Bread of life, Water of life

John 6:35, 41-51

I’m happy to be back from a 2-week vacation in New Mexico. The time away was filled with fun and family and frustration. I was with my Lutheran Franciscan siblings for several days, followed by a couple days in Santa Fe with my sister, and several days in Aztec – in the Four Corners – with a granddaughter and her husband. And that very pregnant granddaughter was still pregnant when we left, though George was finally born on Friday.

On our first day in New Mexico, at the Franciscan Retreat, Brother Ryan held up a glass of water, saying “Drink water every hour, even if you don’t feel thirsty. Your body needs it.” Pretty much, everyone who lives in the high desert that is New Mexico knows you need to drink a lot of water.  

But for many native people, living on the many reservation lands in New Mexico, water is scarce. At one time, there were wells that produced a lot of water, but since the uranium mining of the 1940s, the water is contaminated and unfit for consumption. Many people don’t have enough water to drink, wash with, cook with. They are often thirsty.

… The people in the wilderness with Jesus were hungry after a long day of listening to him. Perhaps they were often hungry, because many of them were likely poor. They were amazed at the wealth of bread Jesus offered. How much could they eat at once? Could they save some for later? Could they take some home to their children, to their family members who weren’t there? What Jesus said wasn’t nearly as important as the fact that with him they weren’t hungry.

So, they followed him, and asked for more bread – “You are following me because you are physically hungry! But I have something even better for you than this bread. I AM the bread of life. When you believe in me, you will have more than just physical bread. You will have an everlasting relationship with God.”

When people are hungry, they can’t pay attention to the words Jesus is speaking. But now that they have had their fill, they can listen to him. And what he is saying is quite radical! “Who does he think he is, claiming to be the son of God? ‘I AM’ indeed!’ That’s God’s name! How dare he claim it for himself?! We know he is the son of Joseph of Nazareth, and there is nothing special about him or his family.”

But Jesus persists. “I care that you are hungry, and I can feed you the same way God provided manna to your ancestors who wandered in their own wilderness. But when you believe in me, I can give you something much more valuable: my own life. Soon, you’ll understand what I mean.”

The image of Jesus as the bread of life persisted through the years. By the time the Gospel of John was written late in the first century – say 90 or even later – those who believed in Jesus understood the double meaning behind his words.

… When Mike and I were in Santa Fe, we toured the Basilica Cathedral of St Francis. There were some wonderful paintings, windows, and sculptures. Most of all, I loved the statue of St Francis of Assisi holding the baby Jesus, who is holding a basket of bread, while Francis offers a loaf of bread to the hungry man kneeling at his side. Jesus literally gives himself to us in the bread we eat in his name. And he calls us to give that same bread of life to others.

… Let’s go back now to the high desert where so many people are hungry and thirsty. About 20 years ago, Darlene Arviso began driving a tanker truck full of water to 250 families living in remote areas of the Navaho Nation. Dubbed the Water Lady, she visits each house once a month to fill their barrels with water. Sometimes, the water doesn’t last the whole month, but with no electricity and no phone, they have no way of asking for help.

Darlene drives this tanker of precious cargo as part of the mission of St Bonaventure Indian Mission, and considers her water route as a sacred mission. Those are her people, and she takes more than water to them. Aware of their needs, Darlene often provides clothes and food and tools to the families as well. “They are my people. I need to take care of them.” And her people call Darlene a living saint.

George McGraw runs a non-profit agency called Dig Deep. Normally, he digs wells in rural Africa – Cameroon, South Sudan, Kashmir – and he is stunned at the extreme poverty of this region of the US. It’s the result of decades of political and economic decisions that there hasn’t been funding for wells and pipes to homes in this part of our country. It will take time, but eventually, there will be water in this wilderness. It will be even longer until there are pipes taking the water to homes, so Darlene will continue to be the water lady.

… Darlene and George, and others like them, provide water – something as precious as life itself – to thirsty people. At a well in Samaria, Jesus said to the woman he met there that if she believed in him, she would be filled with living water.

In the Gospel, in the wilderness, Jesus says to a crowd of people that if they believe he is the bread of life, they will have eternal life.

In the high desert 300 years ago, Franciscan missionaries fed people with the bread of life, as well as with literal bread. Many native people came to believe in Jesus, and today, those same missions are trucking water to thirsty people in the American wilderness of the Navaho Reservation. Whether they are offering bread or water, they are giving life to needy people.

… When the people of UELC offer a space to sleep and eat for a week, fill the grocery cart with food and push it across campus, welcome the stranger without question, ask questions about justice in Florida, and dare themselves to afford a full time pastor – you are offering the bread of life to hungry people and becoming the water of life to thirsty folks.

This week, I encourage you to pay attention to how you need the bread of life, and at the same time, how you offer it to other hungry people. Amen