Advent - Week Four

Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent. In our series Who Do You Say I Am?, we celebrated Christ as The Gift of the Bread of Life.

Our text was John 6:25-35. Let me set it up for you. John 6 is the tale of two incredible days in the life of Jesus. Day One starts with Jesus feeding the 5000, and Day Two ends with many of his followers (no doubt many of them just in it for another Happy Meal) deserting him because of a difficult teaching. In between those events the disciples go boating on a stormy lake, where they are met by their Master walking on the water. The next morning, the full stomachs from Day One transition to empty stomachs for Day Two, and go looking for Jesus, finding him across the lake.

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There's a lot of good stuff (a theological term) here, but suffice it to say Jesus used their physical hunger to illustrate their deeper spiritual hunger; hunger that would only be satisfied with the bread from heaven... the bread of life.

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In the 6th, 7th and 8th chapters of John, Jesus uses three metaphors to describe himself: bread, water and light. Chapter 6: You honor Moses because he gave you bread from heaven. That's great but the bread Moses gave was a symbol - a symbol of me! Chapter 7: You honor Moses because he gave you water from the rock. That's great but the water Moses gave was a symbol - a symbol of me! I'm the real bread; I'm the real water; and (Chapter 8) I'm the real light.

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I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry... (6:35)

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If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. (7:37)

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I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness... (8:12)

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Sometimes we get the real thing mixed up with the symbol. This Christmas, as you eat more than you should, remember that the bread is a symbol of Jesus, the Bread of Life. As your family gathers around the Christmas tree, remember the tree is a symbol of Jesus, the Tree of Life. As you celebrate by the glow of holiday candles, remember the candles are a symbol of Jesus, the light of the world.

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From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!