Our Daily Bread
There is an old joke that pastors like to tell that you may have heard in a sermon before. It goes something like this:
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There was once a small town that experienced a tremendous flood. A man climbed up on his roof to escape the rising flood waters and prayed for God to rescue him.
Soon a man in a canoe came by and called out to the man, “Jump in! I can save you.”
“No, its OK. I have faith that God is going to save me.”
So the canoe went on. A bit later, as the waters continued to rise, a motorboat came by the man on the roof. The fellow in the motorboat shouted, “Jump in, I can save you.”
To this the stranded man said, “No thanks, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith.”
So the motorboat went on.
Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, “Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety.”
To this the stranded man again replied, “No thanks, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith.”
So the helicopter reluctantly flew away.
Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to Heaven. He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, “I had faith in you but you didn’t save me, you let me drown. I don’t understand why!”
To this God replied, “I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect?”
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I love this illustration in light of this petition of the Lord’s Prayer “Give us today our daily bread.” You see, the petition not only invites us to bring our needs to the Lord but invites us to see the ways in which the Lord has already met our needs. It not only opens space to bring our requests, it opens space for our gratitude.
Have you ever considered this aspect of “Give us this day our daily bread”? Reflect on your day, what are some small things that you can give thanks to the Lord for?
“Give us today our daily bread.”
While studying on this petition of the Lord’s Prayer, our Preaching Team explore three themes that are implicit within the prayer:
That our bodies matter to God. (Luke 12:24) - It is not uncommon to grow up believing that our physical bodies do not matter. But this prayer reveals that God cares about our physical as well as our spiritual needs.
That the Earth matters. (Zechariah 10:1) - We cannot have bread without the Earth. This petition takes into account the ways in which creation and human making contribute to our own flourishing. But it begins with God’s provision.
That economics matter. (Jeremiah 29:7) - Bread is not something that any of us make on our own. Even if we bake our own bread, it is likely that you will need to buy the flour necessary to make the bread. When we pray this petition, we are praying for the flourishing of our world that provides for our needs as well as our neighbors.
Which of these three reflections on this petition resonated with you the most and why? Were any of them a new thought when considering this particular petition of the Lord’s Prayer? (For more on these reflections, read Martin Luther’s commentary on this petition here.)
Share about a time when you have experienced God’s provision in your life.
The Lord’s Prayer, including this petition, is a communal prayer. There is an “us” that runs through this entire prayer. Share about a time when you have experienced the Lord’s provision in community.
It is not uncommon to confuse our “wants” with our “needs”. Think about the ways in which the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer actually inform and orient “Give us today our daily bread.” How does the context of the Lord’s Prayer help to calibrate our hearts toward what God knows we need?
Close with a time of prayer. Share needs and petitions with one another and then end with either Midday Prayer or Compline.