Introduction
We have a fridge magnet with this question on it: “is it stomach, mouth or heart hunger?” It came from a workshop on healthy eating, and it’s meant to make us pause long enough to reconsider mindlessly grabbing something to eat from the fridge or the pantry. Is it stomach, mouth, or heart hunger? Do I really need this to nourish my body, or is it more about the sensation of having something salty or sweet to nibble on, or is it a deeper emotional need that can’t be filled by eating something, even if I grab one of my comfort foods? What am I really hungry for?
When I was teaching at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate, Joanne Jantzi, our Food Services Coordinator, offered a three week rotating menu in the cafeteria. I had a routine of taking my lunch from home most days, but Wednesday, that was the day Joanne served my favourites. Pile On one week (haystacks to some) -rice, nacho chips, tomato sauce, lettuce and other toppings of your choice, and then another week, homemade mac ‘n cheese, just out of the oven, warm and cheesy, and just the right amount of crispy on top. That really hit the spot in the middle of a busy day, in the middle of a busy week. I could have cried with joy on Wednesday, mac ‘n cheese morning when I didn’t have to make my lunch for the day! I think that mac ‘n cheese filled all the hungers: stomach, mouth and heart!
Hunger is a human reality. A way for our bodies to signal that we are in need of food. But it’s not always stomach hunger for physical food that we feel. Sometimes it is hunger that comes from the heart or the spirit.
Jesus knew this. When he was fasting in the wilderness, tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread his response was, one does not live on bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Jesus knew that people hunger for many things, and that bread alone could not fully satisfy every kind of hunger.
Follow the Breadcrumbs
We have called our worship series this summer, Follow the Breadcrumbs, as we explore stories in the bible about bread. There are dozens of them! The idea for this series, or should I say the crumb, came from a sermon called “Follow the Bread,” in a collection of sermons by Barbara Brown Taylor, called Always a Guest. In that sermon she explores the story of Jesus, as told in John’s gospel, serving breakfast on the beach to his disciples after the resurrection. She writes, “Follow the bread and it will lead you to the source of all life. That is John’s Gospel in a sentence” (Brown Taylor, 155). Follow the bread and it will lead you to the source of all life. Sounds like bread is pretty central to the gospel. Not only will we explore bible stories about bread in this series. We will also hear from several people in the congregation about their experiences of breaking bread with others during communion, like Chip did this morning. And we will share some form of bread together after each service. Because sharing bread is about more than filling stomach hunger. It is also about hospitality and connecting with each other. It is about filling our heart hunger too. Interestingly, the word companion has Latin roots. The first part of the word, “com” means with, and “panis” means bread. So a companion is someone with whom you share bread.
Hunger, Longing & Emptiness
Are you hungry yet? It seems to me that before we get into all these bread stories, it might be helpful to talk about hunger first. Maybe bread stories abound in the bible because hunger abounds in the bible.
There is raw, physical, stomach hunger in the bible. In a relatively dry climate, drought was an ever present threat. There were seasons of severe famine when the rains didn’t come and the crops failed – something we can hardly comprehend in this veritable Garden of Eden that we enjoy here in southern Ontario. In Jesus’ day, the people lived under brutal Roman rule. Paying punishing taxes to Rome left very few resources for food. So when Jesus said, blessed are you who are hungry now Luke 6:21b), he was talking to people who knew what it meant to be physically hungry.
For Jesus, the gospel was, at least in part, about feeding the hungry, eating with the outcasts and seeking justice – so that everyone had enough to eat and some to share.
Blessed are you who are hungry now, Jesus said, because in the community that I am inviting you to join, you will be fed. A community will form around you that will not let you go hungry. Blessed are you who are hungry now, Jesus said, because in the kingdom of God compassion will awaken, kindness will grow and generosity will multiply.
There is still raw, physical hunger in our world and in our communities today. And the gospel is still, at least in part, about feeding the hungry, eating with the outcasts, seeking justice so that all are fed, and forming communities that care about people’s basic needs.
But with Jesus, it is always about more than bread, and about more than physical hunger. He is also talking about social, emotional and spiritual hunger. What else are we hungry for? And how can hunger be a blessing?
