Today, the Asia Pre-Assembly Consultation of the Lutheran World Federation started in  Bangkok, Thailand. Close to 100 delegates from many Asian countries and churches discuss current issues. The main theme is the same like the LWF assembly in 2010 “Give us today our daily bread”.

Here is the youth response to the keynote address on behalf of the young delegates presented by Kazuhiro SEKINO (Japan Lutheran Church)

As a youth from Asia, we want to react in a short period of time. You shared the story “When in Palestine you find a piece of dry bread on the street, you pick it up, kiss it and give thanks to God.

I think that is the common understanding among Asian nations. We never waste food.

There is a saying in my country Japan: If you waste even one grain of rice, your eye will be squashed. Obviously, that never actually happens. But it shows how Asian people have a history of poverty and hunger.

And now I would like to react to three point you made from a youth perspective.

Firstly, I would like to emphasize: Bread does not just mean bread; it means also spiritual bread. Today, many young people are crying of hunger and also of spiritual hunger.

In order to obtain bread, we need a job. However, many young people cannot get a job; the unemployment is too high. This is also spiritual hunger of young people and it happens among other countries in India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Japan. This even applies to young people who have a good education: Sometimes they have to choose a job that is lower than what they are trained for and sometimes they don’t get job at all.

For this reason, we recommend to the Asian churches to give spiritual guidance to young people:

What does a job mean? What does work mean? How can we get both our daily material bread but also our spiritual bread?

Most Asian countries do not have a majority of Christians. Many young people lack spiritual guidance. We believe, spiritual leadership has to be the churches’ most important role. If young people cannot experience the love of Jesus, many young people get depressed, they start drinking, commit suicide. Also, the divorce rate is rising.

Second, I was moved when the bishop talked about the character of the petition: “Give us today our daily bread” is not an individual prayer. It is not “Give me today my daily bread”. It is “us”, “Give us today our daily bread!” Therefore, our daily bread must be shared with everybody. It has to be shared in a communion.

Often we consider how we can support the poor countries. How can we lend a hand and give bread to a developing country. But the bread of God is not like that. Jesus gave bread to the hungry people first! Jesus ate together with the sinner.

Everybody has the right to be given bread by Jesus Christ.

Thirdly, if 16,000 children die of hunger every day, Jesus must feel hunger! And we must be hungry, as well.

I was shocked hearing the story from Gaza after the Israeli attack of children eating from the garbage bin. If Jesus is watching, he will cry. It is the pain of the young, of the next generation.

This morning, I could not eat breakfast, and neither did I eat lunch. That does not mean that I slept in this morning. It also does not mean that I wouldn’t like Thai food – quite to the contrary: I love Thai food.

No, I had the impression this morning that I should feel hunger today: Physically and spiritually. Many other young people did not eat either. We need to feel the hunger when we reflect on the prayer “Give us today our daily bread”.

We are to have compassion and take action. Even is this act of compassion is very small. But without it – our communion would be meaningless.

Without hunger, how can we say “Give us today our daily bread”?

Bishop Younan’s report is true. As long as hungry people exist, we cannot go to heaven but we stay in hell.

Therefore, as youth in the Asian Lutheran communion, we recommend to all churches:

Give spiritual guidance to young people

Be compassionate to the hungry

and let’s pray together “Give us today our daily bread.”