Sleep on This: The Bread Chronicles – what have you done for me lately?
Good evening, friend!
Wow—did I strike a chord! I had no idea how many of you were bakers—or pretending to be bakers… or hoping to be bakers. But it sure explains why I can’t find bread flour or a dough spatula to save my life. (WinCo came through on the flour!) And a Danish dough whisk? Fuggedaboutit.
So, here’s the result of my inaugural sourdough bake.
Someone asked how it tasted. I replied, “Regrettably—AWESOME!” Part of me wants to share my second loaf. Part of me—the part that is exploring new notches in my belt—wants to hoard it all to myself like Gollum and his Precious.
But this experience—(and the unprecedented number of comments I received)—has prompted me to hover over this topic for a while. So, welcome to the Bread Chronicles. And since the Bible is full of bread imagery, we won’t be at a loss for material.
Back to John 6 where Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life.” The context fascinates. The crowd had tracked down Jesus in Capernaum and got into a cross-purposes conversation with him. (As so often happens. We are talking about one thing and Jesus is really, REALLY talking about another.)
They got on the topic of bread. Jesus was making some pretty grand claims about himself (If you eat of me, you will never grow hungry)—and the people said, essentially, “Prove it! Moses gave us manna in the wilderness. What will YOU do to prove your bona fides?”
This is RICH (as in the “they’ve got chutzpah” definition of rich!) For one thing, the wilderness-Jews quickly grew bored with their daily manna miracle. More on that later. For another, take a peek at what JUST happened in John 6. Do you remember? Jesus just fed 5,000 men and their families—with two loaves of bread. It was their own manna moment; a miraculous provision of their needs by the new and better Moses: Jesus.
Back in 1986, Janet Jackson sang “What Have You Done for Me Lately?” You can almost hear the strains of this song in the background of the conversation in John 6. They are asking Jesus to prove himself by doing something spectacular—while munching on the leftovers from their miraculous picnic.
One of the Bible lessons we must remember—is that we never remember! We grow spiritually nose blind to God’s past provision; forgetful of the many ways, day by day by day, that God has cared for us. And his promise to continue doing so.
Lord, as I lay me down to sleep, will you PLEASE bring to mind your manifold blessings to me in the past? And will that remembrance reassure me of your future care? When I see an empty shelf, instead of panicking, help me to mock it instead, mindful of your endless store of provisions for your children. Amen.