We know that we can be at our worst when we are hungry. Many of you know the blended word, “hangry”–a combination of hungry and angry. When we are running on empty we can get into an ugly mood pretty quickly. When Chip and I met to plan this service he also told me about the acronym HALT, H-A-L-T, which stands for Hungry-Angry-Lonely-Tired. It’s a model that was designed to help people in recovery from substance use disorders notice when they are most vulnerable to relapse. They are encouraged to check in with themselves regularly, to pay attention to these four stressors. Of course HALT can be useful for all of us to check in and see when we might be running on empty and why.
Psychologists will tell us that we all have some pretty basic human needs, beyond our physical needs for food, water and shelter. Their lists aren’t exactly the same, but they all seem to include some combination of these four things. We all long for, we are all hunger for:
- Safety–we all need security, stability and a sense of being grounded
- Belonging–we all need connections, companionship and love; we need to know that we are seen, heard, appreciated and valued
- Autonomy–we all need freedom to be who we are, to have a sense of agency, and the opportunity to make decisions
- Meaning–we all need a sense of purpose, a way to give and contribute, places to use our gifts, to achieve and be at our best; a sense of being part of something bigger than ourselves; and here we can recognize spiritual hunger
We may try to brush off this list–thinking that it is only for people who are weak, needy or struggling. Maybe we think this list is just for children – they need to be coddled and comforted but once we reach adulthood, we can manage without this “soft”, warm fuzzy stuff. We prefer to think of ourselves as strong, self-sufficient and independent.
But psychologists and others remind us that no matter what our age or situation, we need safety, belonging, autonomy and meaning. And if those basics are threatened or taken away it has negative consequences for our physical and mental health and well being. Substance use disorders are not so much about a longing for the substance of choice, but rather a longing for connection. When people no longer feel like they belong, they often turn to substances to mask trauma, abuse, shame, failure and stress.
Those who work in community services remind us that there are three E’s that really impact people in negative ways:
- Economics (being raised in poverty)
- Environment (being raised with abuse, neglect or dysfunction in the home)
- Experience (an unforeseen, traumatic event)
When people encounter any or all of these three E’s it can have devastating consequences. But the best way to mitigate the impact of these E’s is to have buffers: caring and compassionate family, friends, counsellors, mentors and others, who provide support and encouragement. In other words, the best way to mitigate the impact of any of the three E’s is to have all our basic hungers tended to, not just our physical ones.
Jesus knew this too. He did much more than heal people and feed people to meet their physical needs. He also fed their heart and soul needs. He forgave people, helping them to release layers of shame and stigma. He restored people to their families and communities when they had been ostracized. He honoured the dignity of people who were outcasts. He called people to be part of something bigger than themselves. He gathered a community around him where compassion was awakened, kindness grew and generosity overflowed. He calls us to that same kind of community.
But his teaching about hunger is still challenging. Blessed are you who are hungry now for you will be filled. How is being hungry a blessing? Just to be clear, this is not about making a Christian virtue out of poverty. This is not about telling people who are hungry that they are actually blessed. Nor is it an excuse to do nothing in the face of real world hunger. There is enough elsewhere in the gospels to convince us that Jesus did mean for his followers to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and heal the sick. This is one of those yes/and situations. Yes to feeding the hungry, and, as is so often the case with Jesus, there is more.
Mapping Our Hunger
So how is hunger a blessing? What if we look at hunger not as an enemy but as a helpful messenger? A guide. What does it have to tell us? Where does it lead us?
Jan Richardson, in her book, In the Sanctuary of Women, describes the biblical story of Eve as “a story of original hunger” that invites us to “trace the lines of our longings and where they have led us” (Richardson, 22). “What told [Eve] that Eden wasn’t enough…what hunger lay beneath her hunger?” Richardson asks. (Richardson, 29). She goes on to say the story of Eve has largely been used as a “cautionary tale against pursuing our desires” (Richardson, 31). But she also writes that “to be the curious one, the seeker of knowledge, the tester of limits is to be quintessentially human…we are built to stretch beyond what we know, to search for what lies beyond our known borders” (Richardson, 29). So desire in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Desires can lead us to new learning and discovery. But they can also deceive us, can become disordered, or tangled up with a quest for things that are unhealthy for us and others and our planet.
