The Bread

simplicity // 35
the Bread

“Jesus, on the night of his betrayal, took bread. Having given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, broken for you. Do this to remember me.’”

It seems like such an achingly simple way to embody so much. Bread. But we shouldn’t be surprised.

The Israelites, as they wandered in the wilderness, received Manna - “bread from heaven”, as it’s often known. They were told to gather only enough for each day, and no more. That’s trust. But they were fed, and they were fed. Divine provision for body and soul.

“Give us this day, our daily bread,” said Jesus, as he taught his followers to pray, and to expect to receive enough from God, yet to know that this ‘enough’ is more than we could ever ask for, or imagine.

After he had performed the miracle of the loaves and the fishes – so much to spare, from so little – he mused that “the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world...” Life.

“I am the bread of life,” he continued. “This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

Bread. That barest necessity.
Salvation in the desert.
Food in the pockets of the hungry.
A taste of things to come.
Supper.
A life, given.
A life given back.
Enough, already.

Take. Eat.


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action point:

Bake (or buy) some bread.
Break some bread.
Share with someone.


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rsvp:

“The book that came to mind is the classic, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I have have a good time browsing some of the principles which have been formative in helping me to live outside myself. Basics like ‘smile’ and ‘become genuinely interested in others’ are good reminders. Others like ‘talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person’ or ‘let the other man save his face’ are more challenging. It is well to reflect on the courage I do or don’t have to do them.” Paul

“Well you hit me hard with this one. This feels like a version of Desert Island Discs! Probably the novel I would recommend right now is: The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. Closely followed by Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. In non-fiction I would refer back to Surprised by Hope by Tom Wright; God on Mute by Pete Grieg; Spiritual Intelligence by Brian Draper (no apologies - this really needs to be on the list); What on Earth Happened? by Christopher Lloyd and Life Stories by David Attenborough.” Sandra

One of the most helpful books I have read is by John Ortberg’s If You Want to Walk on Water You Have to Get Out of the Boat. To move forward we need to move from the comfort zone and take that step of faith, to trust that when the storms of life are raging and the challenges seem insurmountable, that if we trust in God’s strength and love, he will hold us up and calm the seas... No-one ever said that being a true Christian was ever going to be easy and ‘existence without meaning is no existence at all’. Victor Frankl writes: ‘We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s way. The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering that it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity – even in the most difficult circumstances – to add a deeper meaning to his life.’ Sue

“I was sitting in the middle of Ampfield Woods yesterday, practising being in the presence of God. The predominant sounds were of at least five or six woodpeckers, located in several directions around me, drilling their nest holes in trees of various shapes and sizes. I sensed this because each sound was slightly different. In fact, one was much higher than the rest and sounded as if it was attempting to drill into an electricity pylon. My mind wandered to reflect on the crazy shapes and colours of woodpeckers (remember Woody Woodpecker?) and a Creator who makes things that have to drill holes in trees to have their young. I then imagined gathering a performing troupe of woodpeckers on trees of different sizes, so creating the first Woodpecker Symphony. My conclusion from this profound moment? God does have a great sense of humour!” Howard


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May you find Manna, today.
Go well!

Brian