Notes for an all age / children's talk for Harvest on John 6v27 Jesus the bread of life

 If you are coming to any of our harvest services this year, look away now:

Harvest All Age Talk 2022

John 6vv25-35 (page 1070)

 

(Before reading - explain v25 - they and him – they= the crowd Jesus has just fed; him = Jesus, whom they've been looking for)

 

John 6v27 (p1070)

Jesus said:

^“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”

 

The Bible is all for hard work.

It even says that if someone refuses to work for a living they should not eat.

Now of course some people can’t work, but if you could work, and you just won’t, you can’t expect others to provide for you.

 

Today is certainly a day to give thanks for all the hard work that goes into our food.

It can be a complex process to get stuff to our dinner plate, can’t it?

Many people will have worked long and hard to feed us.

There might be farming or fishing.

And maybe vets and repairs.

And processing and packing and distributing and selling.

And then there’s all the preparing and cooking – and probably a lot more than we can think of.

So we give thanks for all that hard work.

 

But Jesus tells us not to work for food that spoils.

Or, rather, we might explain it: do not work only, or above all, for food that spoils.

 

All food spoils.

 

Bread quickly past its best, isn’t it?

Nothing quite like really fresh bread – maybe still warm from the oven.

But in a couple of days it’s best for toast and then it soon spoils.  

 

Stole from our bread bin a week ago last yesterday.

8 days plus how ever long it had already been there.

 

Protective clothing.

 

All food will spoil.

 

Tin it, freeze it, freeze dry it.

 

Jesus is not just talking about literal food.

 

Elsewhere he speaks of treasure:

Moth and rust destroy.

Thieves break in and steal.

 

There’s more to life, Jesus is saying, than a full belly.

More to life than stuff.

 

Jesus the Bread of Life.

Jesus is the one and only truly essential food – the one we really need.

(Not cake or jam sandwich but bread)

Jesus is not an optional extra or a nice to have but a must have:

Without Jesus, we will perish.

Jesus alone can give us the true eternal life which really matters.

 

And like the Manna God gave Israel in the wilderness, Jesus will get us to the promised land of heaven and the new creation.

It’s Jesus we really need.

Jesus is all we need.

Jesus can keep us going and take care of us.

Jesus will supply our ever need until this mortal life is done.   

 

Jesus is the bread of life – a full, abundant, overflowing life which means knowing God now and which goes on into eternity which will never perish, spoil or fade.

Jesus offers us today life which even the grave cannot destroy.

 

So Jesus is better than sliced bread.

Better than all the most delicious bread in the world.

Jesus gives us himself as the bread of life, as food which can never spoil.

We can never run out of Jesus!

He never goes past his best before date!

Jesus is never stale or boring.

 

And what’s more, Jesus tells us not only to seek this bread, but that he will give it to us.

Don’t work for bread that spoils but for the heavenly bread of life which Jesus – who is the bread of life – will give you.

Jesus will give us himself, freely as a gift.

We could never earn or deserve this bread of life, but Jesus generously and completely gives himself to us.

This really is a free meal!

 

There is nothing more important.

Nothing better.

 

We receive this living bread, Jesus says, simply by believing in him – by faith, by putting our trust in him.

We are hungry beggars, and Jesus in his kindness will feed us if we’ll only receive him.

If we stretch out our empty hands to Jesus, Jesus will give us himself.

 

And, Jesus says, if we believe in him, we will never hunger again.

Jesus is more than able to satisfy us for all eternity.

In Jesus, we are full, complete.

 

So come and feed freely on Jesus Christ by faith today!

 

Let me read again our text and then we’ll try to be quiet for a moment and think about it and I’ll lead us in a prayer:

Jesus said:

^“27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”