Genesis 18:20-32; Ps 138; Col 2:6-19, Luke 11:1-13

I appreciate the readings this morning about prayer.  The story of Abraham conversing with God is a great example of what prayer is.  We have a God who is as near to us as our heart beat.  We have a personal God who is in relationship with us.  Abraham is talking with God in a natural conversation.  He is appealing to God “will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? . . .Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous and the wicked.  Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just? . . . the conversation continues until the Lord says “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”  and then it says, “And the Lord went on his way; and Abraham returned to his place.”  This conversation takes place as part of the ordinariness of the day.   It ends with the assumption that the conversation will continue at another time.

This prayer is permission giving for us to enter into prayer the same way as Abraham.  Daily conversation with God is as ordinary as driving down the road and sharing the day with God; as walking through the woods and telling God your heart’s concerns. Prayer is conversing with God to share the joys and the heartbreaks of the greater world that lay heavy upon the family, the congregation, the nation, the world. 

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is a global communion of Churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947, the LWF has 148 member churches in 79 countries all over the world representing over 70 million Christians.  LWF meets every six years for an assembly.  As we worship here in Turtle River, the LWF is meeting in Stuttgart, Germany.   They are gathered for seven days to discern the vision God has for the Lutheran church around the world.  The theme for this year’s Assembly is “Give Us Today Our Daily Bread”. 

Yes, this is also from today’s Gospel in Luke.  As I have been following the proceedings from the LWF Assembly this week I have been thinking about what “Give us this day our daily bread” means to us here of New Salem in Turtle River.   As we ponder the words “Give us this day our Daily Bread” I can’t help but think of how we are to be stewards of the daily bread that God give us to use and to share.

What a difference one little pronoun can make! “Give us today our daily bread.” The petition does not say “Give me today my daily bread.” This is not the prayer of an individual. It is the prayer of a group. Whoever prays this petition speaks for a whole community. When you pray these words—alone or in a group in public—whom do you see with you, surrounding your table? Whom do you hear speaking these words with you?

You and I are part of the LWF, as we pray, we are praying with Christians around the world.  Especially this morning, we join our voices with theirs as we pray the Lord ’s Prayer.  Our lives are part of the greater world.  As stewards of the world, this prayer also enfolds all of God’s good creation that we are responsible for sustaining.  What does it mean for you and I, for this congregation, for you in your work place, and the tasks given you at your hands to pray the words “Give Us this day our Daily Bread.”

We rarely know how God is answering this prayer.  I believe that in praying this prayer we are availing ourselves to God to use us in God’s greater purpose.  God’s work, our hands.

God uses the ordinary to create the extraordinary.  About a year ago a woman offered us her collection of fine vintage clothing that included creations from her original line of professional designer clothing for a style show for a fundraiser.  Someone stepped forward in faith and said “Sure, we can do this”.

It took about a year of prayer and meetings coordinating details and the cooperation of the men and women, teens and children to make the style show come about.  Prayer surrounded every corner of this building and every ministry as it transpired. God blessed us abundantly with daily bread: a feast of food, new friendships, support of long standing members, young families, many community members supporting us. The abundance of God’s provision overflowed into hundreds of dollars raised and shared around the world through the Lutheran Disaster Relief Fund.

Daily bread was provided in more ways than we imagined.  Known to few at that time, the woman who initially offered her collection of garments was diagnosed with terminal cancer the day before the event.  This show became a tribute to a lifetime of creativity given to her to be a co-creator with God of fine clothing.  Known also to few, was the mother of two little models who was in labor. Her new baby was born that night.  We held in that day the blessings of celebrating life given to us through Daily Bread. 

We pray “Give us this day our daily bread” and we are jumping into the river of life that God is providing.  When we receive we stand with open hands and arms, we must maintain that posture to also share our daily bread.

The LWF’s theme “Give us this day our daily bread” as well as Jesus calls us to be a prophetic voice in this time of injustice that threatens life in abundance for all of God’s good creation: poverty, lack of safe water, HIV and AIDS, lack of sustainability of God’s good creation. How are we, at Turtle River, called to be a prophetic voice for justice?

What is daily bread? What is enough?  Do we have enough for our daily bread or do we have more than enough, abundance overflowing?  If we have abundance overflowing - and our neighbor hungers for daily bread, are we blessed and they cursed or are we called upon to be God’s hands in blessing others?

The Lord ’s Prayer does not say “Give me this day my daily bread and help those who are hungry to find theirs?”  When we receive our daily bread we are receiving a portion for ourselves and for our neighbor.

So we will continue to pray the Lord’s Prayer at every worship service and at the conclusion of every meeting here at New Salem so we, too, will continue to be a prophetic voice in a world created with enough to sustain all of God’s creation in abundance. Let us pray so we will continue to jump into the river of life that God is so abundantly providing for all the world.  Amen, Come Lord Jesus, Come

Rev. Karol McCracken