East Street Methodist 8/8/2021
Notes
Transcript
I Am the Bread of Life
I Am the Bread of Life
WELCOME SCREEN
CALL TO WORSHIP
Heavenly Father, your will reigns in our lives.
May we be glorified in Jesus’ name.
Let your kingdom come and your presence be in our lives.
As we gather, together today, visit us with your presence and help us to increase our knowledge of you.
May we always grow in maturity and strength and as we do so. Bless us beyond measure and fill us with your peace.
IT IS WELL
Children’s Address.
In God’s true book the bible.
Jesus gives us seven images and they all start with the words “I AM”
I’m going to give you a clue to the first one.
“Jesus said I am the bread of Life”
What’s your favourite type of bread is it Brown, Toasted, or granary?
My favourite is nice white bread.
I know one type of bread you wont like to eat old mouldy yuck.
Good bread gives us energy, but mouldy bread takes it away. It stops us going.
Good bread keeps us going but after a bit of time we need some more.
Jesus says he is good bread.
He’s good bread from heaven.
When we believe in Jesus and follow him, we will live forever.
He is the bread that keeps us going forever.
I don’t know about you, but I think that’s absolutely AWSOME
Where are we going to live forever?
Don’t worry God’s got that all sorted.
HYMN—No Afraid
Children’s Prayer
PRAYERS
Your forgiveness is total, no notebook, tape recorder or post-it note.
to remind you of that moment when we failed to do the right thing putting our own desires above yours.
You take our confession, offered with hands outstretched and gently,
like the loving heavenly Father that you are, put it to one side to be forgotten.
No grudges, no itching for judgement.
No resentment or ill-will.
Not like us, who find it easy to say sorry, but so hard to forgive, absolutely.
Forgive us, Father, that we are often more willing to accept forgiveness, than to forgive.
More willing to accept your love, than to share it with those who have hurt us.
Teach us to forgive, as you forgive.
Amen
HYMN Come People of the Risen King
READING Jean Heptonstall
Ephesians 4: 25-5:2
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
John 6: 35, 41-51
35 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.
41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’[a] Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
HYMN When the Music Fades
SERMON
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be expectable to you our Lord our God and our Father.
Did you ever go to the Kids Saturday morning cinema show? The film often ended on a cliff hanger,
the hero may be going over a cliff edge in a car, if you like an actual cliff hanger.
the next week we see him jump out of the way before the car plunges to it’s doom.
well, the services over the last three weeks are a little like that.
I don’t know if the services you have had over the last weeks from John’s Gospel followed the lectionary, but mine has been bread, bread and more bread. Each week we ended on a cliff hanger.
We Started with the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 this amazing feast created from five loaves and two small fish, where Jesus shows compassion for the peoples physical needs. This miracle performed before such a largest crowd of witnesses, far more than any other miracle. The first cliff hanger is when Jesus has disappered from the people.
Last week I was speaking about how some of the 5,000 who had been at the feast followed Jesus to Capernaum when they found that he had left their town, but what was the their main purpose, was it to follow Jesus? to learn from him? To follow him become a disciple. No it seems that their primarily reason for being there is just in case there is more food on offer. should we condem them for that? I mean a lot of people like the idea of something for nothing.
Jesus points out to them that there is more important things than just bread that lasts for the day. The reading ended with the first of the seven I AM statements. This was the second cliff hanger.
Would eveyone take up this offer?
What would happen next?
This week we carry on from there:
We now face the angry reaction at least from some of the Jews we are not told who, but a lot of commentators say these where the Jewish leaders.
They obviously knew Jesus, they knew of his background because the say “is this not the son of Joseph?”
Now we could be hard on them, could they not recognise him, did they not hear what he had been doing. Before we pass judgment on them, we need to remember we see things from our side of history, and we know what lies ahead, I believe we should always try and put ourselves in the position of the hearer at the time of the event to try and understand what they felt.
· Jesus was brought up within the family of Mary and Joseph
they are believed by many to be his parents.
· They knew his up bringing, his father was a carpenter, so how can he say he came from heaven?
The simple answer is that most Jews didn’t recognize Jesus as the Messiah for this very reason. I mean Jesus was a baby born in animal feed trough, he was brought up in a not poor but humble lifestyle.
The Jews were looking for a man, a Messiah, an anointed one who would drive out the Roman occupiers and liberate them from oppession.
But this Jesus who came from the backwaters of Nazarath was preaching the message of love and humble service.
Jesus didn’t fit in with the image of a new David, a warrior king.
No wonder they where at best confused, at worst they were outragged.
You can imagine the reaction when Jesus gave his first notable “I am” saying when Jesus makes his divine nature known by
referring to Exodus 3:14: ‘I am who I am.’ And while the I AM statements only appears in John’s Gospel, the other Gospels reflect a similar awareness of who Jesus is and unique position in the relationship with humanity and God the Father.
