John 6

From the AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has attended a worship service at a historic church steps away from the White House.

Accompanied by his wife, Michelle, and daughters Sasha and Malia on the mild, overcast morning, Obama walked through Lafayette Square to St. John's Episcopal Church.

The Rev. Michael Angell delivered a sermon from John 6 about the extended metaphor of eating Jesus' flesh. Angell urged the crowd to not feed into the hatred and violence of the world, but to "inwardly digest Christ's message of self-surrender."

Christ didn't say, "Eat my message." He said "flesh" over and over, and he meant it. Of course, it's a Protestant spin on the all-important passage from Scripture, so we shouldn't be surprised about the "extended metaphor" exegesis. Nonetheless, it just reminds me once more about the beauty of the true faith. We take Christ literally. We're not about doing a feel-good Hallmark Card gloss on his words.