by Pastor Mark Moreno
Daily Bread
When I was a teenager, I wrote a short story called ‘Nothing to Eat”. It was made up of a few of my childhood experiences, but it was basically following the day of a little boy, and particularly, how he almost ate a meal or snack, only for it to NOT happen at the last minute. I thought it was pretty good!
I turned it in for an assignment and I was thankful the teacher liked it. However, he made an observation that I had simply missed: He said he was stressed out the whole time reading it, because as a parent, he couldn’t bear the thought of a child not eating.
It is one thing for a person to be hungry due to poverty or neglect, but it is a whole different matter for someone to willingly not eat due to a protest of some kind. That is what a hunger strike is: Someone that deliberately refuses to eat to draw attention to injustices, demand rights, or achieve political goals.
It is interesting to me how much scripture speaks about hunger, about eating and about abstaining from eating. In the Bible, fasting is portrayed as a spiritual discipline to humble the soul, seek God’s guidance, and intercede.
In Matthew 6:16-18, we read,
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Jesus words direct us to fast, to abstain from eating, in a way that does NOT call attention to us or anything in particular. It is about discipline, about growing in faith.
I hope that you have plenty to eat, that you have a balanced diet and are healthy. I also hope that you know that there is hunger in this world, due to so many reasons. And you can make a difference by supporting your local food pantry or participating in programs that are a blessing to others.
I rejoice that God gives us our daily bread, He provides for our needs and He does so out of divine fatherly love and goodness. This is most certainly true!
Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