So they found it difficult to reconcile what Jesus said with the knowledge of his humble origins.
How does Jesus react to this? He doesn’t answer their objections?
No he rebukes them.
He tells them plainly in verse 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,”
He points out the necessity for the Father to take the initiative. points out that they are out of step with the God:
Is that not true of today?
We are surrounded by people who say they believe in facts, but what actually are these facts they believe in?
They say science has disproved God, but most of the scientist disagree with that.
So when pressed there is usually no real depth in the argument.
“I only believe in what I see” is a normal comeback. I’m sure you’ve heard that many times.
But some people must have really good eyesight to see all the molecules all around them because they actually do believe they exisist.
They believe in science, but how many changes have there been in this field over the years. Theories proved and disproved.
Where as God word remains faithful and unchanging.
But what if the people saw Jesus, if he came amongst us today, would they believe?
Sadly like the people of the time when Jesus walked the earth the chances are the answer would be no. and that he would still be rejected.
I find the painting “Jesus on the Subway” by Antonia Rolls though provoking as it shows people traveling on the underground oblivious Jesus to a who is dressed in robes sitting amongst them.
It led me to write the song you are about to hear and the painting appears in the last verse.
SONG
I ask in the song would I myself recognise Jesus, I pray I would and I pray you would to.
We who trust in God, trust in the truth of Jesus, blessed by the Holy Spirit have a clearer view.
Because what we have is what those who deny Christianity are missing, we understand that faith is more than an intellectual exercise, that there needs to be a spiritual revelation to understand the truth in Jesus’ words.
In our reading Jesus points to the prophets the passage used is Isaiah 54:13 “All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.”
which describes the triumph of the Servant in his kingdom, It, endorses the view that the initiative is with God. Yet God’s revelation comes only through Jesus, since he alone has seen God.
We then get down to the nitty gritty in the end what is this message all about ? It’s all about Faith. And what is faith?
it is trust, it is trust in the promise of Jesus.
We all need a deep and enduring faith that Jesus is the saviour of all people.
And we need to pray for those we know who are lost to Christ.
Jesus introduces the theme of the bread again, and his own claim is repeated (48). “I am the bread of life”
He says to us all that this bread of heaven, is so much better compared to the manna that God provided to the Israelites as that only lasted the day and then rotted away, unlike the bread of heaven which leads to eternal life.
In the important statement of Jesus in v 51, I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
Here he claims to be the living bread and brings out the vivid contrast between the manna and the bread from from heaven.
As he extends the thought, in identifying the bread with the flesh. There is also a difference from the earlier statement in that it is now Jesus himself who gives the bread, whereas before it was the Father. The word flesh refers to the human life of Jesus. It was totally misunderstood by the Jews at the time. perhaps even by his closest follower didnt understand the full impact of this statement.
So, we who are called to live a life led by Faith, faith in the word of God, Faith in Jesus Christ our Lord who is the bread of life.
How then are we to live?
Paul writes to the Ephesians:
We are told to be careful how we live, to be wise.
There is a vast differance between living life and having life within us.
We are to share our faith by being an example to our neighbours and must be unified in or faith in Christ.
We are no longer to act as the world does with self-interest,
As we who have been called to have faith in Christ, who have been called by the Father and have been blessed by the Holy Spirit. need to echo what Paul wrote.
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Amen.
HYMN HERE IS LOVE VAST AS THE OCEAN
PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION
Russel Heptonstall
Lord, we come to you the creator of all,
Here the prayers we bring before you now, join us together that the world may come to believe.
Grant each one of us here today that we may humbly serve you: that the love of Christ will be seen within us.
We ask that you will, strengthen all who share God’s word and those who minister Christ’s word for your people. Give your people the courage to proclaim your Gospel.
We pray for those who hold authority in the nations of the world, that they will make decisions that will be of benefit to all people. Guide them in the way of justice and peace.
We pray that you make us alive in our community, that we can share our faith with those around us. Help us to share each other’s joys and burdens.
Lord look with kindness on our homes and families, bless us and keep us under your wing secure in the knowledge that you love us. Grant that your love will grow in our hearts.
Help us to show compassion for those who suffer from sickness, grief or trouble. And in a moment of silence, we bring them to you now……………………………………………….
We also remember those who are no longer with us and bring them to you in our hearts…………………….
Heavenly Father,
You have promised to hear what we ask in the name of your Son,
We pray you accept and answer our prayers,
Not as we ask in our ignorance, nor as we deserve in our sinfulness,
But as you know and love us in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen
HYMN Living Hope.
BLESSING
The Lord bless us and keep us,
the Lord make his face shine on us,
and be gracious to us,
the Lord turn his face towards us and give us peace,
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among us and remain with us always. Amen.
END