Give others this day their daily bread

Saying the Lord’s prayer has not always been easy for me. I have recited it time and time again, but lately I have been having difficulty finishing it. It is a tough prayer to pray. To say to God, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” can be scary in times of crisis. Praying this line has not always been difficult for me to do. The point in the prayer that goes, “give us this day our daily bread,” is usually where I stop and pause, and question whether or not I should be praying those words.

Sometimes, I change the words just a little, in order to relieve some of my guilt. Instead of praying “give us this day our daily bread”, I may say “give others this day their daily bread.” It simply does not seem right to pray this for myself, especially when I live within one of the most affluent countries in the world, so I pray it about others.

I write this in light of a few recent articles in the Hamilton Spectator regarding a shortage of food at the food banks. During this Christmas season the food banks are running lower than they normally would at this time of year, this is primarily due to the recession and to job losses. The first article recited the numbers pertaining to the amount of food needed, the number of volunteers helping, and a breakdown of those who are using the food bank. I was struck with the realization that 42% of those using the food banks are children. I was floored by this. To think of all the times that I have considered not helping the poor because I believed they were abusing the system.

Forty-two percent. How can I have a heart to give to these children and yet still rebuke those who are older and are in need of food? Twenty, thirty, or forty years ago these adults may have been that forty-two percent. When I consider these things, I realize that not only have we failed to care for the children who are living in poverty, but we have failed to care for the adults too.

After reading through a few articles pertaining to food shortages, I came across an editorial. This editorial was entitled, “Where were churches at JPC event?” JPC stands for Jobs Prosperity Collaborative and its goal is to help create and sustain job opportunities within Hamilton. The author of the article believes that churches should have been involved in this event, yet were absent. “Why aren’t the churches and other worship groups included? Whose oversight is this? Within Christianity, there was a time when folks would go out of their way to reach the undone and the broken and the downtrodden.”

The truth of this statement is under question. The problem lies in the fact that that the author even has to point out that there is a problem.

What role does Redeemer play in all of this? Can Redeemer be included in the subject of this letter written to the Hamilton Spectator? We must consider that this may be true, both for Redeemer as an institution and for the individuals who attend.

As an institution, when on-campus students are forced to buy into the Dining Dollars food plan, something is wrong. When Redeemer’s food and catering services care more about maintaining a steady income than about encouraging a deeper relationship with God, something is wrong. Something is wrong with us when our stomachs are filled with food and yet continue to ask why we are empty.

So please consider helping food drives through local churches and organizations. H2O will be going dorm to dorm this week requesting food for donations. The fire station, located only one block away is accepting food on behalf of Neighbour to Neighbour food bank. Do not wait until the end of the school year to see what money remains left in your dorm’s budget. This December and January can be the hardest time for those who are poor. May we not only give of what is extra but may we give in such a way that may have to ask God for food. Do not consider living off of our daily bread to be a weird thought. Instead, consider not knowing where daily bread will come from as weird; this is the position that the majority of the world is facing.

This article is not meant to guilt trip people into giving to the poor because they are going hungry and we aren’t. In fact, I encourage people to be self-concerned. The reason behind giving is not only in order to love our neighbours who are poor, but also to help ourselves in times when we may be spiritually poor. When the food we have keeps us from a dependence on God for His daily bread, we should not care about losing a meal here and there. If a true reliance on God for our daily bread is what it takes to live in that right relationship with God, we should jump at the opportunity.

Is not God the source of our strength? The widow in Luke 21 offered everything she had even though it was very little. “He [Jesus] also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” She put in “more than all the others.” How can this be when all she put in was two copper coins? She did not give enough money to help feed numerous people in the world. Into that offering plate she put in love. Love that believes God’s cause is worth more than her next meal. She put in trust- trust that her next meal would be provided. She put in everything she had, yet left with everything she needed. God’s blessing.

If this feels like a guilt trip, please do not give. Rather consider this an opportunity to pursue understanding why it is that God places so much value on the poor. Why it is that Jesus says, “blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God.”

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