• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • LCA Portal
  • Login to LAMP
  • LCA Online Donations
  • Contact

Victoria Tasmania District of the Lutheran Church of Australia

755 Station Street
Box Hill Vic 3128
Phone 03 9236 1200

MENUMENU
  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
      • DISTRICT BISHOP AND STAFF
        • Bishop Lester’s Message
      • LUTHERANS IN THE VICTORIAN DISTRICT
      • DISTRICT COUNCILS AND COMMITTEES
        • District Church Council
        • District Church Council News
        • District Sponsorship Program
        • Council for Ministry Support
        • Board for Lutheran Education Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania
      • DISTRICT-RELATED ENTITIES
        • Aged Care
        • District Campsites
        • Lutheran Men of Victoria
        • Lutheran Women of Victoria
        • This N That Community Store
  • DEPARTMENTS
          • CONGREGATIONAL SUPPORT
            • African and Migrant Mission and Ministry
            • District Prayer List
            • Worship Planning
          • HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY
          • PASTORAL CARE TRAINING AND SUPERVISION
          • PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
          • YOUTH AND YOUTH ADULT MINISTRY (YYAM)
          • ADMINISTRATION
            • District and LCA Policies
            • LAMP & LAMP 2
            • Planned Giving
  • NEWS AND EVENTS
    • District News
    • Coming Events
    • Employment and Volunteer Opportunities
    • District Vacancy and Calls
  • COVID-19 RESOURCES
    • Ministry Resources
    • YouTube and Social Media Connection
    • Non-Ministry Resources
    • District Communications
  • CONTACT US
  • LoginPress

Sir, please give us this bread always – a devotional message from Bishop Lester Priebbenow

7 September 2021

by
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

[Jesus said] 33 “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” (John 6:33-34)

There are times in the Scriptures where a person makes a statement which has a far deeper meaning than they realize.

One such occasion is when crowds follow Jesus after he miraculously fed 5000 people. They ask for a miracle to prove he is sent by God. They recall the time when God gave his people manna from heaven. Jesus answers, “the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” To that the people reply, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

Do you think they really knew what they were asking? The conversation that follows suggests they didn’t, but it is a powerful prayer nevertheless, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

It is a powerful prayer for us too. In the rough and tumble of our daily lives, it is easy to lose sight of the promise of Jesus that, “the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

In times of prosperity, we can easily live as though our greatest needs are the things that this world has to offer. In Jesus’ words, we can find ourselves working for ‘food that spoils’ rather than ‘for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give’ us (John 6:27).

In times of loss or anxiety, when our earthly food does ‘spoil,’ we can easily conclude there is nothing left to live for.

We can live that way in the church as well, as if our security and safety rest in buildings, budgets, programs, numbers, what the world thinks of us, and so on.

It boils down to one question, “What is it that we really need most?”

That question has but one answer, “the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

The ‘bread’ upon which our security rests, both now and forever, is a person – he who comes down from heaven. Our greatest need is a fully restored relationship with God. Jesus has come down from heaven to give it to us.

The ‘sign’ of that restored relationship is the cross, upon which our Saviour gave his life in payment for our sins.

Have you noticed how, in the Lord’s Prayer, immediately after we have prayed for ‘our daily bread,’ Jesus teaches us to remember and pray for our greatest need – the forgiveness of sins?

In that prayer we find assurance that Christ has perfectly paid for our sinful inclination to put our trust in ‘food that spoils.’ As we pray, “forgive us our sins,” we pray that we may rest and live with our greatest need fulfilled.

In that prayer we also find the freedom that grace gives to genuinely pray the words that the crowds spoke to Jesus, “Sir, give us this bread always.” The freedom not to seek security in ‘food that spoils’ but to look to heaven for ‘the food that endures to eternal life.’

So, let us make the words of Jesus our confession, “the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

And let us make the prayer of the crowds our prayer, “Sir, give us this bread always” – knowing full well what it means.

 

Pastor Lester Priebbenow

District Bishop, Victoria and Tasmania

« Introducing Pastor Heath Pukallus
08 September District eVoices »

Primary Sidebar

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • May 2020
  • February 2020

Tags

ALWS Child Safety Standards Cross Cultural Ministry East metro international collaboration NCLS parish nursing Reformation Sunday Schools worship community

Footer

Lutheran Church of Australia

Contact Us

755 Station Street Box Hill Vic 3128
Phone 03 9236 1200
Email us

© 2023 Lutheran Church of Australia

Privacy Policy • Disclaimer

Designed by LCA Communications