Knowing God, Pt. 1: The Bread of Life
Take Communion
Leader: Begin your gathering by taking communion together, whether as a full meal together or some version of the bread and the cup before or after your meal. If you don’t already have a Communion liturgy, read these words from Paul to the church in Philippi.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2v5-11)
Read This Overview Aloud Together
After Israel was freed from centuries of enslavement in Egypt, they wandered through the desert, very quickly realizing that they didn't have anything to eat. Moses, their leader, began a conversation with God, who proceeded to miraculously provide bread, or manna, for them in the desert. In doing so, God reminded them that he is the One who provides.
Fast forward to Jesus. In Matthew’s biography about Jesus’ life, right in between two separate incidents in which he miraculously feeds thousands of people, we find Jesus declaring himself to be “the Bread of Life.” Beyond a clever play on words, Jesus is picking up the imagery of the hungry Israelites in the desert to reveal something about God: God is the one who provides bread, but he also provides salvation to the whole world. God cares about our entire lives – the details about what we will eat, but also our destiny, and he will see to our needs.
Do This Practice Tonight
As we age, we may grow more sophisticated, more restrained, but we never quite lose that impulse to spiral into a panic and anxiety about something – that exam, that meeting at work, that relationship, that doctor’s appointment, or something else. There is a human tendency to dwell on things outside of our immediate control, as if thinking about them will fix them or make them turn out ok. When Jesus addresses this predisposition, though, he doesn’t moralize our worry. Instead, he invites us to practice remembering that God is the One who provides, our Bread of Life.
Tonight, we want to have a conversation about God’s provision and our desire to grow in knowing and seeing it. God’s provision, though, is not necessarily synonymous with everything in our lives going how we want it to or think it should. It is usually more complex than that. With that in mind, this can be a vulnerable conversation for those who haven’t thought much about it; but rather than letting that keep you from vulnerability, try to allow it to help you press in. Let’s work together through the following questions:
In which areas of your life do you find it easiest to trust God as your provider? (e.g. money, work, relationships, housing, etc.)
In which areas of your life do you take God’s provision for granted? Or, if you’re honest, in which areas of your life are you comfortable enough to not really need God’s provision?
In which areas of your life do you find trusting God the most difficult?
Read The Practice for the Week Ahead
We all know what it’s like to freak out and to lose sleep stressing about something. But if Jesus revealed to us a God who will provide, a God who will see to it, we want to be the sorts of people who bring him into our anxiety and worry, to practice asking him about it and pausing long enough to hear him speak.
This week, we want to practice this type of prayer. So set aside some time to ask God the following questions:
God, where do I have a hard time trusting you? Without any sort of filter, what did you hear or sense him say? Keep in mind that he may bring up something you didn’t expect.
God, is there anything you want me to know about that? Give God time to speak to you about this area in your life that you have a hard time trusting him. Listen as, instead of focusing on any failure, he reminds you of his love for you. Perhaps there is also a lie you are believing that he wants to bring to mind that informs your view of who he is to you.
God, what truth do you want to tell me? Give God some final time to speak a truth to you about who he is, about who you are, or about the situation you’re in.
Close your time thanking him for his goodness and asking him to keep teaching you to trust him.
End in Prayer
Close your time together asking for God to continue to reveal himself to you all as the Bread of Life.