The Bread of Life - A Recipe

 

-------a sermon for Pent 11B 

A teacher tells a story of her introduction to Amish Friendship Bread. One child arrived to school with a ziplock full of what looked like dough, and would quietly kneed the bag while listening to the lessons for the day.  A few weeks later a number of children brought a ziplock bag of dough to school. The children would bring their ziplock  to school for many days in a row, and spend time kneeding the bag, playing with it as if it were silly putty. The teacher found out later that: Twice in the first few days a cup of flour, sugar, and milk were added to the dough. On the 10^th day, children would separate the dough into four equal parts: keeping and baking one part to into bread, and putting the other three parts in ziplocks and passing the dough on to friends... who could cook their own loaf of bread, or start the process again.  As long as the yeasty dough was added to and divided, the dough would continue to make bread and grow to be shared indefinitely.

 

Today we read the first 8 verses of Psalm 34. Psalm 34 is written like a recipe.

Each verse is a sentence, a stand alone statement. It is like the Amish Friendship Bread recipe, using simple stand alone ingredients – flour, sugar, water, milk –  that together bake satisfying bread to feed the spirit and soul. The purpose of Psalm 34 is to compel the human spirit to “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

 

1/4c of warm water – I will bless the Lord at all times; God’s praise shall continually be in my mouth.  Vs.1

1c all purpose flour – O magnify the Lord with me, let us exult God’s name together.  Vs. 3

1c white sugar – Look to God, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. Vs. 5

1c milk – the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear God, and delivers them. Vs. 7

 

The final needed ingredient to make the bread – to complete the recipe- is simple but, does not stand alone – it is useless without the rest:

1 pkg of active dry yeast    - O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in God.  Vs 8

Mix the ingredients together one gets dough, and the yeast actives the dough to rise and grow.

 

Next week and the week after, we will add to the dough, yes, there are two more weeks of reading simple phrases, adding 6 more cups of ingredients, from the same Psalm:

1c all purpose flour – O fear the Lord, you God’s holy ones, for those who fear God have no want. Vs. 9

1c white sugar – The Lord is near to the broken hearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. Vs.18

1c milk – The Lord redeems the life of the servants; none of those who take refuge in God will be condemned. Vs. 22   ... and so on.

 

The Gospel of John has Jesus say a simple sentence, “I am the bread of life.”

What follows in the text are thoughts and explanations that build from sentence to sentence from that simple phrase to a complex theological argument. It is one of the reasons I don’t care so much for the Gospel of John.  I like simple stand alone ingredients; statements like “I am the bread of life.”  Period. Without explanation. Simple bread. The explanations sometimes toughen the dough, so a simple loaf of bread turns into a heavy dense loaf that takes a lot of chewing.

 

I am the sort that likes to stock my kitchen pantry with simple ingredients – flour, sugar, water, milk – of course I too have on hand active ingredients like yeast, baking powder, baking soda, eggs.

I am the sort that likes to stock my soul pantry with simple ingredients – stand alone, simple scripture phrases:

“the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”  “I am the bread of Life.”

Song/hymn statements:

“amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me”

“Be though my vision O Lord of my heart.”

 In my soul pantry I consider the Holy Spirit to be the active ingredient.  When all is mixed up together into dough, I kneed it: think about the words, ponder, question; create, learn more. I keep adding to the dough.

 

As I kneed Jesus’ statement, “I am the bread of life.,” I consider what this means for me.

My consideration starts in Psalm 34 and the commentaries written about the phrases of the Psalm – stand alone statements that together have the purpose of growing the human appetite to “taste and see that the Lord is good.”  

I have tasted this bread. I have experienced life. I have had ‘aha’ moments. I have felt the warmth of God. Tasted hope in the midst of dire circumstances. Been fed by a strength not my own in times of crisis. Been fueled by faith when I lacked courage. Seen prayer rise into miracles. Been witness to the dough of forgiveness being given and the sweet smell of relationship baking.  I have seen that the Lord is good.

This is dough I can share!!!!  I don’t know about you, but, cookies, tea biscuits, bread, cake, all taste better when shared with family or in the company of friends. I have a larder full of stories, staring “the Bread of Life.” As I continue to kneed Jesus’ statement, “I am the bread of life,” I come to a place where my experiences are added to the dough, and I have dough to share. There are times when I bake my dough to satisfy the hungry heart and feed the weary soul. And I am blessed by the gift of someone sharing their dough with me, so I can start again. Living in community means that as followers of Jesus, someone has dough to share ---  the dough rises so much so that it will not stay contained in our ziplock bags... in our own souls... it needs to baked and to be shared.

 

Consider that there are 2.3 billion Christians in the world. What would happen if these 2.3 billion Christians treated Jesus – the Bread of Life- like Amish Friendship bread, giving three parts away? Within 10 days Jesus would be given to 6.9 billion people. Of those 6.9 billion, some would simply bake the dough, make bread, and be satisfied; others would add more flour, sugar, and milk over the next 10 days  - to divide it again in 3 and passing it on to how many billions more?  Exponentially this is mind blowing!!!!!!

 

For the next 3 weeks, as we mix together the simple ingredients of Psalm 34, I invite you to be bakers of bread --- in all aspects of your life --- a recipe link has been provided to you via email and on FB to make Amish Friendship Bread, share the bread of life with those who are physically hungry. Share the Bread of Life, by sharing your stories and experiences of Jesus’ the bread of life. Share the Bread of Life, by sharing the Word of God.  Be the bearer of the Bread of Life through baking loaves of hope, faith, grace, forgiveness, kindness, love.

 

And finally consider your shelf-life. Your expiration date. Bread does not stay fluffy and fragrant and tasty for long. It goes stale or molds. So add, mix in the active ingredient, let the Spirit work in you and through you to be the bread you were meant to be. Feed others. Invite others, wet other’s appetites to ‘taste and see that the Lord is good.’  AMEN.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe | Allrecipes