What do these activities and aspirations have in common with each other? What English phrase might we use that would connect them all together? “I’m not going to care what others think of me.” “I’m going to stick to my diet this time, and say ‘no’ to carbs.” “I’m going to wake up early and go to the gym before work.” “I’m not going to procrastinate this time.” “I’m going to save more.” “I’m going to tell my boss what I think.” “I will get over it, and move on.” “I’m going to bed early.” These are all good activities and aspirations, but what do they all have in common? Doing them is easier said than done! As much as we would hate to admit, we still care what people think. That ice cream Sundae with whip cream and a cherry on top does seem better than the healthy alternative. We might think, “I can start saving next paycheck. I will be better next time.” There are lots of things in life that are easier said than done. Jesus’ first words in the Gospel text can included in that list.
Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.” Don’t be anxious about your life? Don’t worry, at all? Easier said than done! What do you worry about in your life? The list could be endless, I suppose, and certainly different for each and every one of us. What is on your list? Is it health, whether yours or a loved ones’? Is it money, or your retirement fund? Your stock portfolio? Do you worry about your kids or grandkids, and their well-being? As they say, you never stop worrying about your children, regardless of their age! Maybe you worry about an aging parent, or one in poor health. Does work keep you up at night with the worry that your job isn’t permanent? We all have worries in our life; it seems to be part of the human experience!
However, despite this, Jesus says, “Don’t be anxious about your life.” And He is not alone. Professionals from every field of human care will tell you the same thing: psychologists, counselors, life coaches, pastors, doctors, nurses, you name it! Stress and anxiety is not good for us, or our bodies. It can give upset stomachs and ulcers. It creates sleep problems, sore bodies, and strained relationships. It can lead to depression and drug abuse. Worry isn’t good for us!
It is also useless and senseless. Worry doesn’t help me cope with things. Worry doesn’t prevent bad things or help me solve problems. Worry doesn’t motivate and it doesn’t prepare you for anything. A study on worry concluded that 92% of the things that we worry about are things that won’t happen or are things that we cannot change! Worry will only ruin your life, steal your joy, and tarnish today. Jesus says it best when He says, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?” Worry doesn’t help with our health, nor will it make it better. It doesn’t solve the worries we have about aging parents or kids. Anxiety doesn’t solve the job problems or put more money in the bank account. Worry is useless and senseless!
Worry is also wrong. Deep down inside, we know that worry is not good for us spiritually. Worrying is a sin against the First Commandment: You shall have no other gods. When we worry, we are not fearing, loving, and trusting in God above all things. In fact, the word “worry” means, “lifting yourself up.” Ironically, our anxiety lifts us up to be in the place of God, as if we could control what will happen in the future. We end up exalting ourselves to be our own gods when we think that our provision and livelihood is all up to us. If that truly was the case, no wonder we are stressed and anxious! That is a scary thought, isn’t it?! But, sadly, the fact that worry isn’t good for us physically or spiritually doesn’t stops us. The fact that worry is useless and senseless doesn’t prevent us from doing it either.
So, Jesus shows God’s care for us. He uses two examples from the lesser to the greater from the world around us to teach and comfort. He says, “Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!” The raven was a scavenger, and was a considered a careless creature that would even fail to return to its nest! If God takes care of a lowly creature like a raven, he will surely care for you, the crown of creation and a person whom Christ died for! He won’t forget about or abandon you!
Jesus then moves to a flower. He says, “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith.” Flowers by their beauty praise their creator. Jesus essentially says with these two examples, “When you see creation, don’t you see my Father’s care? Don’t you see the concern my Father has for everything all around you? Then surely you know that my Father is concerned for you as well.” Jesus speaks through His creation to encourage us to let God be God and to let us also be his trusting creatures. However, this ongoing display of God’s care does not stop us from worrying.
Jesus tells us that the real reason for our worry stems from that we are seeking the wrong things. Our anxiety proves our misdirection. As humans, we can seek peace of mind in all the wrong places: hobbies, sports, people, money, social media. But Jesus says, “And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek His Kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” Jesus calls us to repent of our false seeking, and to trust Him. That includes worries for our families. It involves worries about finances and the future. God knows our needs and will provide in the way that He sees best. He gives us our daily bread! But, even acknowledging that we’re seeking the wrong things doesn’t stop us from worrying. The fact that it is bad for our physical bodies, faith life, and is futile doesn’t do the trick either. So, what does?
God breaking into our worrying world with His Kingdom is what takes our worry away. The King of the world entered into the place of our worry. Jesus lacked food for 40 days in the desert, being harassed by Satan. He lacked a place to lay His head; He had no place to call “home.” Jesus lived with all the reasons for worry, but He lived perfectly worry free for you. The King of the world at last had nothing to eat, and at the cross He thirsted. Jesus was stripped of every bit of clothing, so that, unlike the flowers, He had “no beauty that we should desire Him”. When Jesus had nothing, and even His life was taken from Him, Jesus gave us everything. The real and only reason not to worry is this: “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” The Kingdom of Jesus is ours, not by our worrying, but by His cross and rising to live for us. It is a gift. It is a gift that God loves to give. It is a gift that He gives you! The Kingdom of Jesus’ is ours, even when we worry, because of His grace.
The Kingdom will change our worry to a freedom to share, a freedom to give, a freedom to store up real treasures in heaven that we don’t have to worry about. Moths or thieves won’t be a threat. In repentance, we name our anxiety as idolatry, and we receive the Lord’s forgiveness for our worry. Stress over your job? You are justified in Christ. Anxiety over the aging parents and kids, absolved. Worry over finances? Forgiven. Health problems keep you up at night? You are declared “holy” in God’s sight. God will provide in the way that He deems best for you in Christ Jesus. The King will come again, and by the grace of God, we will be waiting for Him, worry free, to enter the fullness of His Kingdom forever.
So, there….no worries, but that is easier said than done. While we will always have things that worry us, and we cannot stop our worrying, ours is the Kingdom in which the King takes our worry away. In Jesus’ name, Amen.