The Small Things

Today’s Reading : John 6

This past weekend we celebrated the life of my uncle. He was my father‘s oldest brother. My relationship with my Uncle Charles really developed when I went to college. He and my Aunt Jackie lived literally down the street from my undergraduate college. There were many days and nights and weekends that I would be at their house. He was the one who showed me how to work on cars and how to grow into a young man. He was very influential in helping me become the man that I am today. He passed away on last Wednesday morning. We spoke together three days before his departure to Heaven. Our conversation was about five minutes in total. We spoke about his current prognosis of his terminal diagnosis. And the last thing we say to each other was “I love you”.
It’s the small things in life that we cherish that means so much in our lives. The conversation that we had, the final conversation that we had together was a brief moment in the day. It meant a lot for me to have this conversation especially when I found out he had passed away only days after this conversation. I just found out that this conversation also meant a lot to him because on his burial day, my aunt told me that he informed her he spoke to me. This verified for me that the true essence I was unaware of those small moments in our life, day, and conversation meant a lot to him as well.
Some of the “small moments” that I cherish in my life are when I’m leaving the house and I forget to say goodbye to one of my children. The child will come running to me “don’t leave daddy” and they come give me a hug and a kiss. That hug and kiss means the world to me every time. But it might even be more to my child.
In John chapter 6, John delivers some amazing things that may seem small but have major impacts in our lives. In this particular chapter we are presented with the miracle of the 5000 being fed, the miracle of Christ in the water with the disciples, and the realization of bread of life.
John introduces and closes the chapter with the bread of life. When we were introduced about the bread it is a side note and a point of contention John 6:5-8

5-6 When Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread to feed these people?” He said this to stretch Philip’s faith. He already knew what he was going to do.

Philip answered, “Two hundred silver pieces wouldn’t be enough to buy bread for each person to get a piece.”

8-9 One of the disciples—it was Andrew, brother to Simon Peter—said, “There’s a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But that’s a drop in the bucket for a crowd like this.”

The bread that Christ blesses for the 5000 is received from child from his lunch. Five loaves of bread and two fish.
We often prepare our children’s lunches and you asked them “ what do you want for lunch “? This task may seem like a small task but it’s a huge part of the children’s day. When we prepare their lunch they are anticipating something amazing later in their day. This can break or make the entire day. So Jesus uses this opportunity from the lunch of a child to create an amazing miracle. But Christ also set up his next revelation.
In the end of the chapter Christ reminds the individuals that are listening about the bread that he gave them the day before. But he also reminds the crowd about the manna from heaven that Moses gave the ancestors. He says that the bread that they get from Moses and the bread they receive from Christ the day before we’re not enough to fill them but only for a moment in time. But the living bread that he has come to give is the bread of the life: the living spirit, God the Spirit. Jesus is speaking of the spirit of renewal that he brings to the world. That his presence is the awakening of their nutrition of spiritual awakening with the Holy Spirit. With his life he brings new life to each individual.
We can sometimes miss the small things in life. We can sometimes gloss over those small items that are essential for us. I’m reminded of the Lord’s prayer “Give us this day our daily bread”. In the time of Christ the actual literal bread was hard to find for individuals. The figurative brand of the spirit was also in limited supply. We today sometimes take granted our physical bread and our spiritual bread. But let’s not lose sight of this beautiful morsel of nourishment. Let us not forget daily to be thankful for our physical needs that God had provided and also our spiritual needs that God provides.
From the beginning examples that both parties receive great joy and meaningful from the small interactions. God also receives great satisfaction when we are given our physical bread and our spiritual bread and we acknowledge that he has given it to us.
Have a blessed week