The 12th Sunday after Pentecost – Rev. Aimee Baxter

Olympics season has just ended and it’s one of my favorite things we get to experience as a country and a world. I enjoy the comradery that we as a nation have with one another because it’s one of the few times we are all cheering for the same team.

The sheer athleticism of each Olympian is seriously impressive and often their stories are inspiring. They are a beautiful depiction of hard work and dedication for all of us. We see them as larger than life and sit in awe at what they can do. These stories of athletic prowess and competitiveness are usually the ones to rise to the surface on the news for those few weeks every two years.

This year, however, we experienced a different side to our athletes. We were given a glimpse into their humanity, and it proved to be just as inspiring.

Tom Daley, a diver from Great Britain, knitted his way through the competition with the result being a cardigan he donned toward the end of the games.

Simone Biles chose her mental health over competing and taking a back seat so her teammates could thrive.

And perhaps, the most beautiful story of all, Barshim of Qatar and Tamberi of Italy deciding to share the gold in the high jump after they tied.

Oh, the beauty of their humanity that superseded all the preconceived notions and ideas about Olympic athletes! It was so refreshing to watch because it seemed counter to what we are used to seeing.

You may have noticed over the last several weeks our Gospel readings have been focused on bread. From the manna in the wilderness, to daily bread, to Jesus as the living bread, and now to Jesus beginning to give us our Eucharistic language, there has been a whole lot of bread talk.

This much bread talk is what can lead a preacher to that point of procrastination and “deep diving” that Rev. Melanie mentioned last week.

So, why do the Scriptures and our lectionary give so much time to something that seems so basic? I think it’s because bread signifies our humanity in a way that other things cannot.

At its core, bread serves as a means of sustenance for our physical bodies. It reminds us of our basic human need for food. Our flesh cannot survive without it. Remember the value of a snack that we talked about last week. Give us this day our daily bread.

Beyond that, Jesus comes in and offers us a form of bread that brings restoration to more than just our physical bodies. He takes something that is so commonplace, that everyone would know about, and extends the level of care for his people to say through me you can also have this kind of sustenance for your mind, heart and soul.

In our humanity we need both kinds of bread: food to eat and the source of life that is Jesus.

Our Scriptures for this week all seem to be guiding us in how to live faithfully in the day-to-day. As our Proverbs reading says, how to “walk in the way of insight”. How to live a life that embraces our daily bread.

We tend to get so caught up in a plan or a design for our lives that when it doesn’t pan out, we aren’t sure what to do. Best laid plans, right?

Simone Biles didn’t see all her training for the last five years resulting in choosing to step back and sit this one out. We witnessed with our own eyes her plans turn to daily bread where she was forced to evaluate her readiness each day.

I’m starting to be convinced that Covid has been introduced into our lives to teach us the value of walking in the way of insight daily and trusting in God. We can think ahead and there’s a place for that, but there is also beauty in “following daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life” as our Collect reminds us.

We can’t be so future focused that we forget the daily bread of it all. As someone once said, “Don’t be so heavenly minded, that you are no earthly good.”

Jesus’ continued teachings on daily bread bring our attention back to the basics. We are a people that depend on daily bread. In the mystery of our faith, the more we lean into that need the closer we are to God.

When we embrace our humanity, we allow the divine to be at work in us.

When we eat of daily bread, we see God at work in the here and now.

So, how do we do that? It’s something that seems so simple, but can be pretty hard to do.

My friend, John Wesley, (y’all may have heard of him), an Anglican priest and founder of Methodism gave his followers Three Simple Rules to live by that have become part of the Methodist tradition and a guiding principle for me.

Do No Harm. Do Good.  Attend to the ordinances of God.

In other words, live in a way that honors God in you and others. Embrace your humanity. Be open to the divine. Worship, pray and read the Scriptures. Partake in Holy Communion. Walk in the way of daily bread.

“God is great, God is good. Let us thank him for our food.

By his hands we all are fed, thank you, Lord, for daily bread. Amen.”