Mothers’ Union Devotion for Sunday 1st August 2021 the Ninth Sunday after Trinity

Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6. 35

 

In the recent warm weather, we have experienced a glimpse of what it is like to really thirst. Our mouths have become parched. Our bodies feel drained. Life seems to be more of a struggle. A constant feeling for many people in the parts of the world without easy access to clean drinking water. The sensation for us, however, is temporary. We can just reach into the fridge and take out whatever cold drink we fancy.

 

So, in this hot weather seeing pictures of empty soft drinks aisles in the supermarkets can bring a moment of concern. Be it because of problems in the supply chain, or panic buying, or just the increased consumption due to increased need, some drinks are conspicuous by their absence at the moment. We find ourselves pondering – What will happen if the almost unbearable heatwave returns, and we can’t buy bottled water? We begin to act as if we have forgotten that simple tap water is not only safe to drink but indeed will provide all that we need to satisfy our thirst. You could say – we have become accustomed to quenching our thirst with more expensive choices.

 

The same can perhaps be said about our spiritual choices. As a society we often fill our need for spiritual satisfaction with luxury possessions, exotic holidays, dining out, increasingly spectacular mass entertainment. All at the behest of the advertising industry which promises us wealth, health, and happiness if we buy their product. We may have had an enforced break from some of these but as restrictions lift, we are being bombarded with adverts. Adverts which try to convince us that all we have struggled with over that past year will go away, if we but take up these things again in even bigger and more expensive ways.

 

Just like with water, however, we already have what we need spiritually on tap, if we but stop and notice. Jesus, the bread of life, is the only thing we need to satisfy the hunger in our souls and the thirst of our spirits. We generally act as if as well as needing Jesus, we also need the false ‘gods’ of this world. But Jesus is big enough, powerful enough and satisfying enough to quench even the most desperate hunger and thirst in our souls. Of course, it is perfectly okay to enjoy the good things in the world, as long as we don’t rely on them to fill the space in our souls created for our personal hunger and thirst-quenching relationship with the bread of life, Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

 

With all my love and prayers

 

Revd Sandra