Hello friends this is Mark Lightman also known as Brother Frederick James your Friendly Neighbourhood Monk-in-Docs and this is day four of our Lenten journey I Am.
As over the next few weeks we reflect on the I Am statements of Jesus through the lens of Easter and we continue today with our reflection on Jesus statement I Am the Bread of Life.
So as we begin I invite you to still yourself,
Take a deep breath in and slowly let it out.
Let yourself arrive fully in this moment.
Allow any distractions or worries to just fade into the background and as you breathe imagine yourself being drawn into the Presence of God.
There's no striving here,
No need to earn your place.
There's just an invitation to rest,
To receive and to be nourished.
Listen to these words from Jesus in the Gospel of John,
I Am the Bread of Life.
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Bread is one of the most basic sources of sustenance.
It nourishes,
It strengthens and it's satisfied.
But Jesus doesn't simply give bread.
Jesus is the bread.
He is the source of true life,
The one who fills our deepest hunger.
Take a moment to reflect.
Where in your life do you feel hunger?
Not physical hunger but a deeper longing.
Perhaps you hunger for peace,
Maybe for meaning or for love that won't let you down.
Where do you thirst in life?
Do you thirst maybe for healing,
For belonging?
Maybe you thirst for hope.
Whatever your hunger is,
Jesus sees your hunger.
Whatever your thirst is,
Jesus knows your thirst.
And he offers himself to you fully,
Freely and completely.
Picture yourself in a quiet place,
Seated at a table.
And before you on the table is a warm loaf of fresh bread.
And on the other side of the table stands Jesus.
His eyes are filled with love.
And he takes the bread and he breaks the bread and he hands the bread to you.
And he says,
Take and be filled.
Feel the weight of that torn loaf in your hands.
It tastes good.
Taste the goodness.
Let it nourish not just your body,
But your soul.
This is his promise,
You do not have to walk through life empty.
In him,
You are fed.
In him,
You are filled.
As you eat and are filled.
Let us sit in the silence and savour that feeling that's happening to every part of you right now in the silence.
As we are filled and become satisfied,
Let us share a together.
Jesus,
You are the bread of life.
You see my hunger,
My thirst,
My deepest needs.
I open my hands,
My heart,
My life to receive you.
Thank you for your love,
For your presence,
For the fullness I find in you.
Amen.
Rest for a few moments in quiet gratitude for this bread that has satisfied.
Simply be,
Simply receive.
And when you're ready,
Take one more deep breath in.
Slowly release it and carry this nourishment with you.
When you step back into your day.
Until tomorrow,
May grace and peace go with you,
My friend.
