The Bread of Life

I made a terrible decision this week. I had a latte. I had been abstaining from dairy for months, and then just swung for the fences on my first at-bat. Rookie mistake. My subsequent suffering, (as all pain tends to do), led me to ponder philosophical questions, like "Why God, why," and "did e'er such love and sorrow meet?" At one point I thought to myself, how is it possible that I used to eat ice cream and drink a glass of milk every night? And that led me to remember the comfort I took in the ritual (and the dopamine). And then I thought, man I have been a bit more on edge lately at night. What is my restless soul telling me about the true hunger of my heart? Where will I go for my comfort if not to Aaron's sacred cow?One of the great lessons of the Lenten season is that we discover more about our relationship to food through fasting than through feasting. It's one of the ironies of our being, that a people who were designed as enthroned royalty are wise to spend seasons in the abdication of those birthrights. For us, it's actually sort of necessary, because our fallenness means that we are unable to live in right relationship with the world around us. So, self-denial removes us from our passive habits and helps us to reconsider our true relation to creation. But, perhaps more than that, it also helps us to identify with the Christ who first identified with us. Jesus, who was sinless God, did not consider his glory a thing to be grasped but laid it aside for our sake. He did not need to reconsider his relationship to creation. He bore his cross, not as a spiritual discipline, but to bear our sin away. He offered his body to satisfy my deepest hunger. He is the true bread for the life of the world, and he is where I can go for comfort.This weekend we'll be discussing the only miracle (aside from the resurrection) that is recorded in all four gospels. And wouldn't you know it, this is a miracle about food. It's almost as though we're not making up this whole "feasting is kingdom work" schtick. As with all the other signs, this one is far richer than it first appears. I can't wait to share a few of the Old Testament echoes that cause this sign to reverberate with meaning for us. We also get to welcome and celebrate new members, so come ready for a big day.- Josh