Hello friends,
This is Mark Ludman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood Munkindox.
Welcome to Day 6 of our Lenten journey into the I Am sayings of Jesus,
And today we continue to reflect on Jesus' first I Am statement,
I Am the Bread of Life,
Through the lens of Easter.
As we begin,
I invite you to take a deep breath in,
Slowly exhale,
Allow your shoulders to relax,
Let your mind settle,
And for this moment,
Simply be here.
Be present to God,
Who is always present to you,
And as you continue to breathe deeply,
Imagine yourself at a quiet table,
And before you is simple bread,
Freshly broken.
The aroma from the bread fills the space,
A reminder of nourishment,
Of life,
Of something that has been given.
Listen to the words of Jesus in John's Gospel.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven.
The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.
Jesus speaks of bread,
But as we've come to see in this first part of our journey,
He doesn't speak of just any bread,
He speaks of himself,
His life given,
His body broken.
Can you see it?
Jesus at the table with his friends,
He takes bread,
He blesses it,
He breaks it,
And then he looks into their eyes and says,
This is my body,
Given for you.
This isn't just food,
This is a gift,
A pouring out of love,
A self-offering,
And in this gift,
Jesus holds nothing back,
He literally gives everything.
Take a moment to reflect,
Imagine Jesus holding that broken bread in his hands,
And now imagine him offering it to you,
Saying,
This is for you.
What does it mean to receive this bread,
To take this love,
To receive this self-giving?
And then,
What does it mean to become like this bread?
How might your own life be broken and offered and shared for others?
In the moment of silence,
I invite you to ponder this question.
How might your life be broken and shared?
Where are you being called to pour yourself out in love?
As we come to the end of our meditation time today,
Let's share a prayer together.
Jesus,
You are the bread of life.
You were broken and given for the world.
Help me to receive you fully,
And in receiving,
To also become more like you.
May I live as bread,
Broken and shared.
May my life somehow become a blessing to a hungry world.
Amen.
I invite you to stay and rest in this moment as long as you need.
As you do,
Let the love of Christ fill you,
And let the call to be broken and shared take root in your heart.
When you're ready,
Take one last deep breath in.
Slowly release it,
And go forward into the day nourished and ready to nourish others.
And until tomorrow,
May that nourishment and the opportunity to nourish be ever present with you.
Grace and peace,
My friend.
