St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh

Midweek Devotion 27th April 2023

Led by Rev Sam Nwokoro

Bless our God, O peoples;

    Let the sound of his praise be heard.

(Ps. 66:8)

Scripture Reading (John 6: 44-51)

44 No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Reflection

Reading through this passage, the words of the eighteenth-century Welsh hymn writer William Williams (d. 1791) come to mind.

Guide me, O my great Redeemer,
pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but you are mighty;
hold me with your powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,

feed me now and evermore,
feed me now and evermore.

In a unique way, Williams’ words capture the essence of this passage in St John’s gospel.

The central claim in this gospel text is Jesus’ saying that he is the bread of life. This claim springs out of this text as very unusual but powerful. The idea of the bread of life combines two things that go together - food and life.

In Jesus’ declaration of himself as the bread of life, we who believe enter into a promise. In this promise, we find that our sustenance through life’s journey is connected to the gift of God in the Nazarene Christ. This promise remains our inspiration as we continue to live a life of love and service in our world today.

Prayer

Lord Jesus,

As you draw us to the Father,

raise us from the valley of doubts to the everlasting rock of eternal hope.

Jesus, the bread of life,

feed our dying hope with the promise of your unfailing love.

And may your glory, O Cosmic Christ, fill the earth as the waters cover the sea!

Amen

Blessing

May God, who is the ground of hope,

Fill you with joy and peace.

As you lead a life of faith

Until the power of the Holy Spirit,

Overflows in you with hope

And the blessings of God almighty,

Father, Son, and Spirit,

Envelop you and all of yours.

Amen.

Organ Music

Dieterich Buxtehude Ciacona in G