I AM -the Bread of Life
John 6:
March 4, 2007
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
There is a certain young girl by the name of Alison who if it were left up to her, would
eat only Oreos at every meal. Maybe you know kids like Alison; [maybe if you were honest,
you'd even be one of them]. Now, it's probably true that, scientifically speaking, Alison could
survive for awhile on a diet of nothing but Oreo cookies, but she wouldn't be very healthy.
Fortunately for Alison -although she doesn't think so- her Mom and Dad will have none of it.
They know she needs more than Oreo's to grow strong bones, healthy muscles, clear eyes and
an alert mind. And so they provide her with food that is rich in all that she needs to grow and
live a vibrant full life.
As I see it, that's what Jesus is trying to do in the portion of John's gospel that Wendy
just read for us. As we pick up John's telling of the story, we find a crowd in search of Jesus
and the disciples. If we were reading the story from start to finish, we would know that most if
not all of the people in this searching crowd had been among the 5,000 recipients who were
miraculously fed on five barley loaves and two fish. Perhaps assuming that anyone who could
do what Jesus had done would be able to guarantee them a future free from hunger and the
conditions of poverty in which they have been living, they went in search of Jesus, eager to see
what else this miracle-worker would and could do for them.
Now, Jesus understood their physical need for food. But, he also understood that they were
suffering from a much deeper hunger; one that can never be filled with bread alone; one that
cannot and will not be satisfied no matter how much food is eaten, no matter how much wealth
is accumulated, no matter how much safety and security is gained. So Jesus said to them, "....
you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life."
We live in a culture that seems to be hungry in spite of its affluence. We seem to be a
nation plagued by a passion to possess, to have, to hold, to keep. And the more we have the
more we want. We want bigger homes, fancier cars, faster computers, better jobs, as if having
more will finally fill the emptiness inside our hearts. We sometimes even turn to God with the
expectation that, if we do our part, God will surely bless us with health and wealth. We
sometimes even confuse the abundant life Jesus came to bring us with achieving the American
dream. All too often it seems that we spend our life laboring for food that perishes. But there is
another way.
Jesus says to the crowds and to us "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never
be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." This is the first of a number of
different statements of Jesus, recorded only in the gospel of John, that in our English
translations each begin with the words "I Am." Now in Jesus' spoken language of Aramaic the
phrase is Ina Ina or Inana. Rather than describing something about himself as we would say "I
am a woman, I am a mother, I am a pastor" this phrase to points to the Divine Spirit that lives
within our hearts. Inana literally means "the I with the I." Whether Jesus actually spoke these
words or whether they are testimonies of faith added by the gospel writer, this phrase would
have awakened in the first hearers the remembrance of Moses' experience of the burning bush
when he asked, "who shall I say sent me", and God answered saying "I AM WHO I AM. ...Thus
you shall say to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you.'".[Exodus 3:14] So we might also
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\03-04-07 john 24-35.doc - 2 -
translate Inana as "the small I held within the great I AM" or "the Divine I AM inside our
individual I."
As Neil Douglas Klotz says in his book The Hidden Gospel: Decoding the Spiritual Message
of the Aramaic Jesus, "These statements can point to the gifts that direct contact with the "I
AM" within offers." So it is that as we move through the season of Lent, we will explore these
various gifts together.
"I am the bread of life." Inana lachma d'hayye, Since lachma, the Aramaic word translated
as 'bread' can also mean understanding or more broadly that which feeds the I whether
physically, emotionally, mentally or on any other level, and d'hayye, the Aramaic word
translated as "life" can also mean "energy or life force", the wisdom being offered is that
openness to the Divine I AM within each of us will satisfy our deepest hungers and lead to a
healthy, vibrant sense of self.
"I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes
in me will never be thirsty." These words as well as with the whole of Jesus' life, point to the
truth that the hunger beneath all hungers is our need for a deep and intimate relationship with
God -a life centered in God. It is this relationship that feeds our deepest hunger and allows us
to discover who we are and what we are called to be and do. If we think about it for a moment,
we know that the food that we eat provides nourishment, energy, and fuel for the cells that
make up our physical body. Thus, I believe that this is an invitation to all who seek to follow the
way of Jesus to embrace the truth that when we open ourselves to be fed with the Bread of
Life, we connect with the very same Spirit that fed Jesus and our hearts are nourished with the
ever-flowing stream of God's healing love and liberating grace.
Now, there is a lot more I could say about this process of opening to the great I AM. But I
would rather invite us to spend the next few minutes actually doing it. So first, get comfortable,
put your feet flat on the floor if you can. Place your open hands palms up on your lap and take
a full deep breath -breathing in and out fully and completely.
Again, another deep breath.
