Flesh and Blood: John 6:51-55
We dove into the word last Thursday and came up with some gems; write back with your own reflections:
First, The Good News according to John, 6:51-55:
Jesus said, “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.” The Temple authorities argued among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.”
What we heard ...
* Jesus is opening the way to a visceral, bodily, vivid, juicy, risky encounter with God. He wants to affect more than your brain, more than just your intellect, more than your beliefs. He’s changing, touching, affecting whole lives, whole bodies. If you take me into you – all the way into you, my flesh into your flesh, so that your very matter is transformed – then you will live forever, because your life will be with me.
* How do we “eat” Jesus, eat real life? What experiences nourish God’s spirit in you (more from last Thursday)? Beyond books, beyond words, to experience.
* Jesus gave himself, the ultimate self-offering for the life of the world. He led the way so that we could give ourselves, and thus nurture the life of the world, too. It’s a universal experience; Jesus just put a spotlight on it. How do you respond, as a Christian, as a human being fully alive?
* How does the word lead us into spiritual practice? Prayerful journaling (writing without picking up pen; turning off brain and asking God to speak on the paper, going deeper and deeper into a mystery -- like eating the flesh and drinking the blood). Compassionate breath meditation (breathe in the Spirit of Christ, breathe out compassion to the world; then breathe in the horrors and hurts of the world, breathe them out into the hands of God).
First, The Good News according to John, 6:51-55:
Jesus said, “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.” The Temple authorities argued among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.”
What we heard ...
* Jesus is opening the way to a visceral, bodily, vivid, juicy, risky encounter with God. He wants to affect more than your brain, more than just your intellect, more than your beliefs. He’s changing, touching, affecting whole lives, whole bodies. If you take me into you – all the way into you, my flesh into your flesh, so that your very matter is transformed – then you will live forever, because your life will be with me.
* How do we “eat” Jesus, eat real life? What experiences nourish God’s spirit in you (more from last Thursday)? Beyond books, beyond words, to experience.
* Jesus gave himself, the ultimate self-offering for the life of the world. He led the way so that we could give ourselves, and thus nurture the life of the world, too. It’s a universal experience; Jesus just put a spotlight on it. How do you respond, as a Christian, as a human being fully alive?
* How does the word lead us into spiritual practice? Prayerful journaling (writing without picking up pen; turning off brain and asking God to speak on the paper, going deeper and deeper into a mystery -- like eating the flesh and drinking the blood). Compassionate breath meditation (breathe in the Spirit of Christ, breathe out compassion to the world; then breathe in the horrors and hurts of the world, breathe them out into the hands of God).
posted by RevSteph at
3:55 PM
0 Comments
