8 EPIPH A MATTHEW 6:24-34 David Eck
2/27/11
I. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
---What you will eat or what you will drink,
---Or about your body, what you will wear."
This is the advice Jesus gives us in our gospel lesson for today.
---In fact, if we look at the text carefully
---We will notice that the word "worry"
---Appears six times in the span of eleven verses
Apparently Jesus is trying to tell us something
---And the message is loud and clear.
---It can be summed up in the words
---Of an old Bobby McFerrin song from the 1980's
---"Don't worry. Be happy."
The song drove me nuts then!
---It still drives me nuts today!
---"Don't worry. Be happy?"
Isn't that a bit unrealistic?
---Isn't that simply looking at the world
---Through rose colored glasses?
Don't worry. Be happy?
---How do we do this?
---After all, there is much to worry about
---In our complicated and mixed up world
We worry about global climate changes
---That may, one day, bring an end
---To the human race
We worry about the war with Afghanistan
---That has claimed far too many lives
---And wasted far too many resources
We worry about our finances
---As we watch the price of gas, groceries,
---And other basic necessities
---Spiral out of control
We worry about how we're going to
---Meet our financial needs at the church
---With everyone feeling the crunch
---Of the current recession.
We worry about our kids and grandchildren;
---What they will be when they grow up,
---Hoping that we've given them the skills they need
---To make their way in the world
We worry about our health
---And the health of our family and friends
We worry about job security
---And whether some of us
---Will ever be able to afford to retire
Don't worry. Be happy?
---It seems like a tall order to fill.
---And yet, this is the message of our gospel lesson
"Do not worry about your life,
---What you will eat or what you will drink,
---Or about your body, what you will wear...
---Do not worry about tomorrow,
---For tomorrow will bring worries of its own"
II. As we hear the words of our gospel lesson for today
---It sounds like a wonderful notion
---Even if it seems impractical or impossible to accomplish.
We would all like to be free from worry.
---We would all like to go though life
---With joyous hearts and a buoyant spirits
And so, brothers and sisters in Christ
---It appears that our task this morning
---Is to wade through the rest of the text
---And see if we can gather some clues
---As to how we can become worry free people.
---We must "consider" Jesus' logic
---And see how we can apply it to our lives
We begin with Jesus' opening statement
---"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
---What you will eat or what you will drink,
---Or about your body, what you will wear.
---Is not life more than food,
---And the body more than clothing?"
Good as New: A Radical Retelling of the Scriptures
---States it rather bluntly:
---"Stop fretting about things of no importance.
---What does it matter what you eat or drink
---Or whether your clothes are in fashion?
---A good life doesn't depend on
---Going to posh restaurants or having a full wardrobe."
With this opening statement
---Jesus is trying to give us the gift of perspective.
---Having a healthy perspective is the first step
---To becoming less worrisome in life.
According to Jesus, some matters are more important than others,
---Some worries are worth worrying about
---And others simply aren't worth the effort
At this point in his teaching
---Jesus gives a few examples
---Of things we should stop worrying about:
---What kind of food we eat
---What kind of drink we drink
---What kind of clothes we wear
He then proceeds with two illustrations
---In order to make his point
III. The first illustration is
---"Look at the birds of the air;
---They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns,
---And yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
---Are you not of more value than they?
---And can any of you by worrying
---Add a single hour to your span of life?"
The word "look" in Greek is EMBLEPO [em-blep'-o]
---Which means to "consider" or "look straight at"
----To "discern" or "observe"
In other words, Jesus is NOT telling us to go bird watching.
---He's telling us to consider this illustration carefully,
---To look deeply into the way nature works.
When we do this, we will have a better perspective
---Of how God works in our world and in our lives
And so, Jesus tells us "Look carefully at the birds of the air
---They don't plan where their next meal is coming from
---And yet God feeds them.
---Don't you think God will do the same for you?
---So don't worry so much about matters such as these"
Luke's version of this teaching identifies the birds as "ravens" [Lk 12:24]
---And I believe Jesus means for us to think of wild birds
---Instead of domesticated ones such as chickens
---That are taken care of and fed by their owners
As we ponder this illustration we are reminded that nature
---Has an incredible capacity to provide
---For many different kind of animals, including birds
It has nurtured and sustained them for millennia
---And it will nurture and sustain us as well
Therefore, we should be able to let go
---Of some of our worries
---Regarding basic sustenance in life.
