(3) _We pray for others as well as ourselves._ How does the petition read? “Give us this day our daily bread.” The prayer is in the plural, not the singular. It is not “Give ME,” but “Give us” our daily bread. Christ will not let us forget the fact of brotherhood. He will not let us forget that we are members of a great family. He will not let us forget what moderns call “the solidarity of the race.” We must pray _for others_ as well as ourselves. Christ when He was on earth gave us an improved edition of the commandments. Moses had ten commandments in his code. Jesus reduced them to two. And the two commands in the code of Christ were—“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength,” and second, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Now this petition illustrates that second commandment, and embodies its spirit. We are “loving our neighbours as ourselves” when we say “Give us!” This is a prayer for our brother’s need, for our brother’s want. We are remembering him, bearing his burden when we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” When we uttered that prayer this morning we were praying for the poor and needy everywhere—the poor in Bournemouth, the poor in vast London yonder, the poor the wide world over. But, do you not see, you cannot pray for the poor and needy and then turn a deaf ear to their cry. The genuineness of this prayer must be proved in action. I often ask God to bless the work of this Church, but I should simply be mocking God if I left it there and did not at once proceed to put whatever power and energy I possess into the work for which I have been praying. And so I should consider I had prayed a sham prayer if, after saying “Give us this day our daily bread,” I was not ready even at cost of sacrifice to help to provide bread for those who lack. The gospel of charity and mutual helpfulness is in the verse. At this blessed season appeals come to us from all quarters on behalf of the orphan, the widow, the friendless, and the poor. There are multitudes of our brothers and sisters in bitter need. We have prayed “Give us this day our daily bread,” making their cause our own. May not the true answer to that prayer be, that God will bid us contribute to their need out of our abundance and plenty? The best proof of the sincerity of our prayer would be that we should go forth during this week and carry into some desolate homes a little Christmas gladness and joy. Yet again notice that in offering this prayer we pray: