[Sermon Archive] - [Weekly Devotional Guide]

This Week's Sermon The Second Sunday after Pentecost 25 May 2008 "Tomorrow Will Worry About Itself" Matthew 6:24-34 LSB Series A Vicar Heath A. Trampe Soli Deo Gloria!

"Don't worry, be happy." These words, which we know from Bobby McFerrin's late 80's pop hit, don't seem to fit with the reality of life. Life is all about stress and getting ahead, or at least not falling behind. If we took on McFerrin's view of life, would we even be able to survive? Across the planet, but especially in America, people feel a sense of obligation towards themselves and their families to make a good living. For most of us, this means working hard for long hours during the day. You'd think that all of this back-breaking labor and elbow grease would relieve the tension from our minds, but it doesn't. We continue to worry and add stresses to our lives. The kids are late for their next activity. The dishwasher isn't working properly. I can't believe the price of gas. Does the government think we're made of money? Indeed, in our quest to live the good life in the Promised Land, we've ignored the ancient wisdom of the Sermon on the Mount where Christ warns us: don't worry about tomorrow for

I. Despite Christ's admonition, we seek to secure our own wealth and happiness.
--We chase after mammon and false gods.
--We despair when our wants are not fulfilled.
II. Christ points our attention to the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
--When we focus on God's righteousness in Christ, we will be properly positioned
to see where our blessings really come from and that all our needs are met.

Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount are beautiful and we hold them in the highest esteem, but we simply do not practice what He preaches. Christ says not to be anxious about this life, but we flood our minds with worry and grief. Christ warns that life is more than food and the body more than clothing. We hear these words and nod solemnly, but only so far as we don't have to put them into practice. If we really took these words seriously, our lives would need a major overhaul.

In a recent article entitled "Giving Up the Little (and Big) Things," which appeared in the Tribune-Star, the argument is made that a gloomy economy is forcing Americans to reprioritize their needs and wants. A big factor in this reappraisal of American living is the price of gas. Andrea and I just got back from a trip to Nebraska, which is about twelve hours of driving. Multiply numerous gas fillings by thirty to forty-five dollars a tank and it really adds up. All of us are feeling this pinch at the pump. We complain about it constantly, bringing it up even out of context so that others can know our anguish. I thought Jesus said that we'd be provided for! Why are we forced to pay so much for transportation?!

The article goes on to explain the extreme sacrifices being made by Americans at this time. It seems that people are buying less expensive bottles of wine for their dinner parties and cutting out some of the Starbucks that they usually enjoy. How can I not be anxious about my life when I'm forced to give up my Monday non-fat white macchiato with extra whipped cream? Not only are beverages taking a hit, but Americans are being forced to eat at home more often, engage in leisure activities that cost less money, and limit most of their travel and vacations to destinations within the United States like Hawaii or Colorado. Our property values are going down. Even our land is losing value. How can we not be anxious about the future?

In light of this dismal economic downturn, we're also likely to pay more attention to the scientists and environmentalists who tell us that global warming will be the death of us all. If it's not global warming, it's another ice age. You can just bet that if we'd drive hybrid cars and quit using aerosol products, this wouldn't be happening! It's not just environmental, either. Our economy, according to certain doomsday theorists, is going down the toilet. The world is going to hell in a hand basket, and we're doing nothing to improve the situation. This is what we hear everyday from the newspapers, the television, and our neighbors. In the midst of this chaos, however, is the gentle reminder from our Lord: "do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself". What could He possibly mean by this statement?

Indeed, many would have us believe that our quality of life is becoming extinct. However, we Christians believe in the testimony of Scripture, which clearly states that we will be provided with everything that we need. There it is. The word that Jesus uses in His Sermon is not want, but need. We, especially those of us who have always had food on the table, clothes on our backs, and a roof over our heads, sometimes have a hard time separating the needs from the wants.

For instance, how often do you hear of a person starving to death in the city of Terre Haute? Although it has certainly happened, much more likely is that we have a problem with obesity, which can be directly linked to an over consumption of food, among other factors. How about clothing? Do we see people running around the streets naked? No, clothing's not an issue. We know that there are homeless people in the country, but the vast majority have a roof over their heads. It seems as though we have been provided with everything that we need. I conceded in the last few sentences that some do starve and live without a home, but this is by far the minority and is usually the result of extreme circumstances.

The anxiety most of us experience isn't related to the lack of necessities, but only the lack of luxuries. It's easy, especially where money and possessions are attained with relative ease, to focus on mammon (money) and to forget God in all of His graciousness. It's not that we aren't happy to be provided for, but we also feel the need to provide for ourselves. Jesus warns against this when He states: "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money". Indeed the love of money, not the actual money itself, is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). God wants us to have good things, but not at the expense of our relationship to Him as His children. So what's a Christian to do?

Jesus reminds His hearers (and that includes us) that the unbeliever chases after earthly comforts and treasures, but that we should be certain that our heavenly Father knows our needs. He directs us to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you". Upon understanding the full scope of Christ's message, Christians can truly live without anxiety. Jesus is saying here that the economy isn't going to die altogether, though it may experience ups and downs. Jesus is saying here that neither global warming nor an ice age will wipe out God's children. Jesus is, quite simply, saying that our heavenly Father will take care of us.

To seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness means nothing else than to focus on Christ and His message. Our relationship with God in light of Christ, as I've mentioned before, is of a loving Father to dear children. A good Father knows the needs of His child and God knows much more than any sinful human being (Matthew 7:7-11). The birds of the air and the grass of the field mean much less to God than man, whom He blessed and created with His very own breath. Jesus uses these examples to show that the birds are fed and sheltered and the grass clothed, so why would God not do the same for man, whom He loves above all?

The life of a Christian is one of passive reception. We receive God's gifts through the blessings and merits of Christ, who died so that our sins wouldn't drive a wedge between us and our heavenly Father. The ultimate gift of God through Jesus Christ is eternal life in heaven, received at our baptisms, where there is neither want nor sorrow. However, even the bread we eat, the shoes we wear, and the computers that we process with are all gifts from God. Many of us have all that we could ever want, and all of us have what we need. These are given to us freely, with no merit or worthiness in us. Like an infant who cannot even ask for the food given him, we are gifted with no intrinsic worth of our own. Also like an infant is the great and overwhelming peace we experience through the knowledge that our heavenly Father will provide our every need. High gas prices and inflation cannot change this status. Always remember that "it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom," (Luke 12:32) and Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.