If Jesus is who he is, what does that tell us about God?  What response does it call forth from us?

In preparing a sermon, there’s a lot of ideas that come through my head that don’t make the final sermon.  This morning, I want to share a couple of thoughts that I worked on but that didn’t make the final draft…

1.  Yesterday we talked about three different times that bread shows up in the Old Testament and the significance of each.  The Passover Bread reminds us that we have been freed from slavery to sin and death…that we no longer live in bondage to shame, sin and guilt because Jesus is the Bread of Life.  We were reminded of Manna that speaks of God’s provision for the people of God and the ways that God provides for us. Finally, we were reminded of the Bread of the Presence that was placed in the Tabernacle to remind us that God is always with us…

Here’s the interesting thing about those three breads…they’re all breads that people ate when on the move.  Passover bread was eaten as people were on their way out of Egypt…Manna was eaten as people moved towards Israel…The Bread of the Presence was placed in the Tabernacle, which was a moving tent of God’s presence. If we are following Jesus the way we are supposed to, we are called to be people on the move…always moving into the places where we can meet people, always dreaming big dreams and taking big risks, know that God will provide and care for us as we go.  We are to be a people (and church) on the move.

2.  One of the major aspects of Manna reminds me of an important parts in our relationship with God.  Every day the Israelites had to pick up Manna from Heaven…they weren’t allowed to pick up enough for two days or three days; a daily response of faithfulness to God was required.  As we journey in the Christian life, we have to remember that we cannot simply “stock up” in our relationship with God on Sunday…Connecting to God must be a daily habit. We are reminded that God offers us “daily bread,” and we are called to connect with God through prayer, quiet and fellowship every day.  It becomes a daily pattern that marks our life.  Feasting on the Bread of Life is not a once a week thing; it’s a daily discipline.

What stuck out to you from the sermon or from worship this weekend?  Who will you invite to join us next week as we talk about the Light of World?