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Today's Lenten Devotion
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Soul Food
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
-- John 6:35
Rooting through some old cartons, I recently uncovered my son’s long forgotten Power Rangers lunchbox and with it, a flood of memories of little cheese sandwiches with the crusts trimmed off, juice boxes, raisin boxes and little love notes. I can also remember a day or two of waving goodbye to my son as he hurried off to school, only to return to the kitchen and find the Power Rangers staring at me from the kitchen counter, forgotten. As if my son might dehydrate without his little juice box, or die a terrible death without the cheese sandwich with the crusts trimmed off, more than once, I’ve made the mad dash to school to deliver the life-sustaining lunchbox that had been so lovingly prepared.
We begin our Lenten journey with a focus on food…“Soul-food”. Specifically, the Bread of Life that is Christ Jesus, lovingly prepared for us by Our Father. Much larger than any lunchbox, yet it fits in our heart, and we carry it from our baptism for all eternity. It is impossible to leave it behind on the kitchen counter, as we dash to the airport for vacation, or hit the highway for work. Yet how often do we get so busy trying to fill the empty places in our soul and the empty squares on the calendar, that we simply overlook this life-sustaining gift?
Through God’s grace, the Bread of Life is freely given to all who simply “believe”. The Good News is not only that the Bread of Life has zero carbs and zero calories, but that it is the only food that will truly nourish and satisfy the empty places in our soul…the places made hollow by the hurts of the past and the uncertainty of the future; the places in our heart sighing for hope; the nooks and crannies of doubt in our mind thirsting to be filled with a sure and confident faith. Unlike the forgotten lunchbox, we will indeed perish without the Bread of Life.
Martin Luther wrote “We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it.” Together, may we grow in faith on this Lenten journey of repentance, and may Christ Jesus, the Bread of Life, be our food for the journey always.
Dear Father in Heaven,
We repent of our sins and invite your Son, Jesus, to be our Savior and our Lord. Bless our Lenten faith journey and give us each day our daily bread, the only bread that can satisfy our hungry souls and quench our thirsty hearts, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Linda S. Magill
lindabythesea@yahoo.com
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