John 6:51-58
Kind of Disturbed By Some of These Scriptures
No doubt, few Protestants believe -
Perhaps, e'en Catholics can't conceive -
How, when they take the sacrament
That flesh and blood from heaven's sent.
The Zwinglians said, "Represents;"
The Calvinists gave their assent
To "action parallel" that brought
The life of Christ that they all sought.
But in our formulas and prayers,
I wonder if we tend to scare
Some people from the church's news;
Instead of celebrating, bruise.
Perhaps the cart's before the horse.
Here, Jesus did not speak, of course,
Of bread and wine that we partake
Which therefore would our lives remake.
Instead, he bids us to be fed
By him, who Love raised from the dead;
If he's our newsfeed, and our food,
We never on his death should brood,
But know that living as he did
Is what he means, when we are bid
To drink his blood and eat his flesh,
For then his life will ours refresh.
Let not these words make you disturbed;
Partake the life he led, superb.
Scott L. Barton
I
am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this
bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of
the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying,
“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them,
“Very truly, I tell you, 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, and I will raise them up on the last
day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 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. This is the bread that came down from
heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the
one who eats this bread will live forever.”
+ + +
1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 and John 6:51-58
William Blake: The Judgment of Solomon
Way to Pray
I think that we could learn a thing or two,
Consid'ring Solomon, whose point of view -
After he gets established on the throne -
Revolves around not if he'll be o'erthrown,
But if with wisdom over all he'll rule.
He prays. He asks for help.
Is it now cool
To pray this way today? That we might serve?
Or do our prayers just serve to calm our nerves?
When Jesus so bizarrely talks of eating flesh that's bread,
He wisely knows that living in his way, is how we're fed.
Scott L. Barton
Then
David slept with his ancestors, and was buried in the city of David.
The time that David reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned
seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
So
Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was
firmly established. Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of
his father David; only, he sacrificed and offered incense at the high
places. The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the
principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings
on that altar.
At
Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said,
“Ask what I should give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great
and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked
before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of
heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast
love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O
Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father
David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or
come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have
chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people,
able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your
great people?” It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said
to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself
long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for
yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to
your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you
has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. I give
you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life;
no other king shall compare with you. If you will walk in my ways,
keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked,
then I will lengthen your life.”
+ + +
“I
am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this
bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of
the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying,
“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them,
“Very truly, I tell you, 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, and I will raise them up on the last
day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 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. This is the bread that came down from
heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the
one who eats this bread will live forever.”
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