We many not always be able
---To eat at the finest restaurants in town
---However, as people of faith we should be able to trust
---That God will provide these things for us
IV. There is a similar teaching a few chapters later in Matthew's gospel
---Where Jesus tells the crowd
---"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?
---Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
---And even the hairs of your head are all counted....
So do not be afraid; [i.e. do not worry]
---You are of more value than many sparrows." [Mt 10:29-31]
The prevailing wisdom of these two illustrations seems to be saying
---That if God cares and provides for wild birds
---HOW MUCH MORE will God care and provide for us
The key to letting go of worry appears to be
---Having faith in the God whose desire
---Is to nurture and provide for all of God's children
This sentiment is echoed
---In the well-known and much loved spiritual
---"His Eye is On the Sparrow" which tells us
---"I sing because I'm happy. I sing because I'm free.
---His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me."
---Don't worry. Be happy, indeed!
V. The second illustration Jesus uses is related to the first
---"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;
---They neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you,
---Even Solomon in all his glory
---Was not clothed like one of these.
---But if God clothes the grass of the field,
---Which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven,
---Will be not much more clothe you
---You of little faith?"
Again, Jesus begins his illustration
---With a verb that tells us
---We are doing more than casually strolling through the fields
---Picking bunches of wild flowers
The word "consider" in the Greek is KATAMANTHANO [kat-am-an-than'-o]
---Which means "to learn thoroughly" or "to note carefully"
---It essentially has the same meaning as the word "look"
This time, however, the illustration changes to the "lilies of the field,"
---Which is not a cultivated plant like an Easter lily.
---It is a wild flower that grows in the Galilean mountains.
---To give you a visual picture, these wild lilies
---Grow on a single stock with a beautiful cluster
---Of tiny delicate flowers at the end of the stem.
They come in both white and purple varieties
---And are beautifully and intricately designed
Jesus, tells us to look carefully at these wild flowers
---That bloom everywhere in the countryside.
---They don't have to work for a living
---And yet they are better dressed than King Solomon
---With all his beads and bangles.
---If this is the case, why should we worry about clothing?
---If God goes to this much trouble
---To adorn something as fleeting as a plant,
---HOW MUCH MORE will God clothe us?
This second illustration reinforces the lesson
---Jesus is trying to teach in the first:
---The key to letting go of worry
---Is to have faith in the God whose desire
---Is to nurture and provide for all of God's children
This sentiment is stated rather humorously by Cyndi Lauper,
---The red headed New Wave singer from the 1980's
---Who said "God loves all the flowers,
---Even the wild ones which grow on the side of the road."
God cares for the wild flowers.
---God cares for his "wild" children.
---Can we have the faith that this is the truth of the gospel?
---Can we let go of some of our worries and fears
---And trust that God will provide for us?
This is the challenge of our gospel lesson
---Don't worry. Be happy, indeed!
VI. Jesus finishes his teaching on worry
---With a statement that challenges us to the core:
---"Strive first for the Kingdom of God and his righteousness,
---And all these things will be given to you as well.
---So do not worry about tomorrow,
---For tomorrow will bring worries of its own.
---Today's trouble is enough for today."
---[Can I get an "Amen" to that?]
Good As New translates Jesus' words of wisdom
---With striking clarity: "Center your minds on God's New World.
---Use your energy to create a just and fair society.
---Then you can live it up!
---Don't fret about the future.
---It's pointless to worry about things before they happen.
---Live one day at a time."
If we hear what the Spirit is saying
---To God's people today
---We have been issued a challenge
The challenge comes in the form of a question
---Can we live fully in this present moment?
---Can set aside our worries about the past and the future?
---Can we stop obsessing over the material things in life
---And have the faith that God will show us the way
---Even if it is only one day at a time?
Brothers and sisters in Christ
---This is a tremendous challenge for all of us
---Including your pastor
To live fully in the present moment
---Is a powerful way to live
It means we have to let go of our need to be in charge.
---It means we need to muster enough faith
---To trust that God is going to get us through this day,
---And the next, and the next
God takes care of wild birds and wild flowers
---Surely God will take care of all of us as well
Keep this in mind as you make your way
---Through the worries of this week
---And may the God who says "Don't worry. Be Happy"
---Set our overburdened spirits free
---That we may live and laugh and love
---In the name of Christ!
AMEN
