Bread

Sermon podcast from yesterday at St. Paul's UCC in Downers Grove, IL.  John 6:24-35.

Video sermon preview
"Bread" podcast

Hunger

In this week's Bible reading from John 6:24-35, Jesus said to them -- "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

Bread is both a symbol of life – and something that is necessary for life. Bread means nourishment to someone who is hungry.

Jesus talked about bread and nourishment to a people who sometimes, maybe often, wondered when their next meal was coming or where it was coming from.

Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Here are some facts about hunger in the world.  (From feedingamerica.org, mercycorps.org, and wfp.org)

• 1 in every 9 people worldwide -- close to 800 million -- don’t have enough food to eat.
• Hunger kills more people each year than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined
• The world produces enough food for every person to eat 2700 calories per day. The problem we have is with food distribution.
• In the US - close to 50 million people live in food insecure households.  33 million adults and 16 million children
• The number of people living with hunger has dropped by 17% over the past 20+ years.

And even though things are getting better.  It is not at all OK.

Why I'm walking

This Sunday I'm participating in the Community Interfaith CROP Hunger Walk because I know that CROP helps children and families worldwide -- and right here in the U.S. -- to have food for today, while building for a better tomorrow. U.S. and world markets may be in unprecedented turmoil right now, but the tragedy of worldwide hunger and poverty has been a reality to millions of people for as long as anyone can remember. I'm walking because folks should have enough to eat instead of starving. I'm walking because folks should have clean drinking water instead of dying of thirst. I'm walking because I believe in Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty. I'm part of the Union Congregational Church, United Church of Christ team - and we're part of over two million CROP Walkers, volunteers, and sponsors from who are walking to raise over $16 million dollars to help end hunger and poverty around the world. Wanna get involved? Sign up as a walker or to donate.

CROP walk is sponsored by Church World Service, a cooperative ministry of 35 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations, providing sustainable self-help and development, disaster relief, and refugee assistance in some 80 countries.