Daily Devotion – August 3, 2020 – The Rev. Beth Walch
https://www.luthersem.edu/godpause/
“Break Now the Bread of Life” (ELW 515)
1 Break now the bread of life, dear Lord, to me,
as once you broke the loaves beside the sea.
Beyond the sacred page I seek you, Lord;
my spirit waits for you, O living Word.
2 Bless your own word of truth, dear Lord, to me,,
as when you blest the bread by Galilee.
Then shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall;
and I shall find my peace, my All-in-All!
3 You are the bread of life, dear Lord, to me,
your holy word the truth that rescues me.
Give me the eat and live with you above;
teach me to love your truth, for you are love.
Devotion
The three verses of this hymn give a vision of God’s love for us. In the first verse I am reminded of God’s blessings through the bread and the feeding of those around him by the Sea of Galilee. God continues to feed us through God’s word every day. Then in verse 2 we are promised that God’s Spirit will free us from bondage, rescue us from sin, and give us peace. Finally, the third verse offers the confidence that having first been fed, now we are freed to live and serve in God’s love.
This is the story of God’s abundance, packed up in these three verses. Being fed, being freed, and now living in that love, let’s share that love with the world, because that is good news indeed!
Prayer
God of life and love, feed us and free us through the Word that is your Son Jesus. Thank you for loving us so we may love and serve others in your name. Amen.
