Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:53-59
You are what you eat! We've all heard that old saying a time or two; but exactly, what does it mean? Surely, we can't take it literally.
No, you won't turn into a carrot the next time you eat lunch with Bugs Bunny - but you might turn red as a tomato if you eat too many of them in the hot sun without wearing a hat.
I did a little research into the meaning of that adage and found, simply, pretty much what I thought I would find: that your health, looks, and well being are said to result from the kinds of food you eat.
Basically, if we eat healthy foods, and avoid those that have little or no benefit, we're more likely to have healthier bodies, look better and, it's said, it may help us have a glowing outlook on life.
That all sounds sensible and positive but what about the words of Jesus in today's reading from the Gospel of John, where he says, "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life.."
Can we take such advise literally? Just how do we eat the body and drink the blood of Jesus? Most of us agree that figuratively, some literally, that we do this every time we celebrate the Holy Eucharist. But are we then limited by how often we go to church and receive communion? For some, that might be only once in a "blue moon".
Just as our physical bodies take up nourishment from earthly foods, our souls are nourished with the spirit of God's son, Jesus, born human to live among us, not only as a sacrifice for sin, but also as an example of Godly life.
To eat and drink the flesh and blood of Jesus is something that should, and can, be taking place in all our moments, in all the things where we find a sense of God, or long for His peace. It is available to us everywhere, all the time in all our moments - the small ones and the big. Nourishment from God through his son, Jesus, awaits us anywhere we look for God.
Ask a hundred different people "where do you see God"? and you'll likely get a hundred different answers. A young mother sees God in her baby's glowing face; An avid gardener sees Him in blooming colors, a tribute to the presence of God in never-ending variety.
We can find God in as many places, things, and beings, as there are moments in our lives. The mountain climber gestures to the green valleys far below and sighs, "this is where I see God."
Some see God in the rising sun above a sleepy village, while many see Him in the setting sun as it sinks slowly into the ocean and is swallowed by the cooling tide.
We look into little puppy eyes, like moist raisins sitting on a scoop of vanilla ice cream - innocent and trusting eyes that evoke caring gentleness - and somewhere in our being we hear the distant melody of "Drink to me only with thine eyes - and I will pledge with mine."
Something appears before us so desirable that we say, "I want that so much I can almost taste it!" Isn't that what Jesus is telling us - to long for him so much you can almost taste him?
When you take the time to taste the wonderment of God's creation, that is when you eat and drink of the body of Christ. And when you eat of the body of Christ, you take into yourself the divine connection he has to His Father in Heaven.
In the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians, we read: "Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people, but as wise, making the most of the time…" "Do not get drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves."
Might the "wine" Paul refers to here, be anything that fills us up so much that we have no room left for spiritual nourishment? Could the "wine" is this sense be the main ingredient of a "Jesus-free diet" that fills us to the brim with things that do not nourish us, things which deprive us of the Spirit that he has promised?
The Gospel of John continues: "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me."
As our body processes the food we eat, it cleverly discerns the elements that are important to our growth and empties itself in preparation for replenishment. It does not process just one meal and then stop.
So, too, we cannot eat the body and drink the blood of Christ for only one moment and say that we have been fully fed and have no need for more. We must, each moment, allow ourselves to empty out and make room to eat again - and again.
As you go out today, take a moment to notice God's creation, taste the nourishment of the living Spirit in all He has made. Eat and drink of it - and live - REALLY LIVE. Above all, share it with all you meet - and then eat again.
Amen.