The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-11
"JESUs AND THE BREAD
 QUESTION, DR HENDRIX

Dr. w. R. Hendrix, pastor of High lands Methodist church, preached the third of series of sermons he is preaching on "rhe Lords Prayer" yesterday morning, the text being;
 Give us this day our daily bread" Dr. Hendrix said in part:
 If ali the people who say on Sun day Give us this day our daily bread really understood and felt all that Jesus meant for us to under stand and feel in this petition, we could change the world in a single generation for the better, more than Iit has been changed in 1000 years. Not until we think and feel accord ing to our capacity, as Jesus felt about our struggles for earthly goods, will be able to utter this pe- tition with the spirit and the under standing When once men learn to utter this single petition comprehen- sively and sincerely industrial life and commercial anxiety will pass away.
 Tn this sentence-prayer, we have an unclouded revelation of what Je- sus thought and felt about our de. sire for such a portion of this worlds goods as- the needs of our earthly life demands. In the first place, He acknowledged frankly the validity and divine origin of this desire. Men have no reason to apologize to men or repent to God because they find In themselves persistent desire for an adequate portion of earthly goods The religionist who offers men spir- itual blessings as a substitute for earthly needs is both imbecile and ipsincere.
 With utter candor Jesus declared that our feverish anxiety about food and raiment was futile and uncalled for It. was due to our failure to recognize and rest upon the solid as- surance that our Heavenly Father knoweth that we have need of all these things
 ITO Jesus, the thing which we call nature. was 8 grand and perfect lab ratory, where the Almighty, All-Lov- ing Father of men was ceaselessiy at work providing for every earthly need of His dependent children Fa- natical men have sometimes left their offspring to suffer for food, while they have gone on pilgrimage, in the interest of some spiritual cause; but our Father has no con cern that supplants even the mate rial needs of his earthly children. Eternal wisdom considers our needs. eternal love keeps watch over us, and Omnipotence is engaged in providing for us. Anxiety on our part ls' therefore, out of place.
 Authorities on economies tell us that human desire is the perennial fountain which feeds the stream of material progress. That human de- sire is the driving power which keeps in motion all the machinery of hu- man society.
 Tn place of that 'vaulting amoi- tion which OCT leaps itself and falls upon another Jesus would have men to cultivate a collective desire. He would have men to feel it from their heart of hearts when they say, Give Us our daily bread This desire fixed in the hearts of men, will lead them into programme of economic pursuits where each desires and la bors for all and all for each.
 Slowly but surely the experiences of men are bringing them to recog- nize and acknowledge that the Ideal ist of Gallilee was the only teacher who has ever appeared among men with workable theory of economies that insures permanent prosperity and abiding peace and happiness among men,"