WEBVTT 00:00.970 --> 00:04.394 Grace, mercy and peace to you from God, our Father and the Lord Jesus 00:04.442 --> 00:04.894 Christ. 00:05.012 --> 00:05.950 Amen. 00:07.090 --> 00:12.606 One now retired professor of one of our Concordia universities has a 00:12.628 --> 00:15.150 unique way of describing this fourth petition. 00:15.970 --> 00:21.342 He would say it's about praying for, quote, our daily bread and 00:21.396 --> 00:22.190 chicken. 00:23.490 --> 00:29.654 And of course, we could also add and gas for the car and a roof over 00:29.692 --> 00:36.194 our head and good health and a salary that pays the bills and safety 00:36.242 --> 00:45.382 on the streets, and, and, and. As Luther said in his large catechism. 00:45.446 --> 00:49.938 To sum these things up, this petition includes everything that belongs 00:49.974 --> 00:55.150 to our entire life in the world, for we need daily bread because of 00:55.300 --> 00:56.830 life alone. 00:57.970 --> 01:01.422 That's why Luther includes that long laundry list in this small 01:01.476 --> 01:02.470 catechism. 01:02.650 --> 01:07.540 And you have to appreciate that little phrase at the end and the like 01:08.790 --> 01:13.570 that must be German for et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. 01:14.970 --> 01:19.558 It's in this petition that our Lord moves our attention from the 01:19.564 --> 01:24.680 heavenly, divine things to our earthly needs. 01:25.450 --> 01:29.674 For the first three petitions in this conversation with our true 01:29.712 --> 01:36.922 Father, we've prayed for things on his mind his name, his kingdom, his 01:36.976 --> 01:37.580 will. 01:38.430 --> 01:43.642 And now, finally, we get around to the needs of our poor breadbasket, 01:43.786 --> 01:48.240 the necessary things of our body and of temporal life. 01:51.540 --> 01:57.604 This petition, though, is about much more than merely asking for our 01:57.722 --> 02:02.516 physical, earthly needs and receiving whatever God happens to toss our 02:02.538 --> 02:03.110 way. 02:04.360 --> 02:08.392 After all, God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our 02:08.446 --> 02:11.370 prayers, even to all evil people. 02:12.620 --> 02:17.236 God, our true Father, is much more than a heavenly vending machine 02:17.348 --> 02:22.270 that tosses out goodies every time we put the coins of our prayers in. 02:23.680 --> 02:25.660 How does Luther teach us to pray? 02:27.440 --> 02:31.984 We pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to 02:32.022 --> 02:35.280 receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. 02:36.820 --> 02:41.360 It's about much more than gathering and securing goodies. 02:42.420 --> 02:45.440 It's about receiving in faith. 02:48.480 --> 02:54.556 If we want to pray this fourth petition rightly, perhaps we need to 02:54.578 --> 02:58.800 walk in the sandals of the people of Israel in the Wilderness of Sin. 03:01.290 --> 03:05.390 There they were, in the barren wilderness. 03:06.530 --> 03:11.360 No more meat pots, no more bread to the full. 03:12.370 --> 03:16.510 No, please do not imitate their grumbling and complaining. 03:17.250 --> 03:21.280 But they were confronted with their very real need. 03:21.970 --> 03:25.880 They were coming to grips with a very stubborn fact. 03:27.210 --> 03:31.000 They could not provide for themselves. 03:32.810 --> 03:35.720 They had to rely on someone else. 03:37.870 --> 03:43.020 And despite the grousing and the complaining and the grumbling, God 03:43.550 --> 03:45.530 still was gracious. 03:47.150 --> 03:52.670 He promised to rain down bread from heaven, not just once, not just 03:52.740 --> 03:55.680 twice, but each and every day. 03:57.570 --> 04:01.550 Then God announced, and let me see your faithfulness. 04:02.210 --> 04:05.700 I will supply your need day by day. 04:06.630 --> 04:11.966 Each morning, go out and gather what you need for that day according 04:11.998 --> 04:13.518 to the size of your household. 04:13.614 --> 04:15.300 No more, no less. 04:15.990 --> 04:22.306 Oh, and by the way, I will help you keep my Sabbath day holy. On Friday 04:22.337 --> 04:23.014 morning 04:23.212 --> 04:27.538 gather up twice what you need, and you'll have plenty for Saturday as 04:27.563 --> 04:28.140 well. 04:29.870 --> 04:37.450 And on top of all this goodness, God gave them a one time bonus meal, 04:38.110 --> 04:41.070 some tasty quail that very evening. 