Read: John 6:25-35
“Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life…I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
Jesus asks a profound question: What are we really hungry for? For many in our world it is literally food and water, but even for those folks and us I think we hunger and thirst for more. We have more ways to stay connected than at any point in human history, and yet so many of us are lonely. We have more restaurants and food options, more beverages to choose from, and more entertainment options at our finger tips than we could ever experience. Yet we still live in a world that seems profoundly unsatisfied. Perhaps the problem isn’t the mediums, but the messages we send and receive. Perhaps we truly hunger and thirst with the advent season, longing to be set free from fears and sins, longing to truly rest, longing for God. Even as we feast in the coming days, let us contemplate that deeper hunger this world so desperately needs. May Christ rule in our hearts today, because there’s nothing more we could offer to this lonely sick world than that.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
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