Tag: anyone who believes has eternal life

Thursday Morning: 24 Jan 2019 – John 6:41-58 ~ the mystery behind the man

Thursday Morning

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening (Collect for Purity)

Almighty God: to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid; cleanse the thoughts of my heart through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that I may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ my Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – John 6:41-58 (NLT)

Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

But Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said. For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”

Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.

So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”
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Morning Reflection:

The Mystery behind the Man.

“Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,
and I will raise that person at the last day.” – John 6:54

It shouldn’t surprise us that the crowd was confused by Jesus’ response to them in John 6:54. How could the son of Joseph have come down from heaven? How could he give them his flesh to eat? And what did this have to do with living forever? It was all a mystery to them.

And so it remains a mystery today – 2,000 years after Jesus’ instituted these words in the Lord’s Supper, the church continues to debate their meaning. But one thing is certain – ritual aside – eternal life is a gift of God’s grace, received through faith in God’s Son – the Lamb of God who takes way the sins of the world.

“Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.”
– John 6:56-57

Questions for consideration:

  • How do you feed your faith – “remain in” Jesus Christ?
  • How do these “means of grace” help you develop intimacy with Christ -Bible reading/study, prayer, worship, and the Lord’s Supper? Something else?
  • Do you have a “healthy eating” plan to feed your faith in Christ?  What’s involved?

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Morning Prayer:

Heavenly Father: You have drawn me to your Son, Jesus Christ, and by your grace I have placed my faith and trust in him. Fill me with your Spirit, that your life might flow in me and through me. Nourish my faith through the means of grace you have given us, that I might remain in your Son, now and forever – all to the glory of your name. Amen.
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“Body Broken (Mystery of Grace)” – Diana Rose Dawson & W. Zachary Taylor

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – 12 Aug – John 6:41-51 ~ anyone who believes has eternal life

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Opening Prayer

God, our Father and provider, whose Son has given his flesh for the life of the world, sustain your pilgrim people on our journey with the word of life and the bread of heaven. Draw us nearer to him that, following his way of sacrificial love, we may come to the banquet of eternal life. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.
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“Guide Me, Oh Thou Great Jehovah” – Tabernacle Welsh Baptist Church, Cardiff


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Gospel Reading: John 6:41-51 (NLT)

Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

But Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said. For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. As it is written in the Scriptures,‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”
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Prayers of Intercession:

Heavenly Father: we enter your presence under the auspices of your Son, Jesus Christ. Hear our prayers and grant us your mercy and help –

+ For all believers who gather in worship this weekend, that we may have fullness of life…
+ For all believers who gather in your name, that we may be bound together in spirit and peace…
+ For all believers who are preparing for another school year, that we may bring out the best in one another…
+ For all who experience despair, to the point of giving up, that you may sustain them with help and hope…
+ For all believers, that they may treat others with love, gentleness, and respect…
+ For all believers travelling during summer holidays, that they may return home refreshed…
+ For all believers who have died, that having received the Bread of Life, they may live forever…

We bless you, O Lord, at all times: from all our terrors you set us free: receive our prayers, and continue your gracious care and provision, we pray, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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“Draw Me Close” – Michael W. Smith


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Blessing – Ephesians 3:20-21

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Morning Prayer: 23 Apr – Acts 8:26-40; John 6:44-51 ~ listen and learn

Thursday of the Third Week of Easter

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentence and prayer:

O God, take pity on us and bless us, and let Your face shine upon us, so that Your ways may be known across the world, and all nations learn of Your salvation.
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Almighty, ever-living God, make my heart more open to Your love in these days of Eastertide, when You have made known to me the depth of that love. You have rescued me from the darkness of error: make me live more faithfully by the teachings of Your truth. Through my Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

A Reading from Acts: Acts 8:26-40 (NLT)

As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”

Philip and Ethiopian icon, Chora Museum Istanbul http://kariye.muze.gov.tr/
Philip and Ethiopian
icon, Chora Museum
Istanbul
http://kariye.muze.gov.tr/

Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.

The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”

The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.

As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.
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I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord; whoever eats this bread will live forever. (John 6:51)
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A Reading from the Gospels: John 6:44-51 (NLT)

For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”
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Canticle

Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing:

May the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen