Broken Bread

A few weeks ago, we celebrated Easter. We celebrated the women running from the tomb to tell the Good News. What a glorious picture! Today my mind takes me back to the Saturday before Easter Sunday.

The disciples were gathered together perhaps wondering what had just happened. How could Jesus be dead? How could this have happened? I thought we were on the right path to victory. A tragedy. I can see the room, full of people murmuring, crying, shouting in anger, people sitting on mats, reclined on pillows, eating or not eating. I’m confident that some were problem solving, trying to fix the situation. Others were emotionally devastated. And then there would be the numb ones, the silent ones. I would have been in this numb group. Those who just can’t seem to feel. Isolated and sitting alone in the upper room. Thinking, ‘now what’? In modern day language, ‘are you kidding me’? This is where I find myself today. Numb.

In my numbness, I’m reliving memories of days gone by. Remembering good days, great days, days of pain, days of hope, difficult days filled with life lessons. I think back to Jesus’ words, words of hope, love and a future with Him. I remember the day that the crowds swarmed us and we had about 5000 people gathered to hear Him teach. Everyone was hungry for His words. But as the day wore on we all became physically hungry too. We wanted to break up the group and go eat. But Jesus wouldn’t let us instead he took a few pitiful loaves of bread and a few fish, broke the bread and blessed it. We passed those loaves and fish throughout the crowd and everyone ate. Everyone was full and satisfied. In fact, after the meal, we walked around and picked up 12 basketfuls of leftovers, the broken pieces.

Jesus’ love for us is overwhelming and unimaginable. He not only feeds us but we have been fed to the point of satisfaction and then some. He has abundantly fed us. And for Him and that is not enough. He is even concerned with the broken pieces, the crumbs of our lives.

In my numbness today, I relish in this loaves and fish story.

•He provides even when I doubt His ability.

•Today the broken bread symbolizes the brokenness in my life and that He blesses it.•He treasures the broken pieces of my life by going behind me and picking up the pieces. Even gathering the pieces in baskets.

•The baskets, full of my brokenness, are blessed and used to show others of His love, His plans for them and me.

He is the God of our hope. He is the God of today and tomorrow. He is the God who satisfies. He is the God of broken dreams. He is the God of tomorrow’s promise.

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. Matthew 14: 19-20