Matt.6:9-11 – ‘Our Father, who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.’
Jesus was moved with compassion when He saw the crowds of people rushing to be near Him. He didn’t see crowds so much but He saw hurting people in the crowd. He saw the widow struggling to support her family, the blind man that had no way to work a job, the leper that lived in bitter isolation, and the paralyzed folks that were dependent on hand outs to survive. He saw those needs but He also saw an even greater need in each life, they were like sheep without a shepherd. Their souls were hungry and they had no bread. This is the basis of the prayer Jesus taught us to pray, ‘give us this day our daily bread’. That day when Jesus healed the sick and multiplied the fish and bread He knew that all healings and feasting weren’t enough, they all needed the bread from heaven. Each one needed Christ to come into their lives and change everything.
This is what the event Feed the Multitudes is all about. Today is July the 4th and we will be feeding people at our annual free food festival. There will be barbecue chicken, jambalaya, red beans, hot dogs, snowballs, watermelons, pastries and plenty of drinks. There are also groceries and free shoes as part of this special day. All of these things are good and we love doing this but after everything is said and done we all know that these things are only a temporary help. That other nagging hunger just won’t go away. We all need Jesus, we all need that other bread; the Living Bread that comes down from heaven. Inside all of us is that simple prayer crying out from the deepest part of us, ‘give us today our daily bread’. Our heart is crying out for God, our soul is hungry for real food, the kind that satisfies the soul.
So come out to Feed the Multitudes today, enjoy some chicken, snowballs, watermelons, and jambalaya. But also don’t forget that other food on the menu today, the real bread that comes down from heaven. This bread will satisfy you forever. How do you get this bread? Just look to the Lord and ask; you won’t be disappointed.