever. Perhaps a vegetarian diet is indeed easier on your heart; still, your heart is going to stop eventually. But in his Bread of Life discourse, Jesus offers us a food that enables you to live forever.

There are foods you might never have tasted without someone working hard to convince you to try it. Likewise, this spiritual food that Jesus describes is something no one finds appealing at first. And so this weekend Jesus explains we need the Heavenly Father to work within us, so that we have the wisdom to see that this Bread gives eternal life.

Services are on Saturday at 5:00pm; Sunday at 8:00am and 10:30am

Physical food is a blessing from our God without which we would literally wither away and die. That is why Jesus lovingly and miraculously fed thousands of followers with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Yet, while physical food is a good thing, it is far from the greatest thing God provides us. The greatest blessing God provides is spiritual food. The best thing God gives us is his Son, the bread of life. Without that spiritual food, we wither and die in a much worse way.

This week, we see the multitudes coming to Jesus looking for two things: ever more temporal blessings—full bellies, healthy bodies—and the explanation of how to earn them. Jesus explains the greater need for spiritual food. He assures us that there is nothing we do to earn it. Our Father urges us to come to him for our daily bread, asking him to provide for our temporal needs. But may we hunger most of all the spiritual food that Christ freely gives.

Services are on Saturday at 5:00pm; Sunday at 8:00am and 10:30am