Chase After that Full Feeling
Poem Inspired by John 6 and the Summer of Bread
Chase After that Full Feeling
John 6
You thought you came to see a sign,
following the crowd
up a mountain,
then you felt your hunger
and a pang of panic –
how can there possibly be enough
food to feed us all?
Andrew presented a boy
with a bit of bread.
The teacher told everyone to sit,
then blessed and shared a feast.
This isn’t about economy.
Redistribution and hospitality
are ministry.
They gathered up fragments,
baskets bursting forth leftovers.
You were fed, ate your fill for free,
but chase after that full feeling,
seeking out Jesus,
asking, "What must we do
to satisfy this endless hunger that
consumes and controls our lives?"
Jesus says, "I AM the bread of LIFE
come down from heaven
to be in you and you in me,
my flesh and blood offered freely
as bread and wine,
so come, eat, feast for eternity."
But some could not digest this gift
and scattered.
"Do you wish to go too?"
Jesus asked his dozen friends.
"How can we," Peter replied,
"now that we know
you are the Holy One
who makes us whole." I’ve been working my way through John’s gospel, writing poems chapter by chapter, and arrived at Chapter 6 right on time for the Summer of Bread. Every three years in the Revised Common Lectionary we hear the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel over five weeks. For some chapters, I picked a story, passage or even just a line. But John 6 is a unit and so this is a slightly longer poem.
Confession: I used one vacation Sunday mornings to go my favorite local coffee shop, Halo Roasters, to draft this. Sitting amidst their decor of pews, plants, paintings and other people, I enjoyed a heavenly cappuccino and sandwich on multigrain bread.
This is my 8th poem in a series inspired by the Gospel of John, including “Word with God” (1:1-14), “First Sign” (2:1-11), “Bride” (3:29), “She Said by the Well” (4:5-42), “Searching Scripture” (5:39-40), “Extravagant Scent” (12:1-13), and “Come Have Breakfast” (21:1-17).
Q: What’s your favorite bread? Email your reply or comment on the Substack app.