"Panis Angelicus"

A sermon preached by the Rev. Christopher E. Yopp at Edgemont Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) based on Exodus 16:4-16 and John 6:35-51.

I have shared with you before that one of my favorite words is the word “companion.” When we think of a companion we may think of a caregiver, or a friend or someone who accompanies us on life’s journey. But the reason I like this word so much is because of its Latin origin and meaning. The word “companion” comes from two Latin words cum and panis, which literally means; “with bread.” It is a reminder that the one who is our companion, is the one who shares his or her bread with us.
In Jesus we find our spiritual companion - our spiritual cum panis - the one who provides us with the bread of life. And certainly this idea, this image is portrayed in the beautiful hymn entitled; Panis Angelicus. The hymn is translated:

“Bread of Angels,
made the bread of men;
The Bread of heaven
puts an end to all symbols:
A thing wonderful!
The Lord becomes our food:
poor, a servant, and humble.
We beseech Thee,
Godhead One in Three
That Thou wilt visit us,
as we worship Thee,
lead us through Thy ways,
We who wish to reach the light
in which Thou dwellest. Amen.”

The hymn, written by St. Thomas Aquinas before the year 1274, contemplates the great mystery of becoming one with God through Christ. And it is in Christ - the Bread of Heaven, that God feeds, nourishes and sustains us.
There's nothing more enticing than the smell of fresh baked bread. In fact, bread has become an essential ingredient in just about every culture - no meal is complete without it! And so it was no wonder Jesus choose to refer to himself as the “Bread of Life.” But in doing so, Jesus was using an image more profound than a staple of the diet. You see, he was drawing on a rich symbol of Jewish life. Bread was not only a necessity when it came to the Jewish diet, but it also played an important role in Jewish worship and history. For instance, the feasts of Pentecost and Passover all used bread as the main ingredient. Also, as we heard in our First Reading, it was manna - “bread from heaven” that God provided for the Israelites while they were in the wilderness. That “bread from heaven” played a vital role in Israel’s survival.
During the season of Advent and Christmas, we can’t help but turn our attention to the tiny village of Bethlehem, for it was there that Christ was born. It was there that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And interestingly enough, Bethlehem in Hebrew means “house of bread.” Now, the name refers to the fact that the village was situated in a fruitful and fertile place, where with work its soil would yield food and harvest to the faithful. Grain and fruit could be grown there and there was an abundance of fresh water in the wells. Bethlehem was not a flourishing place in the sense of a economy or commerce, but it was a special place where favorable circumstances stimulated by effort could produce refreshment for its people. Bethlehem was not the Holy City, it was not Jerusalem, the great capital, the center of worship, and ritual and influence. Rather, Bethlehem was a modest village favored not so much in riches as in opportunity, and it was dear to the hearts of the Jews.
In Bethlehem was to be found the monument of Rachael, for it was there that she, the wife of the patriarch Jacob died and was buried. Bethlehem was also the city of Ruth, who lived there with her husband, Boaz, and who was the great-grandmother of Bethlehem’s most distinguished son, David; and it was there that David himself was born, and thus it was considered the “City of David.” But it was also the birth place of Jesus. For in the “house of bread” was born the “Bread of Life” - the one who would satisfy every spiritual hunger and craving.
Who is Jesus? That the question I want us to focus on during this Advent season, especially as we gather on Thursday nights. In our Gospel Lesson this evening, Jesus declared; “I am the bread of life.” Bread is a basic staple of life - without bread we die! Now, obviously, Jesus is more than physical bread: he is the bread that nourishes our relationship with God. Someone once said; “Bread is the to the physical body as Jesus is to spiritual body.” And certainly that’s true!
In this world many voices compete for our ear. Our faith reminds us to listen to the voice of God. John begins his gospel in a rather unique way, unlike the other gospel writers, John takes us back to the origins of Christ - not in Bethlehem, but as one co-existing with God. His magnificent prologue begins with: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus is the ultimate expression of God, the incarnation of God.
As I reminded you on Sunday, the best way to send an idea into the world is to wrap it up in a person. This is why companies will pay large amounts of money for famous actors to endorse their product. And so, in a sense, this is what God has done. God had an “idea” - God had a “Word,” in which God wanted to convey to humanity and that message was God’s divine love and grace. And it is a Word of hope and peace, joy and love. In God’s infinite wisdom, God took this “idea,” in which God was so eager to communicate to humanity, wrapped it up in the person of Jesus Christ, and laid it in a feeding trough. The babe of Bethlehem is the Word of God Incarnate. He is the message of God to humanity.
In the sixteenth century the emperor of Germany received a very expensive piece of pie. He owed an international banker a million dollars, but one Christmas the banker put a canceled debt note in a Christmas pie. When the emperor ate the pie, a million-dollar liability was canceled. The birth of Christ is God’s Christmas pie to us. In Christ, God says to us that we are forgiven, loved and free.
In our Gospel Lesson, Jesus had just finished feeding the multitudes and then he turn the image of bread to himself and said; “if you eat of my flesh you will have life.” And without a doubt, Jesus words would have seemed ludicrous. Eating flesh and drinking blood was unheard of in the Levitical Law, it was considered unclean, not to mention a direct violation of the Law itself. In fact, if you came into contact with blood, much less drink it, you were considered unclean and impure. But, of course, Jesus wasn’t speaking literally but spiritually!
Partaking Holy Communion is not cannibalism, but rather it is symbolism. The image of eating Christ’s body and drinking his blood grows out of a world in which animals were sacrificed to false gods but not all of the animal was consumed on the altar. Part of it was kept by the priest and part was returned to the worshiper, who then ate it, believing that he had literally eaten of his god - that he was god-filled, in a sense. Though we do not practice this type of ritual, against the backdrop, we are invited, symbolically to eat of Christ’s body and to drink of his blood that we might be God-filled and that union between us and God strengthened.
In these most ordinary, in these most tangible gifts of bread and wine, we become at one with God, who for us became one of us. Someone once said that every time we celebrate Holy Communion we experience once again the Incarnation. And how true that is! God becomes flesh in us as we receive God. What is the miracle of Christmas? Is it the star? Is it the singing angels? Is it the wondering shepherds? Is it the Mary or Joseph? Or is it the exotic magi? No! Rather, the miracle of Christmas is that God cared enough to send the very best, and that he continues to do so in the gifts now given to us in one another. No wonder God choose the simple, modest and humble town of Bethlehem for the Incarnation of himself. Therefore, let us be fed by the one who is the Bread of Life, and who was born in the Bethlehem - the House of Bread!