04:42.530 --> 04:48.126 God certainly gives daily bread to everyone, and he wants us to 04:48.148 --> 04:52.670 receive it with the thanksgiving of faith. 04:56.100 --> 05:00.800 Since we are walking through the Wilderness of Sin with the Israelites 05:01.940 --> 05:07.776 and through the wilderness of our own sinful condition, let me invite 05:07.808 --> 05:08.980 your participation. 05:11.240 --> 05:16.788 How many of you, by show of hands here, how many of you have at least 05:16.954 --> 05:23.356 two changes of clothing in your closet or dresser, one for everyday 05:23.408 --> 05:25.832 wear and the other your Sunday best? 05:25.885 --> 05:26.810 Raise your hands. 05:28.140 --> 05:28.890 Good. 05:30.060 --> 05:35.515 How many of you have enough food, enough daily bread and chicken in 05:35.538 --> 05:40.268 the cupboard so that you do not need to go hunting and gathering at 05:40.274 --> 05:43.192 the grocery store every morning before breakfast? 05:43.256 --> 05:44.190 Raise your hand. 05:47.039 --> 05:53.788 How many of you have either a car or a bicycle or a scooter or at 05:53.794 --> 05:57.010 least two legs to get from A to point B? 06:00.090 --> 06:00.590 Good. 06:00.740 --> 06:06.094 God certainly gives daily bread to everyone, even apart from your 06:06.132 --> 06:06.910 prayers. 06:09.730 --> 06:13.150 And here are some questions that need no hand raising. 06:14.850 --> 06:20.480 How's that whole receiving with Thanksgiving thing going for you? 06:23.170 --> 06:30.962 What would you do if God, in His Fatherly wisdom, happened to downsize 06:31.106 --> 06:36.310 your wardrobe or thin out your food pantry? 06:37.790 --> 06:44.774 How would you respond if God, for your eternal benefit, chose to empty 06:44.822 --> 06:52.094 the store shelves or slow down the supply chains, or allow things such 06:52.132 --> 07:00.670 as higher gas prices, inflation, a global pandemic, or social unrest? 07:03.110 --> 07:07.460 How much grumbling and complaining would there be? 07:08.310 --> 07:09.620 Or is there? 07:11.350 --> 07:16.086 God certainly gives daily bread to everyone, and he wants us to 07:16.108 --> 07:21.846 receive it in times of want as well as times of plenty with the 07:21.868 --> 07:23.670 thanksgiving of faith. 07:26.710 --> 07:31.686 When you read Luther's Large Catechism on this fourth petition, he 07:31.707 --> 07:36.422 gives a very brief explanation and sketch showing how far this 07:36.476 --> 07:39.810 petition extends through all conditions on Earth. 07:39.890 --> 07:45.610 He says that anyone might indeed make a long prayer on the topic. 07:47.310 --> 07:50.234 And if you think as long as your list and the small catechism was 07:50.272 --> 07:54.300 long, just wait till you read and ponder this one. 07:55.250 --> 08:01.680 Yes, we ask God to give us food, drink, clothing, house, home, health. 08:02.050 --> 08:05.178 We pray for the crops in the field to grow and mature. 08:05.274 --> 08:11.693 And let's also add prayers for good harvests and everything included 08:11.822 --> 08:15.554 in getting those crops safely to market for our shopping and 08:15.592 --> 08:16.530 consumption. 08:17.830 --> 08:22.834 And of course, we pray for Godly spouses and children, for faithful 08:22.882 --> 08:24.310 friends and neighbors. 08:24.730 --> 08:29.030 We pray that our work would prosper and succeed. 08:30.570 --> 08:34.970 And by the way, for those of you who are soon to end up in a parish, 08:35.309 --> 08:40.394 that prospering and succeeding looks a lot different than that for the 08:40.432 --> 08:43.850 corporate CEO or the small business owner. 08:44.270 --> 08:49.194 Your success and prosperity is in being faithful to your Lord and His 08:49.232 --> 08:49.819 Word. 08:51.150 --> 08:57.074 And Luther also urges us to pray for wisdom, strength, and 08:57.112 --> 08:59.710 success to emperors, kings 09:00.170 --> 09:01.230 and all estates. 09:02.770 --> 09:05.520 Boy, is that in desperate need these days. 09:06.370 --> 09:09.920 No doubt we have not because we ask not. 09:11.890 --> 09:18.606 The fourth petition also leads us to pray against certain things, as 09:18.628 --> 09:19.680 Luther says. 09:20.050 --> 09:25.734 This petition is especially directed also against our chief enemy, the 09:25.772 --> 09:31.926 Devil, for all his thought and desire is to deprive us all of all that 09:31.948 --> 09:35.000 we have from God, or to hinder it. 09:36.090 --> 09:40.170 Yes, we may pray for our enemies to be vanquished. 