As you breathe you may allow your eyes to fall closed or you might prefer to focus on the
images that will appear on the screen. Continue breathing as slowly and deeply as possible.
Imagine a soft warm orb pulsing in the center of your chest- It is a ball of pure love -100%
accepting, 100% affirming -complete love!
AS you breathe feel that love pulse out to every part of your body -arms, hands, head,
abdomen, legs, feet, every part of your body.....
Now imagine that you are in a room with a great banquet table and Divine Wisdom is the
host. AS you enter the room she invites you to take a place at the table -in fact she invites you
to bring all the parts of yourself to the table -bring the skeptic... the critic...the judge...the
compassionate friend...the lover... mother... father... child...all the parts of who you are... parts
you are proud of... parts you are ashamed of... And see Divine Wisdom welcome each and every
part of who you are to the table....
She begins to feed each guest with the exact food they need
Love
Understanding
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\03-04-07 john 24-35.doc - 3 -
Joy
Insight
Wisdom
Whatever any part of you needs to feel full, satisfied, healthy, alive... Divine Wisdom offers
it...
Take... Eat.... Enjoy....
Nothing you have to do... just enjoy...
If things come to your mind that trouble you offer them to the Great I AM who lovingly
takes what you need to release... holds and heals it and gifts you with wisdom and
understanding....
Know that this banquet table is always ready any time you are hungry ... come to the
table...
Divine Wisdom is always at the table, waiting to feed your deepest hungers....
Gently and easily withdraw your attention from this interior table and focus on our common
table -a table where the risen Jesus waits as both the host of the feast and as bread that is
broken.
Remember the night when Jesus offered himself in love -a symbol of the self-giving love of
God that lives in you...
Remember how he took the bread and after giving thanks he said this Passover bread is a
remembrance of the way God fed your ancestors in the wilderness, let it now become a
remembrance of the way God continues to feed you with wisdom, bread, insight, healing and
love every time you remember my self-giving love for you. Then he broke it and shared it with
all who were gathered there...
Remember how he took the cup and said this Passover cup is a remembrance of the way
God cared for your ancestors as they fled from the Pharaoh. Let it also be a remembrance of
the way God continues to walk with you as you remember my blood poured out in love for
you...
In thanksgiving and as an affirmation of what we know to be true, let us sing Jesus Is Here
Right Now. As we sing, I invite our communion servers to come forward.
John 6:
March 4, 2007
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
There is a certain young girl by the name of Alison who if it were left up to her, would
eat only Oreos at every meal. Maybe you know kids like Alison; [maybe if you were honest,
you'd even be one of them]. Now, it's probably true that, scientifically speaking, Alison could
survive for awhile on a diet of nothing but Oreo cookies, but she wouldn't be very healthy.
Fortunately for Alison -although she doesn't think so- her Mom and Dad will have none of it.
They know she needs more than Oreo's to grow strong bones, healthy muscles, clear eyes and
an alert mind. And so they provide her with food that is rich in all that she needs to grow and
live a vibrant full life.
As I see it, that's what Jesus is trying to do in the portion of John's gospel that Wendy
just read for us. As we pick up John's telling of the story, we find a crowd in search of Jesus
and the disciples. If we were reading the story from start to finish, we would know that most if
not all of the people in this searching crowd had been among the 5,000 recipients who were
miraculously fed on five barley loaves and two fish. Perhaps assuming that anyone who could
do what Jesus had done would be able to guarantee them a future free from hunger and the
conditions of poverty in which they have been living, they went in search of Jesus, eager to see
what else this miracle-worker would and could do for them.
Now, Jesus understood their physical need for food. But, he also understood that they were
suffering from a much deeper hunger; one that can never be filled with bread alone; one that
cannot and will not be satisfied no matter how much food is eaten, no matter how much wealth
is accumulated, no matter how much safety and security is gained. So Jesus said to them, "....
you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life."
We live in a culture that seems to be hungry in spite of its affluence. We seem to be a
nation plagued by a passion to possess, to have, to hold, to keep. And the more we have the
more we want. We want bigger homes, fancier cars, faster computers, better jobs, as if having
more will finally fill the emptiness inside our hearts. We sometimes even turn to God with the
expectation that, if we do our part, God will surely bless us with health and wealth. We
sometimes even confuse the abundant life Jesus came to bring us with achieving the American
dream. All too often it seems that we spend our life laboring for food that perishes. But there is
another way.
