“For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 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 6:33-35

I love how G-d works — and how Jesus explains his purpose and presence in the world. Jesus calls himself “The Way the Truth and the Life” — he calls himself “The Resurrection and the Life” — and he calls himself the “Bread of Life”…G-d in flesh, G-d Incarnate. Jesus stepped down out of Heaven and came to earth in the form of a human to live among us. This is what “Incarnate” means. For G-d so loved the world that G-d gave us G-d’s son — in the flesh, to show he is real and he is near!

My wife loves to bake bread and biscuits. A meal just seems to be more complete with some bread. Bread was also important in the time of Jesus. No meal was complete without bread. This is why he used this image for his presence in the world — Jesus came down from Heaven giving his very life for us…and we are to remember.

In just two days, we will be feasting on so much food — at least some people in this world. Others may only have some bread and a little soup to eat. Bread will be the common denominator in the meals throughout the Christmas season — and any type of bread will cause us to remember all Jesus has done for us and be thankful. May our praises rise up like a fresh loaf of bread.

Pastor Dave

“On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 7:37-38

How often do we look at a glass half empty rather than half full? It seems that my family is filled with “the glass is half empty” types of people. But that is ok — we also have our share of “the glass is half full” types as well. We need to fill our lives with both types to help us stay in balance.

Clean water is one of the few things that many people in the world have a hard time finding. While the earth is 70% water, we still struggle to find enough clean, drinking water to satiate the thirst of everyone.

It is poignant that Jesus points to such an important element of life — and calls himself “spiritual water” or “living water”. We need plenty of Jesus in our lives — for he becomes our “Living Water” when we quenching our spiritually parched lives with his word, his love and presence. Consider the fountain…it is a constant flow of water. Can a fountain of Living Water actually flow in our lives? The answer is simple…YES!

Life is so hard to balance. We want to do it all and do it well, but something seems to always fall to the wayside and not get done. What we need to learn in our lives is the fact that true balance comes in our being, rather than our doing. When we allow Jesus to fill us with his love and presence, then we can allow his love to pour into and through us to others. Being filled with Jesus also includes being filled with the Holy Spirit – both elements are necessary if we are to be filled with Living Water. This occurs as we choose to abide in Jesus – spending time in His presence allowing Him to fill us.

Think of it this way — how many times have you left a coffee cup or a glass filled with something left sitting for days on end? I tend to do this often, and trust me, I do not wish to drink it after it has been sitting so long. G-d did not mean for us to be filled with G-d’s presence and then left to sit. We are to be allowing G-d to flow in and through our lives, overflowing and pouring into the lives of others. When others see that we are spiritually full, then our lives might lead others to seek that spiritual drink — the living waters of Jesus.

With three days to go until Christmas, we will need to stay hydrated both physically and spiritually as we run and sing and shop and play preparing for the birth of Christ. When you drink your next cup of coffee, or hot tea, let it be a reminder of this balance in our lives. We cannot live without water — and as Christians we cannot live without Jesus, our “Living Water”.

Pastor Dave