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<P class=bodytext><FONT size=4>I know what its like to get excited about “free
bread.” A few years ago, my brother Dan was visiting us over the Christmas
holidays. On Christmas eve, we went to a nearby Safeway grocery store to
purchase a few last-minute items, knowing all the stores would be closed on
Christmas day. When we got to the checkout counter, I thought I overheard the
clerk tell someone there was free bread. Did my ears ever perk up! When I
inquired, the clerk said that since the store would be closed the next day,
<I>all</I> the bread on the shelves was free. </FONT></P>
<P class=bodytext><FONT size=4>You should have seen what happened from this
point on. Some folks were too proud to go back for free bread; others made their
way back to the bread and discretely picked through the loaves, taking one or
two of their favorite varieties. Then there was me. I should begin by telling
you we had come in our van—a large van. Signaling Dan to gather up some shopping
carts, I proceeded to clear the shelves, raking the loaves into the carts, and
with Dan’s help, wheeling multiple cart loads out to the van. Now some of you
would not have wanted to be anywhere near me as I “gleaned” in the “field” of
that Safeway store. I must tell you, though, that some of you in the audience
ate that bread. Dan and I loaded the van, then I proceeded to call everyone I
knew in our church who could use some free bread, and we had a number of
takers.</FONT></P>
<P class=bodytext><A
href="http://bible.org/seriespage/bread-life-john-622-71"><FONT
size=4>http://bible.org/seriespage/bread-life-john-622-71</FONT></A></P></DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext><FONT size=4>Bob Deffinbaugh</FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext><FONT size=4>Jesus had given them more than free bread. The
bread that Jesus gave them wasn’t just free, it came out of nowhere. And it came
to them in the middle of nowhere. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext><FONT size=4><></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext><FONT size=4>But then he makes a bold move. He says, “I AM
the bread of life.” He identifies himself with Yahweh, the great I AM. He
identifies Yahweh as the bread of life for the world. This is in contrast to the
bread which feeds but does not satisfy. The question is how? How is Jesus the
bread of life? How does Jesus satisfy hunger and thirst? How does Jesus provide
life for the world.<BR><BR>One analogy, suggested by Walt Wangerin Jr. in his
book, Ragman and Other Cries of Faith, is found in a particular species of
Spider. While most spiders leave their eggs in a sac and wander off, one species
does not leave them thus to chance, but stays to protect them and find food for
them. Like all spiders, when this one eats, she injects her poison and digestive
juices into her prey and the victim becomes her stomach as she sucks out the
life and the food from the bodies empty shell. Except when there are no victims.
When there is no food for the little spiders, the mother of this species will
inject her poison into her own body and give her young one last meal, herself.
She dies and gives them life.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext><FONT size=4>Wangerin, Walter, Jr. Ragman and Other Cries of
Faith, Harper and Row, Publishers, San Francisco, 1984, pp. 26-27.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext><A
href="http://www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/archiv-8/060806-5-e.html"><FONT
size=4>http://www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/archiv-8/060806-5-e.html</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext><FONT size=4> Luke Bouman, 6 August<SPAN
lang=en-us><FONT lang=0> 2006</FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext><FONT size=4><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext><FONT size=4><SPAN lang=en-us>- - - - -</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext> </DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext><FONT size=4>God, we thank you for your amazing, abundant
grace that supplies us in times of need. Help us to know that you are always
watching and always providing. Let your word go forth and find fertile souls,
listening ears, and hearing hearts. And we'll be careful always to praise you.
In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, we pray with thanksgiving.
Amen.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://day1.org/504-what_do_you_want"><FONT
size=4>http://day1.org/504-what_do_you_want</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>The Rev. Dr. Ozzie E. Smith, Jr., pastor of Covenant
United Church of Christ, South Holland, IL</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Jesus is at the grocery stores of our lives, in all those
common and public places that we visit everyday. The bank. The post office. The
highway. And we need to be people of infinite love, gentle love, compassionate
love for everyone. The bread of life and energy of love needs to be living
inside of all of us as we visit all those public places in our lives each day.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT size=4>The basic food staple of the world is bread and Jesus is the
basic spiritual staple of the world. There is a shortage of physical bread in
this world of ours, but there is even a greater shorter of the bread of
love.</FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV><A
href="http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_b_bread_of_life.htm"><FONT
size=4>http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_b_bread_of_life.htm</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle,
Washington</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Hunger hurts.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<P align=left><FONT size=4>One estimate is that 12 million children and 19
million adults in the U.S. can not afford the food they need. [From the website
of Bread for the World: <A
href="http://www.bread.org/">http://www.bread.org/</A> ] If you have
ever encountered hungry child <I>"up close and personal"</I>, you have never
forgotten it.</FONT></P>
<P align=left><FONT size=4>Some years ago, I was riding with a sheriff's deputy
who was a member of our church. He was called to an apartment building to
investigate possible domestic violence. When we arrived at the apartment, there
was a young woman and a small child about 18 months. The woman (actually just a
girl about 17 or 18 years old) said her boyfriend had been yelling at her during
an argument and the neighbors had called the police. The place was filthy and
smelled. The little girl wore diapers which had obviously been soiled for some
time. She followed us around the apartment crying and clutching empty,
dirty bottle. The apartment was almost empty. There was an old couch in
the living room, a mattress on the floor in the tiny bedroom. Cushions on the
floor were likely the girl's bed.</FONT></P>
<P align=left><FONT size=4>My friend went to the refrigerator and there was a
single small jar of mustard and a plastic bread bag with two or three moldy
pieces of bread. That was it. There was no other food or drink in the
place. The deputy called human services and the child was taken to a
foster home that night.</FONT></P>
<P align=left><FONT size=4>My friend said to me the next day, <I>"The poor thing
was starved. The child welfare worker told me she ate for half the
night!" </I></FONT></P>
<P align=left><A href="http://www.lectionarysermons.com/aug06.00.htm"><FONT
size=4>http://www.lectionarysermons.com/aug06.00.htm</FONT></A></P>
<P align=left><FONT size=4>John Jewell,<SPAN lang=en-us> 2000</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P align=left><FONT size=4><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN></FONT><FONT size=4>- - - -
-</FONT></P>
<P align=left> </P></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>