Food for Comfort

Bread is the earth’s essential food. It’s the staff of life. We call it so speaking of all foods that nourish us and give us life. We may not mean sugary frosted cinnamon rolls, but I am certain that we all use the term for food in general. Our daily bread—food.

Bread is the food we make from grain—ground into flour, combined with butter or oils, yeast, water, milk, salt, and sometimes sugars to knead with our hands and bake.

Every culture and region of the world has its own breads. Think of all the types you know: tortillas from Mexico, scones from England, sourdough and wheat breads from USA. There are latke or potato pancakes from Jewish community as well as stollen from Germany. French loaves long and thin and hard, rice breads from orient, rye from Swedish as well as crepes spread with fruit, panini and pita breads from the Mediterranean.

There is soda bread from Ireland and cornbread and biscuits from the southern America, bolo from Brazil, dumplings from the Polish, Italian flatbreads, pretzels from Austria, scones and buns from Great Britain. Think of chapati from Africa and naan from India. Many—too many to list! As many as there are places and peoples.

Jesus called himself the bread of life. He said that whoever came to Him would never hunger and whoever believed in Him would never thirst. We use the term for Him because He brings us life and He feeds us and sustains us. He is to us all we need for life and strength of heart and mind.

Bread the staff—the stuff of life. Americans now are following diets that vilify all breads. But may we never turn away from Jesus the true and perfect bread—the bread that brings us life.

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