May 1, 2025

Gospel of John 6, 35

Jesus, the bread of life

Jesus declared: I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Dear Readers,

today's stamp comes from Hungary. It shows a mother providing bread to her three children. The occasion for this stamp was a congress of the FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The FAO logo shows a grain of wheat with the Latin motto “fiat panis”, i.e. “Let there be bread”.

Fighting hunger in this world is a huge challenge. There are constant news reports about major hunger catastrophes in Sudan in Africa. More than three million children there are malnourished. It is a commandment of compassion to alleviate this need through both state support and private donations!

With his confession “I am the bread of life”, the Lord Jesus Christ broadens our view. He is not only concerned with daily bread, as we ask for in the Lord's Prayer. He is not only concerned with ensuring that we (and others!) can be filled every day. He is not only concerned with people’s  need for a dignified existence. This includes work, housing, law and justice, peace and much more. Jesus Christ has our eternity in mind. You can end up full and well-fed in hell. Jesus makes this very clear in the parable of poor Lazarus (see Gospel of Luke chapter 16, 19 ff.).

In the Lord's Prayer, we ask for “our daily bread”. We should ask for it every day because we need food every day. This applies to the bread of life as well. Jesus wants to be taken into our hearts every day, into our thoughts, into our actions. His love wants to delight us in the morning and accompany us throughout the day. His mercy wants to accompany us at every turn. We should do good wherever we have the opportunity to do so. We should share our “daily bread” with those in need wherever we can!

I recently read a very old story in a very old book. I would like to let you share it with me briefly. A man, his name was Ernst, was traveling by train. Ernst was an evangelist and preached in many places. On this train journey, he had a long stop at the station in a small town. He decided to take a short stroll through the town. Suddenly he was approached by a young man who recognized Ernst. The young man remembered a church service many years ago at which Ernst had preached. The two struck up a conversation. It turned out that the young man was in a very bad condition. He was desperate because he was starving, as we say. So, Ernst gave him all his provisions and some money. Ernst wrote that he was very grateful for this encounter. 

Anyone who accepts Jesus Christ, the bread of life, into their life will not only ask for “our daily bread”, but they will also share it with others!

Thank you very much for visiting me and listening to me. May God bless you in spirit, soul and body. May He protect and preserve your faith in Jesus Christ. May the peace of God be with you. I look forward to seeing you at the next short sermon on May 15, 2025.