Insights
Rev Gav
How can we be spiritually fed?
John 6.22-40
The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realised that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. Once the crowd realised that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, ‘Rabbi, when did you get here?’
Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.’
Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’
Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’
So they asked him, ‘What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”’
Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’
‘Sir,’ they said, ‘always give us this bread.’
Then 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. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.’
Reflect
We all like to be fed don’t we?
I like to be fed. In fact, I love food. To be honest, I like to think of myself as something of a foodie. I enjoy creative, flavourful, food experiences, and tasting delicious wines. It is my secret vice! Some might call me greedy (but not me!) If the stomach is the way to a man’s heart, then I have done very well marrying my wife, for she loves cooking and is a superb chef.
The point is that, because I love food, I am always putting myself in cafés and restaurants where I can get more of it. My wife and I like to try new places, new cuisines, and new recipes. Whether it is a plate of antipasti with smoked meats, a selection of Italian cheeses, ciabatta bread, and olive tapenade; or the succulent Mentai Ebi from the sushi restaurant; a once-in-a-blue-moon fine dining experience at one of our top restaurants; Jeremy-who-lives-next-door’s marinated and super-slowly, melt-in-your-mouth barbecued ribs; or freshly caught amberjack rolled in rosemary and turmeric and shallow fried with butter and lemon; yep, I love my food!
Do you think I wrote this when I was hungry?
Back to the point. If we want to be fed, and to be fed well, and gain all we can from the world of culinary possibilities, then perhaps sitting in a McDonalds night after night is not going to get us there. And as human beings, we do not just need to be fed physically, we also need to be fed emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. We need to be fed in body, mind, and spirit.
You see, it is possible for us to invest a great deal of our time in our physical, emotional, and intellectual well-being, and not our spiritual well-being. Think about it. Take yesterday for example. What did you do with your time yesterday? If you tracked the time you spent on physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual activities, how would it divide up? I expect for most of us, we spent little or no time on our spiritual well-being, and if you think about it logically, if we are body, mind, and spirit, then this is a bit bonkers as the spirit bit it is one third of who we are!
I acknowledge that our body, mind, and spirit are inseparable, and that it is possible to nurture one’s spirituality whilst engaging in physical and mental activities. I am just pointing out that, to be fully human and to have life in all its fullness, we must not neglect being spiritually fed.
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty,” and Christians assert that the source and supplier of our spiritual food is Jesus Christ. As Jesus was and is God, the author of all life, it should come as no surprise that Jesus knows we need to be connected to God through him. This was a hard teaching for his listeners to accept, and it is also difficult for people today — not the concept of being saved through someone giving their life — but that our fullness of life comes through the life of Jesus Christ.
Jesus says that to have life in all its fullness we need to feed on him. So how do we get spiritually fed? The answer is through faith. As Jesus has ascended to the Father, it is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, that does the feeding, and there are many modes or mechanisms through which we can be fed by the Holy Spirit. These modes or mechanisms are sometimes called Spiritual Disciplines. Most Christians are familiar with the spiritual disciplines of Bible reading and prayer, and I could provide you with a long list of spiritual disciplines, but it is important that we never limit the way in which we might be spiritually fed. However, without faith, then no amount of activity will enable us to be spiritually fed. Faith is the key to establishing the connection between us and God.
For example, when I talk with my sister, who lives in Australia, I am open to talking to her and hearing from her, but there are many ways or methods with which we can communicate. There is Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, WhatsApp, Messenger, Signal, Kik, Forums, Facetime, Skype, Zoom, Telephone, Telegram, SnapChat, Email, and more. And of course, sometimes, we meet up face-to-face. But unless I am open to talking to her then we will never have a conversation!
In the same way, to connect with God, you must have faith — even just the tiniest amount — so that when you undertake any activity, you are open to being fed by God. When you have faith, you open a channel between you and God, and then the mode or mechanism in which that feeding takes place is up for grabs.
So, what are the means by which we can be spiritually fed? Prayer, Fasting, Nature, Science, Social Care, Communion, Baptism, Laying on of Hands, Silence, Sermons, Bible Reading, Music, Art, Dreams, Visions… The list is endless because there are as many ways of God feeding us as there are ways of being and doing.
I was once asked by a dancer if the dancer could worship God and hear from God through dance. I said, “Of course!” and so the dancer danced to God. Dance was his thing. It was the way he expressed himself and understood the world, and it was perfectly natural that dance would be the way in which the Spirit fed him. But here is the point. He danced with faith.
So the vital question for you today is, how do you get fed by God? What is it that you do to allow God to feed you spiritually? There is no right or wrong answer. As human beings, we are wonderfully diverse, and the Holy Spirit is wonderfully diverse in feeding us, however, what if you do not know how you are best spiritually fed? Well, let us spend a moment thinking about it. Right now, think of a moment or a time you felt close to God? It may be when you were reading the Bible, allowing the words to wash over you and fill you? It may be when you read inspiring and creative messages here delivered by stunningly handsome pastors (cough)? But…
Perhaps it was when you were out on the water or walking in nature?
Perhaps it was when you sat in the quiet and stopped and breathed?
Perhaps it was when you sang or listened to a Mozart vesper and you felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end?
Perhaps it was when you fed the poor and the hungry?
Perhaps it was when you wondered at a piece of art?
Whatever it was. Whenever it was. Do it again. Grab it and repeat it, because when you do these things with and through faith, you will be spiritually fed and experience life in all its fullness.
Have a blessed week.
Rev Gav
and then