The Living Bread

Have you ever seen a food pyramid poster? The food pyramid was developed to help us know what kinds of foods we should eat to help us to grow strong, healthy bodies. I have one to show you. The picture shows all of the food groups. There are grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and dairy, meat, and fats and sweets.

As you can see, the largest part of the pyramid is foods that we make from grain. What are some foods we make from grain? Let's see, there is bread, cereal, muffins, tortillas, and a lot of other good things to eat. Most of the things we make from grain not only taste good, but they are good for us too. Bread has always been considered to be one of our most important foods. In fact, it has been called "the staff of life."

Even way back in Bible times, bread was very important to life. Do you remember the time God provided bread for the Israelites when they were starving in the desert? Every morning God sent bread from heaven for the people to eat. I'm sure you also remember the time when Jesus fed a crowd of 5000 people with just five loaves of bread and two small fish. Do you remember when Jesus taught his disciples to pray? He taught them to say, "Give us this day our daily bread." Yes, bread is, and always has been, a very important part of life.

A loaf of bread won't last forever. It gets old and stale. Not only that, but when we eat it, we are satisfied for a little while and then we are hungry again. Even though Jesus knew that bread was very important to life, he wanted something more for his children. He wanted something that would last forever. One day, as he was teaching, Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever."

If we want to live, we need bread. If we want to live forever, we need Jesus -- the Bread of Life.

Our Father, we thank you for Jesus, the Bread of Life. We pray that each one here today will take and eat so that they may live forever. Amen.

Food Pyramid Poster
Food Pyramid Poster (new version)
Canadian Food Guide
Eat Well Plate (UK)