Jesus calls us to listen to our deepest hunger to know ourselves better and become more fully human. When we pay attention to our hunger we begin to recognize our own needs, our own emptiness, our own limits. Most of us don’t like to acknowledge our neediness. That feels like weakness to us. Or we end up filling our hunger with things that do not satisfy us. We all have behaviours, forms of dependency and distractions that may work temporarily to fill a void, but in the end leave us feeling dissatisfied.
Jesus also said, woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry (Luke 6:25a). When we are full up with things that do not satisfy our senses are dulled (like a turkey hangover at Thanksgiving) leaving us drowsy, complacent, indifferent to others and oblivious to our deeper needs.
In Matthew’s gospel Jesus also says Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5: 3). When we know our emptiness, when we are honest about our vulnerability, then we can open up to be nourished and filled with what brings life and hope.
Our deepest hunger reminds us that we are interdependent beings, hard as that is to admit for those who know privilege, prosperity, strength and independence. All of life on this planet is interdependent. All of life sustains all other life. So blessed are those who know that they are in need of help and support, in need of companionship and connection, in need of resources that others have to share. They are ready to be filled. They are ready to receive.
When we know that we are empty or poor in Spirit, we are more likely to be humble, honest and unpretentious. When we are aware of our weaknesses, our deficiencies and liabilities, we know ourselves better. And when we know ourselves better we are less likely to hurt others. Compassion arises in us when we notice the shadow sides of others, because we know that we too have similar shadows.
In Matthew’s version of the Sermon on the Mount he recalls Jesus saying, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled (Matthew 5:6). Here, hunger signals that not all is as it should be. We are no longer satisfied with the way things are. We are no longer willing to accept business as usual. We cannot be complacent any more. Here the hunger is for things to be just and fair, for things that are wrong to be set right. I have heard a number of people making the observation that there is so much in front of us these days about LGBTQ2+ rights and about the climate crisis, and about racism and Indigenous reconciliation. Some folks feel like saying “enough already!” Or can we see these cries and demands as deep and strong hungers for justice? Hunger for setting things right that have for so long been unjust and harmful. Desire for meaningful, lasting change.
So this summer, let’s pay attention to the growling of our stomachs and of our hearts and souls. Let’s pay attention to our hungers, and the hunger cries of others. What are we hungry for, individually and as a community? What do we long for? What is our calling? What desire has God awakened in us?
Follow the Breadcrumbs
And let’s follow the breadcrumbs that are everywhere in the bible. These bread stories are for anyone blessed with hunger…for anyone whose stomach has ever growled. For anyone who has ever felt empty…whose heart and soul has longed to be fed.
There is a long and twisty breadcrumb trail in the Old Testament, but where does it lead? Follow the breadcrumbs and we find God, the source of all life who satisfies our hunger. We find God who provides, especially in difficult times.
But there is more! The trail of breadcrumbs continues in the New Testament. Keep following the breadcrumbs and we find that they lead right to: Jesus who says, I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry (John 6:35), Jesus, the Bread of Life, who fills us and sustains us, Jesus, the Bread of Life, broken and shared.
Jan Richardson also writes that “There tends to be a perception…that God’s desires often run counter to our own, and that God calls us to pursue the path that is least appealing to us…Yet, perhaps more often than we think, God works within our desires…not different calls…but rather a deepening of one that [has] long been there…One of the signs that we’ve found our way to a core desire, something that God desires for us, is that in following it, we feed not only our own hunger but that of others as well” (Richardson, 32). The paradox of longing [is this]: that following our true longings leads us deep within ourselves but ultimately beyond ourselves” (Richardson, 33).
As we listen to our own hunger deep within ourselves, we open ourselves to be fed. As we are nurtured and fed by God we are equipped to feed others beyond ourselves. Follow the breadcrumbs, and you will find bread. Barbara Brown Taylor writes, “When you break bread, the bread opens up. When the bread opens up, so does the table. When the table opens us, so does your heart. When your heart opens up, so do your hands–reaching out with some of what you have to hand it to someone else–only to discover that you have more instead of less” (Brown Taylor, 161-162). Follow the breadcrumbs, and the trail leads you to life–not only for you but for all God’s children.
Scripture Litany*
Follow the breadcrumbs!
