“Give us this day our daily bread.” As we pray these words in the Lord’s Prayer, we are mindful that God certainly gives daily bread to people with or without our prayers, even to evil people, but we pray that He would lead us to realize this and receive our daily bread with thanksgiving to Him. Yet we are reminded, especially in the Gospel of Luke, that our Lord has a special heart for the poor – both those lacking for their physical needs as well as spiritual needs. Starting with a wedding feast in Cana, Jesus uses the occasions of meals to teach God’s Word. Not least of these meals is the Lord’s Supper, in which He gives Himself, transforming the commemoration of the Passover into a meal of forgiveness and salvation for us all. Finally, after His resurrection, He cooks breakfast for His disciples and charges them (and really the whole Church) to “Feed My lambs.” (John 21:15-17) Ever since then, the Church has been charged with serving the poor — those who hunger and thirst physically as well as those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. May we follow Christ’s example in our concern for the hungry, near and far, and make our own mealtimes an opportunity to nourish more than just our bodies, but a chance to pray together and share God’s Word as we grow closer together in Christ.

~Pastor Nickel