Narrative Lectionary Summer Series – Lord’s Prayer Series, Week Three
Luke 11:2-4
Free Additional Resources for Study & Sermon Preparation
Furthering the Power of God’s Story – Narrative Lectionary Commentary
by Rev. Dr. Clint Schnekloth
Give us our bread for today. Or… give us the bread we need for today. Or… give us this bread always. Or…
A lot of ink has been spilled discussing the tense of this phrase. Is it that we are to receive bread every day? Or is it just our bread for today, with no worry for tomorrow?
It’s possible this matters, and in fact many devotional reflections offer convincing meditations illustrating how it matters, but for my money the important space this line occupies in the prayer is somewhat different in emphasis.
I’m caught by surprise, every time, by the transition from the loftiness of the opening of the prayer, to the serious mundanity of bread.
God is in heaven, God’s name is hallowed, God’s kin-dom is hopefully coming. God’s holy and gracious will should be done on earth and in heaven.
Okay, let’s eat!
However, if we are familiar with the ancient Scripture of Israel, we know such transitions are typical. Moses can come down from the holy mountain, face shining bright after conversing with the Lord, and hand rules over to the Israelites telling them not to cook a lamb in its mother’s milk, and to always make sure to show hospitality for refugees and immigrants.
It’s as if this transcendent, holy God, the creator of all, the Father/Mother/Parent of Jesus (and all of us), is concerned for, more than anything else, whether a baby gets its bottle, a family gets their free school lunches, a hiker gets their bread and peanut butter, whether the hungry eat.
This tells us so much of what we need to know about God. It also tells us so much about the center of our share spiritual life. Yes, love God and praise God.
But then let’s eat. Let’s make sure everyone has their bread for the day.
Because hallowing God’s name and sharing the bread for the day are the very same thing.
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The following links and resources are not produced or maintained by Clergy Stuff. However, at the time of this posting, the links were active and considered to be good source material for proclamation for the text for this week. Please scroll down or click on the quick jump menu you find below. For more free worship resources & planning materials, please visit our links for RCL Worship Resources.
Historical Exegetical Resources
The Greatest Prayer: Rediscovering the Revolutionary Message of the Lord’s Prayer, J.D. Cross
Our Heavenly Father: Sermons on the Lord’s Prayer, Helmut Thielecke
Luther on Prayer in the Large Catechism, Timothy Wengert
Contemporary Resources
Exegetical Links
A Place To Pray: Reflections on the Lord’s Prayer, Roberta Bondi
When You Pray: Thinking Your Way Into God’s World, Douglas John Hall
The Our Father: A New Reading, Gerhard Lohfink
Great Quotes
““In the sweat of thy brow shalt thou earn thy daily bread: it was not a curse upon mankind, but the balm which reconciled it to existence.”
― W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage”
Video Resources
The Lord’s Prayer Sung In Aramaic
Daily Devotional Feed
Free Dramatic Reading For This Text (NRSV)
Readers: Narrator, Jesus
Narrator: He said to them,
Jesus: “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.”