John 6:51-58 (NRSV)
Read John 6:51-58 on biblegateway.com
Verse 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." Verse 52The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Verse 53So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Verse 54Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; Verse 55for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Verse 56Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Verse 57Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. Verse 58This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever."
Devotion
How amazingly simple are the ways Christ comes to dwell within us and give us eternal life. Christ comes to us through baptismal water, bread and wine, and God’s people and word. Yet how difficult and incomprehensible they can be.
This is especially true with Holy Communion. To eat Christ’s body and drink Christ’s blood sounds like nasty stuff. But for us who can see Christ in the bread and the wine, these words reveal a treasured mystery that unites our body and blood with Christ’s and makes us one with God forever.
But how can this be? Perhaps it is not for us to know. That it just is is all we need to know in order to be nourished by God’s grace and be part of Christ’s mission.
Prayer
Living bread, abide in us and strengthen us to abide in you forever. Let us not squander your life-giving body and blood, but rather receive it with thanksgiving to live in you forever. Amen.