Worship at DCC—Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, August 1, 2021

I am always, it seems, hungry. And one of the things I love to eat most is...bread. This must have come from my mother who always had some kind of bread baking—sourdough (you know, from that perpetual starter recipe) or cornbread or biscuits or something freshly made with zucchini or ripe bananas. I love the smell of bread...the texture (crusty on the outside, soft on the inside)...and of course the taste—smeared with butter, pomegranate jelly, or fresh out of the oven all by itself. I think bread is a love language! Bread is an essential part of the diets of most cultures—from ancient to modern-day. Whether in the form of a loaf, tortilla, challah, or pita, bread is the stuff of life. And if you’re like me, bread not only gives sustenance, it also provides a great deal of comfort, too. In our scripture for this week, we encounter Jesus chatting with some folx whose hungry tummies had been filled by some of Jesus’ miracle bread. But Jesus tells them about another kind of bread that satisfies hunger perpetually—now who wouldn’t want some of that?! Understandably somewhat suspicious but tired of being hungry, they ask how they can get this ‘eternal bread’ so as to enjoy its comfort always. Jesus’ response is simple: “It’s not just about eating the bread and getting full. It’s about believing in the one who is the bread of life and then sharing that bread with all the world.” And so that made me think...hmmmm...what is it that I am really hungry for? More simply put: do I just want bread for myself or do I want to be bread for others? That’s the question we’ll focus on together this Sunday morning as we consider these words of Jesus and break bread together in a shared meal that symbolizes Jesus as the very bread of life. I hope to see y’all then. Rev. Todd Atkins-Whitley preaching from John 6:24–35. Music by John Kendall Bailey and Gabrielle Goozeé-Nichols