Ideas for a sermon or interactive talk

See also ‘Thought for the week’ to read out in place of a sermon; and 'The week in focus', linking the readings to the news. 

• The action in John 6 has shifted from a feeding miracle to an increasingly heated argument over what it means. The scene has shifted from one side of the lake to the other, and we sense the conversation is narrowing down to one between Jesus and the Pharisees (those John usually refers to as ‘the Jews’). The conversation raises questions about the link between experience – what we see and hear and touch – and what we read in the Bible. How does the one interpret or inform the other? In the temptation story, Jesus said that people don’t live on bread alone but also on the word of God. What light does this dialogue throw on those words?
  
  
• In the Bible, God’s provision for God’s people is a key reason for faith: God promises to supply our need and calls us to trust him. In this week’s Exodus story, and in the Psalm, this link is to the fore. For the psalmist, it is the reason to sing God’s praises. Jesus speaks about this too: what does he mean when he links the works we should do and the faith we should exercise (John 6.28-29)? Jesus shows how the Exodus story points to him, and that faith in God is now channelled through faith in the Son whom the Father has sent.
  
  
• Jesus seems to suggest that it’s easy – just ask and we will be provided with everything we need. But what do we need? More than bread – although, for the starving, bread is very important. What are we to offer? Are the ‘good works’ of the church unconditional? Do we ‘share bread’ with too much or too little spiritual engagement? A university study on food provision by faith groups found that the work of food bank volunteers was seen as ‘true Christianity in operation’; that cooking and eating together was about much more than food; and that even the gift of simple refreshments could give a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven. There is more to feeding the hungry than giving bread – but what might be a good place to start?
  
  
• In the 2000 film What Women Want, a man acquires the ability to hear women’s thoughts and so acts accordingly to win their affection. If only it were that simple! To the question, ‘How can we do what God wants?’, Jesus answered, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ That answer sparked further questions. What sign will you give us? What wonder will you perform? The people cite the bread from heaven that fed their ancestors, even though this manna was not enough to keep the people trusting in God. How does our faith in Jesus, the bread of life, lead us to do the work God wants? How do we know what that work is?

 

Thought for the week

Read out in place of a sermon if you wish.

In response to his people’s plea for help in the wilderness, God gave them food enough for each day and said, in effect, ‘Trust me for tomorrow!’ As the Psalmist says, ‘they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved.’ God fed and protected them, but he also required them to be obedient and faithful, in a two-way deal. 

When the crowds asked Jesus for a miraculous sign, he gave them a similar answer, that in response they are to believe in him, the bread from heaven. That was an answer that raised even more questions! 

It is good to ask challenging questions as we try to understand what God’s work for us may be. God can deal with our complaints against him and he hears our questions. But perhaps, as is always the case with Jesus’ teaching, we will never get a straight answer, to make sure that we are stretched by working it out for ourselves. 

Our natural instinct is that, before we are willing to do the work God wants, we need to ask more questions. But perhaps God needs us to just make the first move, to step forward, not knowing where we are going but trusting him to guide our next step, to know where our next meal will come from. 

The living bread of which Jesus speaks is a gift that will do much more than just feed our bodies for the day. It will sustain us for life, in all its challenges and interactions. Just as a shared meal includes conversation, laughter, relationships and intimacy, so the sharing of our lives with others can meet many needs. 

During lockdown, a keen west-country gardener wanted to help those who could only get out for their daily walk. She operated a bring-and-buy stall at the roadside outside her house, encouraging many to take healthy exercise in their own gardens while raising thousands for local cancer charities. The socially distanced conversations about plants also fed the souls of the lonely. There is more to being fed than eating bread. 

As we do the work of God by believing in the one whom he has sent, our lives will reflect the quality of the Living Bread that we have shared. It is still a two-way deal as we respond to what we have received by sharing it. 

As Paul explained to the Ephesians, each of us has been given the gift that is right and sufficient for doing God’s work. Are we engaging with the task, even as we question what it is?

 

 

 Drama: Does the Bread of Life have a best-before date?

Spiritual styles abbreviations W Word E Emotion S Symbol A Action Read our Spiritual Styles articles