I am still thinking about daily bread.  In the Small Catechism Martin Luther described it as “the necessities and nourishment for our bodies such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, farm, fields, livestock, money, property, an upright spouse, upright children, upright members of the household, upright and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, decency, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.”  This is a pretty thorough list of what we might need for life.  Farms and fields are included—we need them for life whether we own them or not.  My guess is that in Luther’s time most people owned some livestock and grew some of their own food or they had servants who did that for them. 

When we get all of our food from the grocery store we run the risk of forgetting that there are fields and farmers involved in our food.  We forget those who pick the food, those who process the food, those who drive the food to our stores and those who labor to stock and sell us the food in the store.  “Instant” meals and “Fast Food” still have their beginnings in a field somewhere. 

Today we give thanks for all of the people who are part of our own personal “food chain.”  I especially appreciate those who cook and serve and wash dishes in restaurants so that I can eat a meal and have my only responsibility be to pay the proper amount of “money”—one of those things on Martin Luther’s list.  I also give thanks for all the people with whom I get to share food!  Eating together brings us closer.  Come Lord Jesus be our guest and let these gifts to us be blessed.  Amen.