take and eat
Ever had one of those days when you could just eat alllll day long?
What? No? Just me?
Easter treats are still in their baskets and bowls on our counter. The chocolaty, peanut buttery goodness calls out my name when I pass through the kitchen and it's hard to resist. I really need to tuck them all away into the cupboard because goodies out of site = out of mind (well, sort of). After all, if I'm really hungry, I should make myself a sensible meal. Even though those treats are yummy, they aren't healthy and won't satisfy my hunger for very long.
"For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. 'Sir', they said, 'from now on give us this bread.' Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:33-35
Is my soul just as hungry as my silly stomach?
Not only should my soul be hungry, it should be ravenous! God wants me to CRAVE Him, all of Him. All the time.
Jesus, the Bread of Life, continually offers himself to me through the Word and Sacrament, and my sinful self sometimes ignores the offer. Why do I sometimes leave my Bible untouched? I wouldn't go a day without filling my stomach. How can I let a day pass without satisfying the urge to snatch up and enjoy the food of God? Why do I sometimes fill myself up with worldly things instead of the One thing needful? Why would I ever let an opportunity to take the Lord's Supper pass me by?
Jesus is not just handing us a little snack or a treat. He is offering Himself. Life! Comfort! Heaven! And its free! Only the Savior can satisfy the desperate need for forgiveness and freedom from sin, death, and the devil. He suffered in our place, so that we will not have to taste death and punishment.
This is one of my favorite hymns....sung most often during Holy Communion:
I come, O Savior to your table, For weak and weary is my soul; O Jesus, you alone are able To satisfy and make me whole. Lord, may your body and your blood Be for my soul the highest good. CW 310
So pass me the Word. I'll leave it open wide on my table or the kitchen counter so it's always there for me to dig into. I will read and savor, and it will satisfy every time. And yet, again and again, there's always more of Him to enjoy.
Take and eat.
