Wellness

and

Christianit

y

John 6: 22-26

The next day the

crowd that had

stayed on the

other side of the

lake saw that

there had been

only one boat

there. They also

saw that Jesus

had not got into

the boat with his

disciples, but that

his disciples had

gone away alone.

Then some boats from Tiberias came near

the place where they had eaten the bread

after the Lord had given thanks.

So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his

disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats

and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake,

they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’

Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are

looking for me, not because you saw signs, but

because you ate your fill of the loaves.

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’

Then they said to him,

‘What must we do to

perform the works of

God?’

Jesus answered them,

‘This is the work of

God, that you believe in

him whom he has sent.’

What Does the Passage

Say?

• Setting

• Characters

• Place in the Gospel

• Parallels in other

Gospels

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’

What Does it Mean?

What does “bread” stand for in the passage?

Symbol of Bread

Cultural Values

• What are the basic values of our culture?

• If you were trying to explain how

Australian society works to someone from

Mars, what would you say?

• What do people think they are doing

every day of the week? (What’s going on

as opposed to what’s happening.)

Telos

What purpose does Human life

have? Is it directed to a telos,

and if so, what is it?

The Role of Wellness

An Enlightenment Credo

“We hold these truths to be

self-evident, that all men

are created equal, that they

are endowed by their

Creator with certain

unalienable Rights, that

among these are Life,

Liberty and the pursuit of

Happiness”

USA Declaration of

Independence, 1788

Question

What does “pursuit of

happiness” mean?

What are they getting

at? Why choose

“happiness”?

Secularism

Originally meant

neutrality between

competing creeds and

philosophies of life.

Something We Can All

Agree On?If we can’t agree on

competing creeds, then

what can we agree on?

A Possible Slogan for a

Church?

“Refresh through

Christian Spirituality” –

Solace c. 2010

• What’s good about

this idea?

• What problems does

it have?

Faith and Secularity

Christianity

Wellness

Mindfulness

Physical

Activity

Culture

Healthy

Diet

Yoga

Why is This Problematic

for Faith?What values are encoded in this way of seeing

things?

Ordering Principle

Perhaps the solution is

for Christianity to be

seen as an ordering

principle. There’s

nothing wrong with

health, wealth, or

happiness – but what is

the purpose of it? What

does it serve?

What Does It Mean For Me?

Question

• What is the organising

principle for my life?

• What would it look like

to organise my life

around “believing in

him who he has sent”

Christlikeness

What would it look like to be “Christ-like”?

Go in peace;

may you carry God’s Wisdom,

speak forth God’s Word,

and embody God’s Presence

wherever you are.

In the name of Christ. Amen.

Blessing

The grace of Christ attend you;

the love of God surround you;

the Holy Spirit keep you;

this day and for ever. Amen.