Give us this day our daily bread. We pray this all the time. What do we mean? On a Sunday when we celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, it’s seems as good a time as any to ask. What kind of food are we praying for here? Well, actual, physical food is vital for sustaining life, but not just any food. We need nourishment, the right kinds of food: proteins, carbohydrates and fats in proper balance. Some people take supplements, like vitamins, collagen peptides, creatine, fish oil, etc. The idea is not simply to maintain life, but to thrive and be healthy. It’s not always easy, there are a lot of options available and there are differing opinions of what is/is not healthy and these opinions seem to change daily. Are wine and chocolate good for us or not?
All of this is true as it applies to one’s spiritual life. Regular nourishment for the soul is vital for the Christian life, just as physical food is for the body. Jesus emphasized the importance of spiritual food—and, in fact, defines it—when he was tempted by Satan: “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Man is both physical and spiritual, which is why spiritual food is just as important as physical nourishment. This spiritual food is, of course, is God’s Word to us in the pages of Scripture. It’s the very source of spiritual life, health and vitality. Besides bread, the Bible often speaks of spiritual food using the metaphors of milk, meat and honey.
Scripture’s use of food metaphors demonstrates the importance of ingesting God’s Word, making it a part of us. Thus, it’s not merely something for us to study or read but something to be savored, the way one would savor a sumptuous meal at a fine restaurant. This means that as we read God’s Word, we must not do so lightly or quickly. We must pause to “chew on it” a while, meditating and reflecting on its meaning and application for our lives.
On numerous occasions, Jesus spoke of another type of spiritual food, referring to himself as the Bread of Life. Our celebration of the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper this morning recalls the Last Supper, where Jesus said to his disciples “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And so we do. So, as much as we need physical food, it may very well be that we need spiritual food even more—that is to say we need the Word of God, we need to do the will of God, and we need Jesus Himself. As I often say, these are the gifts of God for the people of God. It is for all of us to taste and see that the Lord is good; that the Lord is indeed our portion.