At the foot of a great mountain in China lived a father and his three sons.  They were a simple and loving family. The father noticed that travelers came from afar eager to climb the dangerous mountain.  But not one of them ever returned! The three sons heard stories about the mountain, how it was made all of gold and silver at the top.  Despite their father's warnings, they could not resist venturing up the mountain.

Along the way, under a tree, sat a beggar, but the sons did not speak to him or give him anything.  They ignored him. One by one, the sons disappeared up the mountain, the first to a house of rich food, the second to a house of fine wine, the third to a house of gambling.  Each became a slave to his desire and forgot his home.  Meanwhile, their father became heartsick.  He missed them terribly.  "Danger aside," he said, "I must find my sons."

Once he scaled the mountain, the father found that indeed the rocks were gold, the streams silver.  But he hardly noticed.  He only wanted to reach his sons, to help them remember the life of love they once knew.  On the way down, having failed to find them, the father noticed the beggar under the tree and asked for his advice.

"The mountain will give your sons back," said the beggar, "only if you bring something from home to cause them to remember the love of their family."

The father raced home, brought back a bowl full of rice, and gave the beggar some as a thank-you for his wisdom.  He then found his sons, one at a time, and carefully placed a grain of rice on the tongue of each of them.  At that moment, the sons recognized their foolhardiness.  Their real life was now apparent to them.  They returned home with their father, and as one loving family lived happily ever after.

Today we gather in this church to receive a reminder of home, a taste of food that will help us remember who we are.  I mean the bread of life, our Father's gift to us.  This is the food of God's kingdom, and reminds us that this kingdom is our true home.