We seem to be living in a time when people are often misunderstood. Believe it or not, this even happened in the first century when Jesus was alive. When Jesus talked about Bread for Life, people didn’t understand him. They thought he was talking about bread for their stomach.
He was talking about bread for their soul. He was talking about the promises of faith in Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life. He was talking about forgiveness, acceptance, mercy, love, being claimed as a part of God’s family and ultimately eternal life with God. Wow that’s pretty amazing bread that can do all that for all people. However, it is God. Sometimes we misunderstand God.
I can tell you that God, even though misunderstood by us, will always surprise us. God, instead of pronouncing judgment in the face of our sin and selfishness, offers us mercy; instead of justice, love; instead of condemnation, forgiveness; instead of coming in power, God came in weakness; and instead of giving us a miracle, God gives us God’s own self.
May we open our hearts and never misunderstand that God truly loves us and wants to be in relationship with us. If you would like to talk more about God’s love for you, email us at office@stmatthews-elca.org.
Peace and prayers,
Pastor Lesley