Scripture: John 6:51-58
Our English translation of the text for today’s sermon doesn’t quite get at the graphicness of the passage. “If you do not ‘gnaw on the body of Christ and drink his blood, you have no life in you,” is a more accurate translation from the Greek. Whatever spiritualizing we want to bring to the story of being followers of Jesus, Jesus will not have any of that here in John, chapter 6.
Melissa spoke of Bartolomé de Las Casas, a Spanish historian who became a land owner and a slaver in the Caribbean in 1502. Eventually he was ordained a priest and became convicted that enslaving the Amer-Indians was wrong, but it wasn’t until late in life that he confessed to the tragic error of his reasoning to continue to support the enslavement of people from Africa. He used his pen and his power to advocate for indigenous rights. He lived this life inside the “fleshiness” of God’s call.
Our bodies, just as they are, participate in the life-giving good news of Jesus. You don’t need to get rid of the fleshiness of this life, because your body becomes endowed with the life of God.
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