Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
- First reading and Psalm
- 2 Samuel 11:26 – 12:13a
- Psalm 51:1-12
- Alternate First reading and Psalm
- Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15
- Psalm 78:23-29
- Second reading
- Ephesians 4:1-16
- Gospel
- John 6:24-35
The gospel from John:
So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”
Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.”
Special bread with decoration of grapes is a symbolic gift for the Church from children who have their first Communion in a Catholic church in Poland.
2006
http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu
Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'”
Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Sermon
In our gospel reading Jesus says “I am the bread of life”. In his sermon Pastor Stevensen asks what does this mean. We know that Jesus is God revealed. So what is significant about bread? 1. Panera bread is interesting but it is only to eat. 2. Jesus is not talking about bread that perishes. It is sacramental. As we take bread at communion, Jesus is present. We are forgiven and promised eternal life. God desires to be known and for us to believe in Him. The people ask what works must they do. God wants them to respond to his emissary. The same message is found in the other gospels. God wants us to believe in His Son. Pastor goes on to speak about where we can go to meet Him.
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