Enid Barron

Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life.  John 6: 35
One of the skills my mother taught me was bread making.  It is something I have loved doing from a very early age.  It was only much later in life that I became aware of the Christian connections between bread, its ingredients and the process by which it is made. Here are some thoughts which seem particularly appropriate for Holy week. 

For wheat to become bread if has to be threshed, ground between millstones, handled roughly as it is kneaded and then as it were, tested by fire as it is baked.  But at the end of it all there is a beautiful risen loaf for us to share with others.  I hope it is not too far-fetched to see parallels between the actions inflicted on the wheat and Christ’s suffering towards the end of Holy Week; and we all know what comes at the end, on Easter Day.

It is hardly the most tactful thing to tell people who are going through great hardship, as many are now, that in the end some good may come out of it all.  However this is the message of Easter.  In the Bible and throughout history there are examples of good things emerging from bad times and I have found this to be true at least on some occasions in my own life.

In spite of all that is going on now, there are some green shoots appearing as God’s kingdom breaks through.  To follow Paul’s line of thought in Romans 8 let’s pray that ‘present sufferings’ will ultimately reveal ‘glory’.

Prayer
Heavenly Father we ask for your protection for all who are finding life hard at this time.  We give thanks for the numerous acts of kindness, self-sacrifice and generosity that are taking place. We pray that the bringing together of communities to help each other will continue to heal rifts and build a more caring society. We give thanks for the work of so many churches in giving practical help and spiritual support and pray that many who do not yet know you and your Son will through these actions come to faith. AMEN
 
Prayer Request – For those in our church family working in hospitals at this time, for enough Personal Protective Equipment to be available for front line staff, and for strength and resilience in a very stressful environment.  We remember particularly Zoe Ledwith today.