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The Mission of St. John's is to worship the Lord, Serve
faithfully, and reach out.
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Give Us Today Our Daily Bread
Food is vital to so much in life. Can you recall some
Bible stories? We hear the story of Jesus feeding over 5,000
people or the wedding feast. We learn of the bread of life
in Holy Communion and hear about bread both physical and
spiritual. Summer is the time when the crops really grow and
the farm stands and farmers’ markets have a wide
selection of local produce.
Bread is an important food for many people today,
especially in Europe and North America. Rice and corn are
the more important grains in other cultures. One of St.
John’s members told me bread is probably his favorite
food. Plenty of times when people are unsure what to eat,
they may have a piece of bread. I know for me bread is an
anchor in my diet. It is an important food and digests
easily. I still enjoy baking and eating bread.
We pray in the Lord’s Prayer, "Give us this day our
daily bread." The theme of this year’s Eleventh
Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation picks up those
words. "Give Us Today Our Daily Bread," is the more
contemporary translation. This assembly (in Stuttgart,
Germany) calls Lutherans from around the world to reflect on
the gifts of food, Holy Communion and all of life.
Relationships with sisters and brothers in communities
around the world are vital.
Martin Luther in the Small Catechism offers a meaning of
daily bread. "Everything included in the necessities and
nourishment for our bodies, such as food, drink, clothing,
shoes, house, farm, fields, livestock, money, property, and
upright spouse, upright children, upright members of the
household, upright and faithful rulers, good government,
good weather, peace, health, decency, honor, good friends,
faithful neighbors, and the like."
Luther would say daily bread is a lot more than food. It
almost sounds like, "Give us today our daily life." Many of
our brothers and sisters around the world struggle with the
basic needs of life and as fellow Christians, we hurt with
them. As we enjoy the blessings of the summer, I pray that
you would take time to give thanks to God for helping us
recognize the blessings we enjoy in life. May you take time
to receive those blessing with thanksgiving with others at
worship this summer as well. May God bless your Daily Bread
and your delight in its wide meaning.
Pastor Paul
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