When I was neck deep in doctoral work many years ago, I did some interim ministry consulting on the side. One of the congregations I worked with, Living Word in Roslyn (near Abington), had had a lot of pastoral transition and a lot of baggage to work through. One of the women on the Transition Team was a fiery Palestinian Christian from Lebanon, who at a congregational event blurted out very loudly, “Pastor! I want to be fed, not fed up!” It was one of those moments where I said to myself, “I need to remember this.” To be fed—and not constantly “get fed up” with “all the other stuff” going on at the church…Everyone knew exactly what she meant. I bet some of y’all have felt the same way at some point…

To be fed. I believe we all want that. But sometimes it is very easy to “get fed up” with what’s out there in the world—with politics, the economy, social media, etc…I forget where I first heard this, but there’s an idea that we become what we feed our minds with (you are what you eat), and then our thoughts and judgments get “acted out.” What we “put in our minds” matters. The Gospel this Sunday (John 6:1-21) is the miracle of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish. This “sign” initiates a long discussion about how Jesus is the “bread of life.” He and his teachings are the “bread of life” that “feeds the world.”

Earthly bread will perish. The crowd is amazed at the earthly miracle and want to make him a king. If all we think about or find meaning in is “earthly things,” then we too will be hungry and grasp after “kings” that can promise full bellies and full bank accounts. Unfortunately, the result is that we often just get “fed up” with those frustrated desires and “fed up” with those who frustrate them or disagree with us. Too often the result is that we feed our minds with frustrations, resentments, and outrage. Jesus does feed 5000 people with earthly bread. But that is not the “bread of life.” Jesus feeds our soul first—and with minds and hearts transformed we can then feed others, with spiritual and earthly bread.

Peace,
Pr. Christian