Follow the breadcrumbs?
Yeah…kind of like follow the clues…follow the trail…follow the money.
Like…follow the money trail and it will likely lead you to the perpetrator of the crime – to the bottom of something corrupt.
Exactly. Only it is breadcrumbs I want you to follow today.
Why breadcrumbs? Aren’t breadcrumbs kind of small and…well…crumby?
I know. A little underwhelming to be sure. But aren’t you curious to see where the trail of breadcrumbs will lead?
Ok. I’ll bite. Where do I pick up this trail of breadcrumbs?
The bible. It’s full of stories about bread. There are dozens of them.
Oh yeah! I remember some of them…like when the Israelites left slavery in Egypt, they left in such a hurry they didn’t have time for their bread to rise. And then, when they were wandering in the wilderness, hungry, God gave them manna to eat (that was a form of bread wasn’t it?).
And those stories about Elijah. During a drought, when he was in the wilderness, God sent ravens to bring him bread. And then a widow used her last bit of flour to make Elijah some bread…but then her flour never ran out!
Right! And then there is the story of David eating the bread in the temple.
See! There are breadcrumbs everywhere in the OT. And they all seem to point to…God.
Like God is the one who provides, especially in difficult times…
Exactly. We learn to trust in God, the source of all life. But there is more…In the NT there are more breadcrumbs…There are a whole bunch of stories about bread.
Oh yeah! Like Jesus being tempted to turn stones into bread in the wilderness…and Jesus feeding a large crowd with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish…and Jesus making a breakfast of bread and fish for his friends on the shore.
I like the story about when Jesus appeared to his disciples on the road to Emmaus after the resurrection. They didn’t know it was him at first, but when he stopped at their house for a meal, and he broke bread with them, then they recognized him.
So this trail of breadcrumbs has something to do with Jesus?
It sure seems to be leading in that direction. Think of all the times Jesus ate with people – broke bread with them.
If I remember it, he was often eating bread with the wrong sorts of people…sinners and tax collectors. And he got criticized for that.
And there’s even more. So many of Jesus’ teachings involved bread too…
In the Sermon on the Mount he asked, “Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone?” I’m not sure I know what that means….And he told a parable about a great banquet, when everyone made excuses about why they couldn’t come…
And in one of his parables he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened” (Luke 13:20).
Yummm! I can almost smell the fresh bread baking now!
It’s like the trail of breadcrumbs is leading us to…could it be leading us right to Jesus?
He did say, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry” (John 6:35).
And then there was the last supper…when he broke the bread and shared it with his disciples he said, “Take and eat. this is my body, given for you.” The trail of breadcrumbs does lead to Jesus – the bread of life. But what does it all mean?
I’m not sure I understand what it all means, but I do know that all this talk about bread is making me hungry!
Maybe that’s the point! Jesus also said, “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled…Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. (Luke 6:21b; 25a)
Blessed are the hungry! Woe to you who are full! That doesn’t make any sense! Isn’t that totally backwards?!
I think maybe that’s the point too! It all starts with hunger. Both physical hunger and spiritual hunger.
Bread stories abound in the bible…because hunger abounds in the bible.
As we follow the breadcrumbs of stories through the bible we will connect to the very real hungers in us and in our world.
But we often fill ourselves up with things that don’t really satisfy our hunger.
Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.
So if we follow the trail of breadcrumbs it leads us to this promise: God is the source of all life, who satisfies our hunger. God will feed us with the Bread of Life.
So blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be filled.
Blessed are you who are hungry…
These breadcrumbs stories are for anyone blessed with hunger…for anyone whose stomach has ever growled.
Follow the breadcrumbs…and you will be filled. You will find bread.
And when you break bread, the bread opens up.
When the bread opens up, so does the table.
When the table opens up, so does your heart.
When your heart opens us, so do your hands–reaching out with some of what you have to hand it to someone else–
Only to discover that you have more instead of less.
You follow the breadcrumbs, and the bread leads you to life–not only for you but for all of God’s children.
*Written by Janet Bauman, based on and using excerpts from “Follow the Bread” a sermon by Barbara Brown Taylor, found in her book of sermons as a guest preacher, Always a Guest: Speaking of Faith Far From Home, pp 155-162.