Matthew 6:9-13; Proverbs 30:7-9
Thanks to technology, food can be kept for long periods of time. So other than standing in front of the frig asking ourselves, “What am I going to eat today?” we seldom think about daily dependence upon God for our food. How can you make the prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread,” more relevant to your relationship to food?
What do you think of Agur’s prayer in Proverbs 30? Is his assessment of the results of poverty and riches accurate? How can you avoid these results? Incidents of prostitution increase at the end of the month. Most social service experts believe it is because people run out of money for food long before their next SNAP payment. People without food security are faced with difficult choices. What might people of faith do to respond to the income inequities that force people facing food scarcity into compromising situations?
For thought… Food prices are on the rise. Yet SNAP benefits have remained stagnant. SNAP benefits are a part of the US Farm Bill which is updated every four years. In June 2012, the US Senate passed a version of 2012 Farm Bill with $4.7 billion in cuts to SNAP benefits. The House of Representatives failed to bring its version to the floor after Republicans split over even more cuts to the bill’s nutrition programs (SNAP, WIC, school lunch program, etc). In December, everyone agreed to extend the current Farm Bill for another year. There has been little movement since to act on the Farm Bill. Consider contacting your congressional representatives to ask about the status of the 2012 Farm Bill and express your support for increasing funding for nutritional programs so no one goes hungry.
Tongue on Fire 