09:40.590 --> 09:44.250 We may pray that bad laws be overturned. 09:45.070 --> 09:50.574 We may pray that society slide into Godless chaos, despair and 09:50.612 --> 09:53.310 corruption be reversed. 09:56.930 --> 10:02.400 So much to pray in this petition and so little time to pray it. 10:03.590 --> 10:10.210 But fear not, God also gives us a salutary perspective. 10:11.590 --> 10:16.758 This fourth petition comes right in the middle of our Lord's Model 10:16.844 --> 10:17.670 Prayer. 10:18.890 --> 10:22.614 First, we prayed for things on God's mind his name, his kingdom, his 10:22.652 --> 10:23.240 will. 10:24.490 --> 10:29.754 And then we arrived at the single and lone petition for all of our 10:29.792 --> 10:32.780 earthly, physical, bodily needs. 10:33.710 --> 10:39.354 And the petitions yet to come continue to focus on our needs, but 10:39.392 --> 10:44.526 needs of the soul, our forgiveness, our protection in times of 10:44.548 --> 10:47.994 temptation, our deliverance from this valley of sorrow. 10:48.122 --> 10:55.330 And so when you work the math, praying for our daily bread and chicken 10:55.750 --> 11:00.050 takes up a mere one 7th of our attention. 11:01.510 --> 11:03.940 14.3%. 11:05.290 --> 11:12.054 And that leaves a whole six out of seven petitions, a whole 85.7% to 11:12.092 --> 11:18.650 focus on our life with God, both here on earth and there in heaven. 11:21.600 --> 11:24.220 God indeed is gracious. 11:24.960 --> 11:30.684 God certainly gives daily bread to everyone, and he wants you to 11:30.722 --> 11:34.640 receive it with the thanksgiving of faith. 11:35.860 --> 11:37.810 How did Jesus say it? 11:38.580 --> 11:41.136 Do not be anxious saying, what shall we eat? 11:41.238 --> 11:42.364 Or what shall we drink? 11:42.412 --> 11:44.572 Or what shall we wear for the Gentiles 11:44.636 --> 11:49.136 seek after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you 11:49.158 --> 11:50.210 need them all. 11:50.980 --> 11:56.504 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all 11:56.542 --> 11:58.310 these things will be added to you. 12:00.970 --> 12:07.806 God does want us and invites us to pray for our earthly needs, our 12:07.828 --> 12:09.070 earthly goods. 12:10.130 --> 12:14.570 He wants us to recognize that we receive them all from His gracious 12:14.650 --> 12:15.840 Fatherly hand. 12:16.850 --> 12:22.270 He invites us to know and experience His Fatherly goodness toward us 12:22.340 --> 12:23.710 in His gifts. 12:25.930 --> 12:34.165 And in addition, and more importantly, our Lord would also remind us 12:34.188 --> 12:36.390 of our true daily bread. 12:37.690 --> 12:42.662 God gave manna bread from heaven to the Israelites for their daily 12:42.726 --> 12:43.900 bodily needs. 12:45.150 --> 12:49.050 But he also gives us a better bread. 12:50.530 --> 12:55.102 For the bread of God is he who comes down from Heaven and gives life 12:55.156 --> 12:56.000 to the world. 12:57.410 --> 13:04.594 Jesus Himself is our daily bread, baked in the midday sun and heat of 13:04.632 --> 13:10.978 Good Friday, broken for you on the cross and always giving life 13:11.064 --> 13:17.270 because of His resurrection so cling to His promise. 13:18.410 --> 13:23.830 I am the bread of life, He said whoever comes to Me shall not hunger 13:24.250 --> 13:27.350 and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst. 13:28.990 --> 13:34.890 God certainly gives daily bread to everyone and his promise comforts 13:35.310 --> 13:36.730 it, sustains. 13:38.190 --> 13:40.830 It also enables you to pray. 13:42.210 --> 13:47.790 Give us this day our daily bread and let us all be clothed and fed. 13:48.690 --> 13:54.046 Save us from hardship, war and strife in plague and famine spare our 13:54.068 --> 14:00.874 life that we, in honest peace may live to care and greed no entrance 14:00.922 --> 14:03.950 give. Amen. 14:04.290 --> 14:07.474 And the peace of God, which goes beyond all understanding, will guard 14:07.522 --> 14:10.978 your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. 14:11.154 --> 14:11.569 Amen.