Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”   John 6 : 66 - 68

Bible reading : John 6 : 56 – 69

Thought for the week

CS Lewis wrote : “If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity”

The Lord undoubtedly does offer us His comfort in our daily lives and in the traumas and anxieties we face. Psalm 120 : 1, “I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me”. We can also know the real joy of belonging to the Lord in this world and of His presence with us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Yet in our Gospel reading Jesus meets those who are listening with a challenge. That He is the one who has come from the Father in heaven. That hope and eternal life are alone found in Him, in Jesus. That Jesus offers Himself as the bread of life, and we are called to put our trust in Him, to depend on Him and receive Him as far beyond any strength and sustaining of worldly bread.

Jesus calls us to surrender all we are to Him, the one who has given His whole self to us. This is the way of the Cross. It is challenging, uncompromising, revealing and liberating. It certainly does not make for an easy life. Yet it brings fullness of life, even eternal life. However few we may seem at times, we are called to live in this radical, life – changing way in Jesus, our Saviour, Lord and Friend.

Rev Paul

Prayer for this week

Almighty and everlasting God,

you are always more ready to hear than we to pray

and to give more than either we desire or deserve:

pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy,

forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid

and giving us those good things

which we are not worthy to ask

but through the merits and mediation

of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, Amen