11-16-2016

Good Morning All,

         John 6:35; “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

     Are you tired of it all?  Are you tired of the bickering, the name calling, the attacks?  It seemed like it would never end.  Finally, we voted and some won, some lost, some complained, but we thought it was done.  Then just a few days later one person announced and a second person implied they were running for governor in 2018; there is no rest, no respite at all.  We just keep getting bombarded on all sides at all times with it and weariness settles in.  We don’t even want to turn the news on anymore but even doing that, it pervades our lives and slams into us like a tidal wave.

    This past, and apparently current, election cycle is a lot like life.  It seems like sometimes it is just one slam after another.  I was talking to a fellow pastor and he told of having 11 funerals in the last year.  Now that may not sound like a lot but it is in a small congregation.  Then add in the time that should be spent in ministering to these families, plus all the other regular duties; it is tough to keep up, to stay up and to have a positive, grace-based message.  He recalled the advice of a professor at seminary, “you cannot feed others unless you feed yourself.”  This is an admonition for pastors to always have time to study God’s Word in a devotional setting to listen to what God says to us.  We need to partake in the Bread of life or we will always be hungry and always weary.

    This is part of why I always encourage a good devotional life, you need to eat to survive.  But private devotional time is only part of the experience.  We need to gather together corporately as God’s church in order to receive the body and blood of Jesus to feed us and we need to gather together to hear God’s Word proclaimed to us.  This is what people who claim to be “spiritual but not religious” miss.  Being fed by God is a communal event.  It is a family event.  It is an event that is greater than one.  Being fed by God is to be brought into the family of God through the power of his Word and through the blessings of hearing forgiveness proclaimed and the sacraments administered for our benefit.

    Jesus feeds his people both individually but mostly corporately in the setting of his body the church.  He feeds us in order that we might be strengthened to withstand the events and occasions when we are tossed about, facing calamity and struggles at every turn of life.  We need to be strong and well fed in order to remain standing. Jesus feeds us with his body and blood and with his Word that we may be strengthened and thus withstand the devil’s attacks.  Receive his nourishment and cling to his Word so you may be fed.

Father, in your mercy you sent Jesus to reconcile us back to you and then to feed and nourish us.  Keep us safe in your loving arms.  Keep us united in heart and mind with you and all believers.  Protect those who are under attack and nourish the weak that they may be strengthened.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret