We are what we eat????

In part, some thoughts on John 6: 51-58. 


John attempts to seduce us into the mystery we proclaim each week just before we devour Christ’s body and blood ... we say ourselves that the mystery of faith is that Christ has died, Christ has risen and Christ will come again. 

Do we really know what all of that means? 
Are we able to comprehend all that God is in Jesus Christ? 
Are we truly capable to break down the mystery that is our salvation? 

Or, are we invited to admit that we cannot do this alone?

We produce barriers that prevent us from seeing the whole and awesome picture of who our God truly is.

So this invitation, this seduction pulls us toward the mystery of what this bread and wine is really all about.  What does it really mean to taste the body and blood of our Savior. 

What does this gift do to us, for us, with our faith and with our lives? 

It is a mystery.  Yet, here we are.
Praising the God of mystery.
About to devour the bread and wine that is Jesus’ sacrifice.
About to be strengthened in love so that we too may love.

Maybe we do not need to understand the mystery, the way in which yeast works, the growth that Jesus gives us here ... but instead, as we are invited, we just need to devour it, in faith.

You have heard the term, “we are what we eat”... yes?

Could it be that this invitation into the mystery of Jesus is as simple as “we are what we eat?”  If we unpack this, what could that truly mean? 

We try to be aware of what we eat.  We try to eat a healthy diet so that our body is strengthened and not sabotaged.  When we eat our fruits and vegetables the components of that food is broken down, and they nourish every part of our bodies so that we can do many, many things.

So, what about when we take Jesus into our very lives in this worship service, in prayer, and at this Holy Table?   This bread and wine,

Jesus thus becomes a part of the very fiber of our being, and we are nourished by his life-giving love. 

Our spirits and our souls get to feast on the wondrous love of God, a love who sends God’s only son to save us from sin and death. 

 In this meal, we are invited to devour the restorative power of the Holy Spirit who works in us and through us, even when we least expect it.

So, let us be so seduced, seduced to take Christ thoroughly into our lives, so that we can live in the joy and peace of our God.


This is the radical invitation that Jesus offers us in our text for today. 

In the midst of his ministry he says, Come, for all is now ready.  Eat my body and drink my blood and be blessed with the mystery that is my gift to you. 

As human beings, we don’t understand the extent of this love. 

As human beings, we only hope that when faced with an emergency, we are, in fact, able to love, truly love like Jesus loves.

As human beings, we cannot love this way without the help of our Savior ... and so we come. 

We come to this table, invited by Jesus,
To be strengthened in love so we too can love.
To be forgiven of our sins, so that we too can forgive.
To be saved from death, so that we too might live.

We approach this mystery not knowing all that it means ... but knowing that it is Christ who invites us, who seduces us and who calls us to become like Christ ... today, tomorrow, and forever.

It is a mystery.  It is a wonder.

So be it.  Amen.