03-03-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
​March 3, 2023
As a church focused on the Love First Life, the assumption is that our love will be real, tangible, and life-giving for the sake of others. In John’s Gospel, we read about our lives bearing fruit, yet we must be connected to the vine, the true source (15:5). The Season of Lent is a time to reevaluate and find new ways of reconnecting to the source from which we can draw what is necessary for our lives to truly be sustenance for all. When Jesus said, "I am the bread of life," there was probably someone in the crowd who missed the metaphor as he was overly concerned about his gluten sensitivity. The "bread of life" metaphor was another way of speaking about finding in Jesus what is necessary for us to become sustenance for all. I know so many people who barely have enough for themselves—enough love, mercy, kindness, compassion, hope, and joy. These gifts, in my theological opinion, are given in abundance. The question for us in this Season is whether we are giving the time and needed energy to the task of being connected to the vine and feasting on the bread of life.

For the work to which you have called me, O God, I seek the necessary nourishment found in and through you. Amen.