Author Archives: Barn Geese

There are several considerations we tried to hold as we prepared materials for this series: antisemitism, disordered eating, diet culture and fatphobia, allergies and intolerances, and sensitive hymn choices (content warning for mention of sexual abuse). We hope you’ll let us know if there are places we failed to do it, or could have done it better.

In today’s text, no one really understands Jesus’ teaching except for Jesus. Even the twelve are at a loss. Most of the crowd chooses to respond to their discomfort by leaving, but Simon Peter speaks for the twelve when he throws up his hands and says, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.” We don’t understand any of this, Jesus, but we’ll keep walking with you. You satisfy our hunger, even if you feed us with discomfort.

There is a limit to words. I can tell you about the beautiful aliveness of bread, the experience of watching it rise, the way its crust fills the kitchen with the tiny sound of crackling as it cools. I can tell you how it fills me. I can tell you about the gospel according to bread: that life gives life, that it’s full of grace and fully embodied, that God has a perfectly imperfect body like ours and calls our bodies good. But words describing bread and God won’t feed you by themselves.

Commentary by the Rev. Justin Kosec Text: John 6:24-35 “What do you want to eat?  What are you hungry for?” These are the words my wife might helpfully ask as I rummage in the fridge, clinking jars to see what’s behind, opening drawers, making a Generalized Fuss.  Sometimes she’ll even make some suggestions: “Do youContinue reading “Week Two: “Give Us This Bread Always””