I love bread. With my hands in dough, kneading it to the right consistency and then letting it rise to form it into whatever shape it may become, a simple satisfaction warms my soul. Yes, my soul. But I haven't been making bread as often as usual over the last 5 months. It all slowed down when I lost my sourdough starter to my inattention. Maybe we traveled too much or maybe I lost some routine or maybe I was just weary with all the things. To be honest, I can't remember. But I do remember thinking, "I should feed my starter. I should make bread." But I never did. And then the starter grew mold and turned rancid. I poured it out. And now, 5 months later, I still haven't restarted the process.
There is one bread that I haven't stopped making though. It is our weekly loaves of challah for Shabbat (Sabbath). It's the bread of tomorrow. Literally, I make it on Friday (or Thursday night) and it is for the beginning of Shabbat at sundown on Friday. It's the only bread I make intentionally for the next day. My sourdough, I make the morning I need it. It's our daily bread. But the challah is something more. Challah takes more hands on time than sourdough. The kneading and the shaping requires more of my attention. The sourdough, our daily bread, takes longer to make though.
There are probably so many truths that can be pulled out of these observations. But today I bring it back to my initial thoughts when beginning to write--the request for the bread of tomorrow, as shown in the prayer Yeshua (Jesus) taught His disciples. While Yeshua is concerned about people getting enough to eat, in this prayer it extends beyond the meaning of asking for God's daily provision of food. In connection with the previous 3 statements about the sanctity of God's Name (Hallowed by Your Name), God's Kingdom coming to earth (Your Kingdom come), and God's will being done on earth (Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven), the prayer about bread remains centered on this coming reality of the Kingdom of God, the Messianic Era, the time when Yeshua returns and restores the Kingdom to Israel and God's presence returns to the earth. The bread of tomorrow alludes to the Banquet in the Messianic Era (Isaiah 25:6-9), the abundance that is coming in the world.
As disciples of Yeshua, we long for the day when God fulfills His promises to Israel, and thus to all people who fear and love Him, to bring about abundance for all, a feast of celebration where Yeshua is crowned King and all the wrongs in this era will be righted. Asking for the bread of tomorrow is asking God to give us a little taste now of what is coming in the future. We long to be satisfied. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (Matthew 5:6) The righteousness (right living and goodness) of the Messianic Era, the Kingdom of God, will bring about the satisfaction for which our souls truly long. Exponentially more than the simple satisfaction I have in making bread, the righteousness of the Kingdom will fully satisfy my soul. May we not just wait for that time, but may we hasten it with our prayers and through our actions (love and good deeds (mitzvot)); may we have a taste of that abundance and righteousness by living in the ways of our Master, as we seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness above all things.
