Thursday, February 25
“Give us this day our daily bread”
One of the most meaningful rituals for me in Christian worship is the sharing of bread during communion. What makes it even more meaningful for me is freshly home baked bread. The aroma scents the air with yeast while the soft texture nurtures the palate.
In a beautiful little book entitled Sleeping with Bread—Holding What Gives You Life, Dennis, Sheila, and Matthew Linn recount a powerful story.
“During the bombing raids of World War II, thousands of children were orphaned and left to starve. The fortunate ones were rescued and placed in refugee camps where they received food and good care. But many of these children who had lost so much could not sleep at night. They feared waking up to find themselves once more homeless and without food. Nothing seemed to reassure them. Finally, someone hit upon the idea of giving each child a piece of bread to hold at bedtime. Holding their bread, these children could finally sleep in peace. All through the night the bread reminded them, ‘Today I ate and I will eat again tomorrow.’”
Feeding is indeed a deeply spiritual act. It is an act of divine table fellowship. The phrase, “Give us this day our daily bread,” evokes imagery of the Exodus. In the Exodus story, Moses has led the Israelites out of slavery. Now in the Sinai desert, they are hungry and beginning to lose hope and faith. Life under the Pharaoh was harsh but predictable. Each night under Pharaoh, after their labors, they joined in sharing bread and other foods by lamplight.
But now in the Sinai, like the children shattered in the bombing raids, the Israelites, too, are feeling vulnerable, frightened, and need assurance. Moses seeks to calm their fears as he points them to the assurance that God will provide for their needs in the form of a daily raining of bread from heaven. Manna becomes a sign of God’s sustenance of God’s people. Importantly, the Israelites are to preserve a portion of it for future generations. They are to feed as they have been fed.
Jesus draws on this imagery of table fellowship with his disciples in the miracles of the loaves and in the sharing of the Eucharist. He becomes the embodiment of the divine promise and the human obligation to share the divine kingdom. May it ever be so.
God let us pray each day for the sustenance and nurture of your world. Let us be stewards of your care in watching over and feeding our neighbors even as you feed us daily. Amen
–Nena Radtke