Wednesday, February 24
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
For almost twenty years, Edwards Church has been offering a small loaf of bread to first-time visitors. A group of men from the church gathered to make the first loaves–banana bread. For a number of years, Ruth Heckman faithfully made loaves of corn bread. Sandy Thompson has often contributed to the collection. Bernie Wilson makes a huge batch before she goes to Florida each winter.
Our new friends who receive a loaf of bread consistently tell us what a difference it makes–a tangible, delicious expression of welcome.
The loaves of bread on the window sill waiting to be given away each Sunday suggest a fresh angle on this line from the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.” In the Bible, as in our lives today, sharing bread is a powerful act of hospitality and community-building. In the desert of the ancient Middle East, giving and receiving hospitality was essential for survival. In our world today, in what can sometimes feel like a desert of isolation, hospitality is every bit as life-giving.
I hear in this line a two-part prayer:
Each day, God, may I have enough bread to share with a guest.
Each day, God, may I be blessed to receive the gift of someone else’s hospitality. Amen.
–Debbie Clark