Jesus Come to Feed My Hungry Soul

Hunger is a universal experience. We all understand the need to feed our bodies. Every day, throughout the day, our bodies work hard. They labor, constantly, simply to keep us alive and moving. And because of that work, our bodies constantly need rejuvenation. They constantly need refueling. Our bodies must receive regular and continual nourishment. So do our souls. In his Large Catechism, Martin Luther calls this bite of bread and this sip of wine “food for the soul” (LC, V.23). This “food for the soul” is a different kind of meal. We eat and drink this meal with our mouths. We chew and swallow and digest the bread and wine. But in this meal God promises more than physical nourishment. Listen again to how Matthew described it: “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’”