Mid-week Lent #5
9 March 2016
Matthew 6:11
“Give us this day our daily bread”
Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον
Give us today…our bread.
Friends in Christ, I urge you all to life up your
hearts to God and pray with me as Christ our Lord has taught us and freely
promised to hear us…Grant us our daily bread, preserve us from greed and
selfish cares, and help us trust in You to provide for all our needs. Lord, in
Your mercy, hear our prayer.[1]
This petition includes everything that belongs to
our entire life in this world. When the necessaries of life are impede, life
cannot be maintained.
In this petition, we pray for everything that is
necessary to have and enjoy daily and against everything which interferes with
it. The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to live with just enough. It teaches us not to want more. It teaches contentment, the most subversive virtue
of them all. Thus, we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”. This is not a prayer for more. This is a prayer only for what we need. The world encourages us to spend money in
pursuit of happiness. This petition
restrains our greed.
I’ve seen
it on the table at my grandparent’s house. I’ve seen it in the kitchens of so
many homes here at Friedheim. A wooden bowl, with the words inscribed, “Give us
this day our daily bread”
What are
we talking about when we pray these words? Luther, as he wrote the
Catechism helps us understand what it means to pray these words. What
does this mean? “God gives daily bread
indeed without our prayer, also to all the wicked; but we pray in this petition
that He would lead us to know it, and to receive our daily bread with
thanksgiving.”
What is
meant by “daily bread”? “Everything that belongs to the support and
wants of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home field,
cattle money, goods, a pious spouse, pious children, pious servants, pious and
faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline,
honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.” Three questions
pertain to this particular petition.
I.
Question One: Why does Christ our Lord tell us to ask for daily bread, even
though God gives it also to those who do not ask for it?
A. Jesus, our Lord and Savior, tells us to ask
for daily bread in order to teach us that our daily bread is a gracious gift of
God. Our Savior has showered down upon us so many great and wonderful
blessings. Every blessing, each gift has been touched by God. We are
called by this petition to recognize this as such.
B. We are
thus encouraged to receive these blessings with joy and thanksgiving.
David writes in Psalm 145:15-16: “The
eyes of all look to Thee, and Thou dost give them their food in due time. Thou
dost open Thy hand, and dost satisfy the desire of every living thing.” And
then in Matthew 5:45 we read, “for He
causes His sun to rise on {the} evil and {the} good, and sends rain on {the}
righteous and {the} unrighteous.”
II. Question
Two: Why do we say “our” bread?
A. We say “our”
bread, because we should ask for only that bread which is honestly ours.
Dishonest goods acquired dishonestly are ill-gotten gain. We pray that the Lord
would bless that which is acquired honestly and we work for it honestly. If we
acquire bread and good dishonestly we cannot expect God to bless our efforts. Luther, commenting on this petition said in
his Large Catechism, “If God did
not give us permanent and peaceful government…For where there is dissension,
strife and war; there, the daily bread is already taken away, or, at least
checked. How much trouble there is
now in the world only on account of bad coin, yea on account of daily
oppression and raising of prices in common trade, bargaining and labor on the
part of those who wantonly oppress the poor and deprive them of daily bread.”
B. As
we pray for “our” bread, we must
always remember that we are connected one to another. As we give “our” bread,
we pray for our neighbor and share with him when he has need. The writer to the
Hebrews reminds us with these words: “But
do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is will
pleased.” (13:16)
C. Giving is sometimes a sacrifice. That’s what
the writer to the Hebrews tells us. “What
a tremendous example you have been –giving above and beyond what you are
required.” As we support those who are in need especially with those who
are in need – we have this promise that God is well pleased with our giving and
our sacrifice. In short, we support others with "our" bread so that they might have
theirs.
III. Question
three: Why are we to say “daily,”
and “this day,”?
A.
We are to say, “daily,” and “this day,” because we should be satisfied with what we need each
day. Each day has its own challenge. Each day has its own needs. Yet, we
are encouraged to be satisfied with what we need each day. You are Easter
people. You live under the shadow of the cross and by the power of the empty
tomb. If God in Christ has in fact forgiven your sins and granted salvation and life we
know that we can be satisfied with what we need each day for He will provide.
B.
We pray “daily,” and “this day,” because it is foolish and sinful to worry about the
future. We can cut it any way we want. We can call it concern – but
when we obsess about the future this can become troublesome. Paul writes
in 1 Timothy 6, “And having food and
clothing, with these we shall be content.” (v.8) God wants us to be
satisfied and content with what we have. A question: Are you content with what
you have?
Jesus, in
the Sermon on the Mount explains to us what it means to be content as He begins
with our first priorities: “Now your
heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to
you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about
it’s own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
The
Father has promised to provide. All we need to support our body and life.
He will provide. We can be content all things come by the gracious hand of God.
Father, You provide generously for Your children.
Give us today all the material blessings we need to serve You in the manner You
desire, and make us grateful for all we receive. I pray this especially for
Christians distressed by need, wherever they may be.
[1]
Lutheran Service Book, Divine Service Setting Five, © 2006 Concordia Publishing
House, St. Louis
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