Each year we
celebrate the harvest the provision of food by farmers and fishermen. And I
love those words from the old hymn by Henry Alford, 'Come ye thankful people
come. Raise the song of harvest home! I love the tune and the joy that it
encapsulates and the recognition of gratitude and the sense of security from
hunger that it exudes, and the suggested earthiness of it all that describes
our common humanity our need for food.
There in this
Christian tradition is that recognition that for all our spiritual aspiration
we need our daily bread and such is the power of that recognition that in the
prayer of Jesus, The Lord's Prayer, the perfect prayer, that prayer of petition
we say 'give us this day our daily bread' not give me, but give us our daily bread amongst other things
this prayer gives recognition of the family of man, the family of humanity and
our dependence on each other and our dependence upon that divine providence. But of course we are asked
to recognise the ascension or the priority of the spirit over the flesh when
Jesus says that we cannot live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God. So like the birds of the air who are fed by the heavenly
Father he tells us that God knows we need food and shelter he tells us that
these worries about where its all going to come from dominate the minds of
people without faith. He said, "Your heavenly Father already knows all
your need but seek ye first the Kingdom
of God and live
righteously, and he will give you everything you need". And St Paul in his letter to the Romans said that "the kingdom
of God is not a matter of
eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit."