Can you honestly ask for bread when your fridge is full and you feel you can handle everything on your own? This sermon stops at a single line of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6), give us this day our daily bread, and shows that the Greek word behind daily simply means: for one day. That short request heals us of the illusion of self-sufficiency, of endless worry, and of the belief that we can secure our own future. Listen to how God gives strength for today, and why that really is enough.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- The sermon explains that the word translated "daily" means "for one day", as found on an ancient shopping list. How does that change your understanding of the request in Matthew 6:11?
- How does the story of the manna, which the Israelites gathered each day for that day only, help explain what Jesus teaches in the request for bread?
- The Lord's Prayer moves from God's kingdom and will to ordinary bread. What does that tell you about how God views your small, everyday concerns?
- In which areas of life do you most easily fall into the illusion of self sufficiency, and what could remind you that everything you have is God's gift?
- The speaker tells of his mother praying for a coat and of the family living one day at a time during her illness. How does your worrying change when you ask God for strength just for today?
- What "elephant" is in front of you right now, and what one bite can you bring to God this week as you pray for today's bread?
