Thanks to all who responded and took action to my previous post: 

Important Ministry Update

In that post I told of how I was in need of some help supplying large print Gospels of John for my ministry to nursing homes. 

It was amazing how over the next month or two, boxes of Gospels of John would show up at my door just when I needed them. For instance; at one concert I handed out all the remaining Gospel of Johns that I had to whoever wanted one (& I had exactly enough!). Then I came home to find a box of Gospels on my doorstep. How amazing is that?  

At each of my concerts I usually share some highlights from John. It has blessed me so much to 'hang out' in this Gospel for as long as I have now. I will continue to dwell on in and share from it as long as the Lord allows me to. It is so packed with depth and meaning and life, etc... it would take a lifetime to explore. But I always try to remember that the Bible isn't the thing, Jesus is. The Bible just introduces him. Getting to know him, love him and follow him is the point - not become an expert on all things biblical.

Today I had yet another insight from this amazing Gospel. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life." I was meditating on this while munching on some leftover bagels from church on Sunday. Jesus said this during a conversation he was having with some Jews right after he had fed the 5,000. (Please take a moment and read for yourself what Jesus has to say in John 6.)

(thanks for taking a moment to read what God wrote, now on to my ramblings...)

As I thought about that passage I was remembering reading the story about the manna inExodus 16:

"...in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. ¹⁴ When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. ¹⁵ When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. 
      Moses said to them, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. ¹⁶This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.' "

 ¹⁷ The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little.¹⁸ And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed."

Isn't that interesting? They had just enough - whether they gathered a little or a lot. I kind of think of 'manna' (and this relates to Jesus too) like the lembas bread that the elves gave the hobbits. Super nutritous, packed with all you need, and best of all, it's yummy! (described as tasting like honey).

(Click if you care to read up on Lembas bread - amazing stuff that! fascinating read too as parallels are made to the Eucharist - which also happens to be a topic in John 6)

The differences I see between Lembas and Manna, however, is that Lembas bread stays fresh for months! Manna (and Jesus) is described as "daily bread". It is only good for a day (except on the Sabbath) and must be gathered and prepared for each new day.(except on the Sabbath - seeExodus 16 if you care to read all about it.)

At any rate, the important thing about this whole discussion comes with the application: Did you eat today? 

In John 6, Jesus said:

⁵³"...I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.⁵⁷Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." 

Gross! Eating his flesh? Drinking his blood? That's just disgusting!

Of course the most important teachings of Christ are framed this way, using mind boggling analogies. Things like: "You must be born again." And consider this one from Matthew:"If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away... and if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body, then for your whole body to be thrown into hell."

This is a hard teaching. Yes, Jesus has a great deal of sobering things to share. Listen to his disciples reaction:

⁶⁰On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"

 ⁶¹Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? ⁶²What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! ⁶³The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. ⁶⁴Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. ⁶⁵He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."

 ⁶⁶From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

Wow. Sometimes Jesus doesn't seem to know how to be politically or even religiously correct. But notice he says, these words are spirit and they are life. He doesn't say, "these words are literal - here is my arm Peter, start gnawing away, and here Andrew, I'll prick my finger - have a sip of life. And John, you better stand close when they pierce my side so you can swallow some of the blood and water that sprays out. (According to the movie, it seems that the soldier and his mother Mary were the only ones who got in on this eternal life thing).  

Of course I don't ever get quite this deep at one of my concerts - not sure they can handle that (not sure if you can either, now that I think of it), though if the Holy Spirit prompts me to, I'm willing to share whatever he likes.

If you would like to continue to help this ministry, you can go directly to BIBLICA.COM and order a box or two of Large Print Gospels of John and have them sent to the above address.

Thanks for listening and for the support,

Daniel Lovett

www.reflectworship.com

Scripture quotations from the New International Version (NIV)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica