1. ‘Give us today our daily bread’

2. “Give us today our daily bread” Jesus’ disciples had asked him to teach them to pray ; they had seen the very significant part prayer played in his life, and they also knew that John the Baptist had taught his disciples to pray. How do you see this petition fitting in with the ones before and after it? (discus)

3. Occasions when Jesus spoke of “bread” with some symbolic meaning… Matthew 4:4 “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Deuteronomy 8:3) John 6:32 (after the feeding of the 5000). “My Father gives you the true bread from heaven; for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world…….I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry….”

4. continued… John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live for ever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” So how about this petition in the Lord’s Prayer?

5. So what about this petition in the Lord’s Prayer? a.What would it have meant to the disciples? b.Compare their society with ours. c.How did they feed themselves? (Luke 9:1-3) p.1039 d.How secure did they feel? (Matthew 6:25-34) e.So what about the petition? f.Many Christian commentators see this petition as including spiritual “bread” from the Bible and also the sacramental “bread” of Holy Communion.

6. Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy’

7. Give us today our daily bread Trust your Father in heaven, to supply your basic daily needs. So to recap from the start of the prayer:- a)recognise you are children of your heavenly Father b)commit yourselves to honouring his name c)commit yourselves to being within his will d)he will look after your basic daily needs Let’s look more closely at the petition

8. First implication of the petition: Give us……………. William Barclay writes of the “essential mutual disregard” that characterises our society. (discuss this)

9. Second implication The prayer is for daily bread Jesus: “don’t worry about tomorrow” Cardinal Newman: “I do not ask to see the distant scene, - one step enough for me.” Marcus Aurelius: “In this prayer a man takes his moment, which is all that he has, and rests it in the mercy and bounty of God.”

10. Third implication The prayer is for bread In a sermon on this prayer, Gregory of Nyssa (AD 330-395) wrote: “Cling only to what is necessary. Immediately we go beyond that, desire and covetousness creep into life, and life is distracted and distressed.”

11. Fourth implication This petition acknowledges our dependence on God… But if we would have our food we must work for it. If God’s seed is to grow, man must till the ground.

12. How this worked out in the early church’s life – Acts 4:32-35 v.32 Their resources came ultimately from God and so weren’t held on to selfishly. v.34 There was true social security. v.33 This showed to the surrounding community that Jesus was alive and at work! What might this mean for us?