John 6.5-15 (CEB):
Jesus looked up and saw the large crowd coming toward him. He asked Philip, “Where will we buy food to feed these people?” Jesus said this to test him, for he already knew what he was going to do. Philip replied, “More than a half year’s salary worth of food wouldn’t be enough for each person to have even a little bit.”  

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, “A youth here has five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that for a crowd like this?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass there. They sat down, about five thousand of them. Then Jesus took the bread. When he had given thanks, he distributed it to those who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, each getting as much as they wanted.

When they had plenty to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces, so that nothing will be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves that had been left over by those who had eaten.

When the people saw that he had done a miraculous sign, they said, “This is truly the prophet who is coming into the world.” Jesus understood that they were about to come and force him to be their king, so he took refuge again, alone on a mountain.

John 6.35:
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

At last week’s check-in, several of us said we were feeling lethargic and having trouble finding energy. I share this passage of scripture today for two reasons: First, to understand that feeling empty—physically, and spiritually—indicates a need to seek respite in God. Second, even Jesus needed time to find that space where he could rest and make room for God’s refueling love and recharging energy.

Humans often need to physically refuel and spiritually recharge. Most of us do a decent enough job filling our physical fuel tanks, but we’re not very good at recharging our spiritual batteries. We probably don’t even stop to think about having more than one system to sustain.

The human body is a lot like a modern car. I happen to be a Formula 1 fanatic, not only because the cars are fast and the driver’s skills insane, but also because the cars themselves are technological marvels. They have a complex system of internal combustion, electrical, and kinetic energy systems that all work together as a single power unit.

So do we. Our spiritual and physical systems are connected and need equal nourishment. As in a modern car, one needs refueling, the other, recharging. We must understand our physical and spiritual systems as critical, interconnected components working together to keep us running.

Let’s consider one of the most important components of the modern automobile power unit, the KERS system, the Kinetic Energy Recovery System.

KERS is a brilliant innovation that captures the extra energy created from the friction of the brakes and the heat of the engine, and stores it in a battery, capacitor or flywheel for later use. Typically, the driver uses KERS for an added boost when passing. I’ll let the legendary Marty Brundle explain (please press the play button):

Think about what’s happening here for a moment: pumping the brakes stores energy for later use.

Jesus understood this. He was always retreating to solitude because he needed to recharge. After refueling himself and 5000 people, his spiritual batteries required a recharge. And the way people of faith like Jesus recharge is by coming to a complete stop so God’s energy can charge us like the spiritual capacitors we are.

Think of it as GERS, God’s Energy Recovery System.

When Jesus says, “I AM the bread of life,” he’s making a profound statement about the source of our energy. Is it possible that he’s a little disappointed that, after everyone eats their fill of fish and bread, they still don’t understand the meaning behind the gesture? They’ve been able to refuel physically because of an act of God’s spiritual energy.

Whether you read this parable imagining an abundance of food magically appearing out of thin air, or as a profound statement on the unwillingness of humans to share what they’ve got until led by example, the crowd’s physical hunger is only satiated by a spiritual activity.

The ancient crowd, like most of us today, focus only on the material—the fish, the loaves of bread. They are concerned about their stomachs more than their spirits, unaware the two systems require balance. Jesus wants to fill our souls with the energy of God that is our spiritual sustenance, the ultimate source of all the power we have in our lives, the food that never spoils. When we concentrate on charging our spiritual system as purposefully as we fill our stomachs, a deeper hunger is satiated, one that changes us mind, body, and soul. One that converts all our spiritual energy into physical energy.

So, if a racecar generates energy by braking, how do we apply the brakes in our lives and store up some God energy? Well, there are spiritual charging stations everywhere! God is the nature of the universe, the unified field. God is recharging us, even as we sit here in spiritual community today. Have you seen a wireless cellphone charger? God works like that.

Community is a powerful way to recharge our spiritual batteries, to recover some kinetic energy, don’t you think? During check-ins with you, I hear you mention some of the ways that you spiritually recharge: prayer, service to others, meditation, creative endeavors such as art and music, reading, walking in nature, playing sports, zoning out for a while—all of these are awesome ways to spiritually recharge.

All we have to do is remember to stop, and then intentionally go to God with energetic intention.

As quickly as we can fill the gas tank in our cars, we can recharge our souls. The gas station is one of my favorite places to do that, honestly. The next time you’re filling your car at the gas pump, let God recharge your batteries while the pump fills up your car. Repeat a meditative mantra to yourself. Know and feel God’s presence within you, at the gas pump, a profoundly symbolic place to seek and be recharged by God.

The gas station is full of reminders about our need to refill. Just look at all the ads on the gas station window—the two for a dollar donuts, the .99 cent boiled peanuts, the 362-ounce Big Gulp specials. Let those ads remind you that the bread of life is freely given. It doesn’t cost you anything to recharge God’s Energy Recovery System, and you don’t have to go to a special building to find it.

The bread of life is less expensive than a king-size Snickers bar, and ultimately, so much more satisfying. So indulge yourself! God is the one thing you can have as much of as you want without gaining any weight!

In fact, charging yourself with the great “I AM” of God might take a load off.

Amen.

Question: How will you (or do you) activate your GERS, your God Energy Recovery System?