The Weight of the Word

BY TAYLOR MARIE JAMES & KWASI KENA

JESUS IS THE LIVING BREAD

A Call to Worship for John 6:35, 41-51
(May also be used as a response to the Gospel)

(Kwasi Kena)

One: Jesus is the Living Bread that came down from heaven.
Many: Whoever eats this bread will live forever.

One: Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” (John 6:56)
Many: His words are spirit and they are life! (John 6:63)

One: Jesus is the Living Bread that came down from heaven.
Many: Whoever eats this bread will live forever.

One: We are what we eat. You feed us, O God.
All: We come hungry for the food that only God supplies. Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven, feed us ‘til we want no more.

BREAD OF LIFE

A prayer for John 6:35, 41-51

(Taylor Marie James)

Lord, you described yourself to us as the Bread of Life. You told us that whoever comes to you will never be hungry or thirsty. If we eat of your bread, Lord, not only will we not hunger or thirst we will have eternal life. As we come to you on this Sunday in Pentecost, we declare our faith and belief in you. Lord, we yearn for your bread and the eternal life that we can have only through you. We pray that we will be like the disciples and wait patiently for you, living our lives in love and fellowship with our neighbors, just as you taught us. We declare our love for you and our faith and trust in you. We ask that you rain down upon us, as you did upon your disciples. We ask that you continuously quench our thirst for you and comfort us when we allow the challenges of the world to steal our joy and keep us from hearing your voice. Thank you for all that comes from you and all that we find in you. We give you our love and praise in your name. Amen.

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Taylor James is a junior at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, who is planning a double major in creative writing and anthropology. She loves to write and hopes her words inspire others to act and share their own words.

Kwasi Kena is a retired elder in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference. He is currently serving as Associate Professor of Ethnic and Multicultural Ministries at the Wesley Seminary in Marion, Indiana. He is married to the Rev. Dr. Safiyah Fosua.