As we hear a lot about the Bread of Life in church this August, I was very taken with a reflection posted by the Episcopal Bishop of FonduLac this week. Bp. Matt Gunter was formerly a priest in our own Diocese before being consecrated as bishop. I love the image that he paints here:

Sometimes at the Eucharist, as I am distributing the Sacrament, I imagine I am wielding an invisible needle and thread. With every placing of the Bread in the hands or tongue of a communicant and then the next as I go along the line, the body of Christ is being threaded together anew.

Every Eucharist is a remembering of the body of Christ as we remember and recall the Presence of Jesus in the Sacrament. And every Eucharist is a re-membering of the body of Christ, the Church, in which the threads that bind us together are reinforced. We recall that we are not our own. We are created for communion - communion with God and communion with one another. The Holy Spirit, the Holy Weaver, weaves, knits, and sews us together.

Bp. Gunter expresses powerfully my own thoughts about the importance of the church community. People often insist that they are spiritual but do not need the church -- just their personal relationship with God. They may see the church as more concerned about maintaining the institution than living out the faith. They may have experienced hurt, isolation, or exclusion. They may have a narrow view of all churches being rigid and judgmental.

I do not argue their experiences or the importance of the personal relationship with God, and yet, I truly believe that it is nearly impossible to be a Christian without being part of a faith community. Without being a part of the Body of Christ. We are meant to be communal--to walk together on this challenging journey of faith. We are sometimes examples for one another, often support for one another. Whether it is at the altar rail, in song, or in prayer, or participating in our various ministries, we are  bound together with God in ways that hopefully enrich our lives and are carried beyond ourselves into the world. And make it a better place, small step by small step.

Bp. Matt goes on to say:

The Church's vocation is to be a sign and foretaste of the promise that all that is torn and tattered will be mended, rewoven, and knit back together. All that is torn and tattered in you can be mended. The torn and tattered fabric of human relationship and society can be mended. Creation, torn and tattered can be mended.

I think of our knitting ministry here at Grace. All those prayers going into all those stitches. Providing warmth and comfort for those who are torn and tattered, whether by illness or by lack of warm clothes or housing. Come to think of it, knitting and sewing circles have been a big part of ministry through the years. Mending the world, one stitch, one prayer at a time. 

This is the second of five weeks in which the Gospel gives us parts of Jesus' discourse on the Bread of Life. Here, on the day after the miracle of feeding the crowd of 5,000, he scolds them about following him only for another meal (or another miracle). Instead, they should seek what lasts for more than the physical need of a single day.

READINGS

Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15: The Israelites complain because they have no food in the desert, but God promises to supply them with meat and bread. Then a flock of quail arrive in their camp, and the next day they find manna on the ground.

Psalm 78:23-29: A song remembering how God gave manna to the people in the wilderness and sent birds to provide meat for them to eat.

Ephesians 4:1-16: The apostle encourages the believers to accept one another, to live with humility, patience and love, and to nurture their unity, since God is also one. Within this united community each one has gifts that have been given by God's grace and each should use these gifts to build up the community, even as a body is united but has different parts.

John 6:24-35: Jesus teaches the crowds that all they need to do is to believe in the one God sent. In response the people ask for a miracle, mentioning the manna that the Israelites received when they were in the wilderness with Moses. In response Jesus tells them that he is the true bread of life and that whoever comes to him will never be hungry or thirsty.

The message is simple, but also very challenging. God's grace is sufficient, and God does seek to sustain and provide for us. But, we have a part to play. As we commit to the unity of the community of faith so we each contribute our share from the gracious gifts God has given us - be it time, talents or treasures. When we do this, we all enjoy abundance and unity and the tremendous life and nourishment that flows as a result. However, when we refuse to do this and make our own personal needs and desires paramount, our unity breaks down, and we all end up hurting and in need. This is not a magical, "reward and punishment" view of faith or of the world. It is the simple reality that the Bread of Life has given us enough for all in the world, as long as we share what we have. When we hoard and take more than we need, we create lack and hunger, and our relationships inevitably break down.

 

The thumbnails come from sacredise.com,