Tuesday, February 4, 2014

February 4, 2014

St. John 6: 41 - 51

This portion of the Gospel of St. John gives us the opportunity to be aware of the different ways in which the ministry of Jesus was offered in an environment which was not always warm and welcoming. John's Gospel has just moved from the experience of the physical feeding of five thousand people. Individuals who sat down and shared in that moment stood up, not only physically satiated, but also aware that twelve baskets of food had been gathered of leftovers. They had been abundantly blessed, far more than they could ever ask or imagine. It is important to note that as we look at this portion of the Gospel John has just completed the previous passage with Jesus saying," You must work, not for this perishable food, but for the food that lasts, the food of eternal life." (John 6:27)

The passage we are looking at today points to the debate and discussion which the words of Jesus generated. People caught up in the conversation fuelled with the energy of their own agendas and insights, failed to value and appreciate the message which Jesus offered. They were focussed on the physical reality that thousands of people had been fed. They were caught up in the tradition of the story of their past, where manna had seen them through the experience of the wilderness. They could not grasp how this Rabbi, who they knew to be,"...the son of Joseph...", ( John 6:42 ), could now be the one who offered them the Bread of Life in his own body.

I suggest that being caught up with definitions and the minutiae of divine encounter is a barrier to the movement of the Spirit of God which was not only erected by those listening to Jesus in Capernaum, but also by individuals trying to set limits on God's actions in their own lives, in today's world. We leave little or no room for divine mystery in our own lives. As a young person, I heard a sermon, ( offered by my father ) , in which he offered an insight into our relationship with God. He said, " The totality of God can never be caught up within a net of words". Where do we leave room for Holy Mystery ? Where do we leave room for the movement of the Spirit of God within us ?

As you share in the Sacrament of the Holy Communion, as you share in, "... the bread of life...", I invite you to do so with an openness of spirit that your souls may be fed and your lives renewed to accomplish God's mission and ministry in God's world and in your own life.    

-Rev'd Canon Christopher Pratt