“Give us this day our daily bread…” Food, food banks and the
Presbyterian Children’s Society
In my congregation we pray the Lord’s Prayer a lot. In a world of at times privatised prayer and ‘selfie’ prayers which build the world around me – I bring my concerns and requests, I give my worship and praise etc - the I’s generally have it. The congregation praying the Lord’s Prayer reminds me of a belonging to something bigger called community.
In this wonderful prayer (Jesus gave it to us after all) it asks us to “Give us this day our daily bread…” In my convenience store world with supermarkets everywhere and a positive smorgasbord of breads to choose from, prayers for daily bread seem a little redundant - or are they?
In reality daily bread is a proxy for the basics of living however we construe it and in fact the Bible is full of references to food, our need of it, a need to value it and reasons not to exploit or abuse it. It was basic to life and it was clearly important enough for a reference in our Lord’s Prayer. It also says give ‘us’ rather than give ‘me’ which makes me think it is about us as community not just as individuals.
Do we have our daily bread? Many of us on this island thankfully do and are grateful. However, if we use this bread reference as a proxy for the basics the sad truth is that a growing number of people do not.
Food banks are wonderful and they are also a disgrace. Wonderful in so far as they exist to help those in need but a disgrace in that they are an indictment of us all when they exist in some of the wealthiest and sophisticated parts of the planet.
Some research on food banks recently drew my attention to the reasons why people use them – an income crisis often related to benefits delay, longer term income insecurity including low paid work and fuel poverty and ‘tipping points’ such as marital breakdown and ill health.
The research also highlighted that many were not in any way to blame for their predicament and also the fact that those using food banks tended not to resemble the media or government stereotypes of a skiving underclass who are undisciplined, lazy and shameless.
When I reviewed many of the situations the Presbyterian Children’s Society helps, I found parallels with the research on those using the food banks. Those helped by the Society resembled the groups helped by food banks. The Society’s recipients did not fit the media and government stereotypes and they appeared to be blameless in the midst of their predicament.
Perhaps for these Presbyterian Children’s Society recipients and maybe some of the food bank users, this line of the Lord’s Prayer contained a reality that failed to resonate with those of us who may have the basics.
Maybe we need to ponder anew the Lord’s Prayer and the difficulty “daily bread” can pose for some. Maybe we need to reconsider our giving to the Presbyterian Children’s Society which provides nearly two thirds of a million pounds to help and provide dignity to children and families in need, our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in our own big Presbyterian Church.
Let’s pray for God to –
Give us this day our daily bread… and be grateful for his provision.
Give us this… prayer to enable us to reflect on those who do not have this daily bread.
Give us… pause to re-examine our giving to the Society so that we would just
Give