Jesus says to the crowds and to us "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never
be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." This is the first of a number of
different statements of Jesus, recorded only in the gospel of John, that in our English
translations each begin with the words "I Am." Now in Jesus' spoken language of Aramaic the
phrase is Ina Ina or Inana. Rather than describing something about himself as we would say "I
am a woman, I am a mother, I am a pastor" this phrase to points to the Divine Spirit that lives
within our hearts. Inana literally means "the I with the I." Whether Jesus actually spoke these
words or whether they are testimonies of faith added by the gospel writer, this phrase would
have awakened in the first hearers the remembrance of Moses' experience of the burning bush
when he asked, "who shall I say sent me", and God answered saying "I AM WHO I AM. ...Thus
you shall say to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you.'".[Exodus 3:14] So we might also
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\03-04-07 john 24-35.doc - 2 -
translate Inana as "the small I held within the great I AM" or "the Divine I AM inside our
individual I."
As Neil Douglas Klotz says in his book The Hidden Gospel: Decoding the Spiritual Message
of the Aramaic Jesus, "These statements can point to the gifts that direct contact with the "I
AM" within offers." So it is that as we move through the season of Lent, we will explore these
various gifts together.
"I am the bread of life." Inana lachma d'hayye, Since lachma, the Aramaic word translated
as 'bread' can also mean understanding or more broadly that which feeds the I whether
physically, emotionally, mentally or on any other level, and d'hayye, the Aramaic word
translated as "life" can also mean "energy or life force", the wisdom being offered is that
openness to the Divine I AM within each of us will satisfy our deepest hungers and lead to a
healthy, vibrant sense of self.
"I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes
in me will never be thirsty." These words as well as with the whole of Jesus' life, point to the
truth that the hunger beneath all hungers is our need for a deep and intimate relationship with
God -a life centered in God. It is this relationship that feeds our deepest hunger and allows us
to discover who we are and what we are called to be and do. If we think about it for a moment,
we know that the food that we eat provides nourishment, energy, and fuel for the cells that
make up our physical body. Thus, I believe that this is an invitation to all who seek to follow the
way of Jesus to embrace the truth that when we open ourselves to be fed with the Bread of
Life, we connect with the very same Spirit that fed Jesus and our hearts are nourished with the
ever-flowing stream of God's healing love and liberating grace.
Now, there is a lot more I could say about this process of opening to the great I AM. But I
would rather invite us to spend the next few minutes actually doing it. So first, get comfortable,
put your feet flat on the floor if you can. Place your open hands palms up on your lap and take
a full deep breath -breathing in and out fully and completely.
Again, another deep breath.
As you breathe you may allow your eyes to fall closed or you might prefer to focus on the
images that will appear on the screen. Continue breathing as slowly and deeply as possible.
Imagine a soft warm orb pulsing in the center of your chest- It is a ball of pure love -100%
accepting, 100% affirming -complete love!
AS you breathe feel that love pulse out to every part of your body -arms, hands, head,
abdomen, legs, feet, every part of your body.....
Now imagine that you are in a room with a great banquet table and Divine Wisdom is the
host. AS you enter the room she invites you to take a place at the table -in fact she invites you
to bring all the parts of yourself to the table -bring the skeptic... the critic...the judge...the
compassionate friend...the lover... mother... father... child...all the parts of who you are... parts
you are proud of... parts you are ashamed of... And see Divine Wisdom welcome each and every
part of who you are to the table....
She begins to feed each guest with the exact food they need
Love
Understanding
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\03-04-07 john 24-35.doc - 3 -
Joy
Insight
Wisdom
Whatever any part of you needs to feel full, satisfied, healthy, alive... Divine Wisdom offers
it...
Take... Eat.... Enjoy....
Nothing you have to do... just enjoy...
If things come to your mind that trouble you offer them to the Great I AM who lovingly
takes what you need to release... holds and heals it and gifts you with wisdom and
understanding....
Know that this banquet table is always ready any time you are hungry ... come to the
table...
Divine Wisdom is always at the table, waiting to feed your deepest hungers....
Gently and easily withdraw your attention from this interior table and focus on our common
table -a table where the risen Jesus waits as both the host of the feast and as bread that is
broken.
Remember the night when Jesus offered himself in love -a symbol of the self-giving love of
God that lives in you...
Remember how he took the bread and after giving thanks he said this Passover bread is a
remembrance of the way God fed your ancestors in the wilderness, let it now become a
remembrance of the way God continues to feed you with wisdom, bread, insight, healing and
love every time you remember my self-giving love for you. Then he broke it and shared it with
all who were gathered there...
Remember how he took the cup and said this Passover cup is a remembrance of the way
God cared for your ancestors as they fled from the Pharaoh. Let it also be a remembrance of
the way God continues to walk with you as you remember my blood poured out in love for
you...
In thanksgiving and as an affirmation of what we know to be true, let us sing Jesus Is Here
Right Now. As we sing, I invite our communion servers to come forward.
