Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Word of the Lord which engages us this morning comes from our Gospel lesson (John 6: 24-35). ����������������

What have you been eating lately? I know a number of you have been taking steps to eat healthier lately, lose some weight, be better stewards of your body which is actually a temple. According to 1 Corinthians 5: 18-19, our bodies are "temples of the Holy Spirit� (and we are to) glorify God in our bodies." ����������������

What earthly foods have you been eating lately? There is no shortage of diets and dieticians to turn to for advice. Walk into any bookstore and you can see scores of different diet books. Eat this, don't eat that! In general we know we should eat moderate portions and balanced meals, fewer calories and more fiber. There is a constant temptation to ingest too much. Especially enticing are desserts and candies. Chocolate is one of my personal weaknesses. Some research from London reported this week in the news (see MSNBC.com "Why there's always room for dessert") suggests that simply smelling desserts activates our brains in ways that convince us that there is always room for a little more. ����������������

We in this country must admit that food is prevalent and actually quite inexpensive. While many cultures of old had to spend more than half their time, energy and income collecting and preparing food, many today spend less than 10% of our income on food and can prepare it in a jiffy with microwaves and convection ovens. Our earthly diets are blessed well by God. ����������������

What have you been eating spiritually lately? On what do you dine for your spiritual health? How balanced has your spiritual diet been lately? How often do you eat at least small portions of your spiritual food (or do you only eat once per week or less)? ����������������

John 6: 35 "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." What does this mean? What point is Jesus trying to make by calling himself the "Bread of Life"? ����������������

In our reading from last week, Jesus fed 5000 people with a few loaves and fishes. This miraculous sign was meant to point out who Jesus is, not to simply feed a few people on a temporary earthly basis. Jesus told the people who were searching for Him: "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you!" ����������������

We Americans tend to be "workers." We want to work hard for our money, to support ourselves and our families. We are suspicious of anything that is "free". The Jews speaking to Jesus were thinking like that. They wanted to know (v. 28) "What must we do to do the works God requires?" "Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.'" There is no "work" for we sinners to do, indeed that we can do, to earn our bread before this Holy God. But God Himself has done the work. He has sent the Bread of Life from heaven to give his life for the world. He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to proclaim and BE the Gospel, the Good News that God has paid our ransom by Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection. We simply trust in Him whom the Father has sent. The Bread of Life who is Jesus gives us the eternal life lost when Adam and Eve were removed from the garden. ����������������

Lutherans (and many other Christians) have long taught that God's love and grace for us in Jesus Christ comes through identifiable means, modes, processes. We actually call these the "means of grace". These three means, modes, of grace are (1) hearing (& reading) the spoken (and written) Word, (2) Baptism, and (3) the Lord's Supper. All three of these means of receiving God's grace are physical. One is physical through sound (& light) waves only. The other two use sound waves and tangible elements: water, bread and wine. Through all these means we receive what is most critical for sinners separated from their creator; we receive forgiveness through them. ����������������

Jesus uses a word-picture of food for the Gospel. He teaches us that the means of grace do more than inform us � they actually feed us. They give more than just information, ideas, concepts about God � they impart life. (Rossow, 1983, Preaching the Creative Gospel Creatively). We have an earthly body and an earthly life. This earthly body must be born. Our spiritual lives must be born as well. The world looks at the Baptism of Olivia (and the rest of us) and sees simply a religious ceremony. But we know that God's Word and Name empowers simple water, and by that water she has been born again from above by the Spirit (John 3: 3-5). Not only has she been born again from above, but she has become united with Christ. Romans 6: 4-5 "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection." ����������������

Our earthly lives must be born. Our spiritual lives must be born again. Our earthly bodies must be fed with earthly food or else it dies. In the same way, our spiritual lives must continue to be fed with true spiritual food, or else it dies. Olivia's parents and proxy sponsors made promises that many of our parents and sponsors made at our baptisms, to feed her spiritually with the means of grace, God's Word and eventually the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Parents and sponsors promise to teach their children the fundamentals of the 10 commandments, the Creed and the Lord's Prayer. I hope all parents are speaking these words into their children's ears, even before they are learning to speak. Parents and sponsors make promises to feed their children through the means of Grace, to place the Holy Scriptures in their hands and instruct them in the faith. We too often hear stories of an earthly newborn abandoned and left without food. ��

We are horrified by such desertion. But yet the statistics show that in our own church body, twice as many children are baptized as come to Sunday School. Fewer yet come for Confirmation instruction. Too many spiritual births are not followed by feeding the newborns with the Bread of Life, the Word and Sacrament of our Lord Jesus. I know I have personally spoken with too many parents who say "Well, I'm going to let my children grow up and decide what it is they want to believe." In spiritual reality, that is akin to saying, "I'm not going to feed my child until they get older so then they can figure out what foods they like and don't like." ����������������

But just as too many parents fail to spiritually feed their children after baptism, we are all prone to failing to feed ourselves when we gain some maturity. We are prone to regressing back to spiritual infancy without God's word. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews (5: 11-14) warned of such thinking: "We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature." We all need to be constantly maturing as God's children, feeding on the solid food, the Bread of Life, in our ears, eyes, and mouths throughout our spiritual lives to simply stay alive in this sinful world.

I'm reminded of a true story of a soldier who was severely wounded. When he was out of surgery, the doctors said he should recover. But the soldier wouldn't eat anything. The nurses and chaplains tried everything, but he refused all food-- drinking only water and juice. One of his buddies knew why the soldier wouldn't eat-he was homesick. So, his friend, since the hospital wasn't too far from the soldier's home, offered to bring the young man's father to visit him. The commanding officer approved and the friend went to the parents' home. As the father was about to leave for the hospital, the mother wrapped up a loaf of fresh bread for her son. Well, the patient was very happy to see his father but he still wouldn't eat-that is, until the father said; "Son, this bread was made by your mother, especially for you". The boy brightened and began to eat. I think that you can guess where I'm going with that story. You and I are that boy. We are the ones who have been wounded in the battles of life. We have been wounded by sin, by trials and pains, by loss and by our own forgetfulness of God. We lose our taste for the food that will strengthen our souls and bring us home. (Author unknown) ����������������

What have you been eating lately? Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life, has promised to always be there to feed us and give us life. With Him we can never overeat spiritually. May we always take Him in through every means of grace He has given us. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7)