Sermon for May 25th

Gas prices are really high. That means that oil prices are really high. I wish I could bottle up some of the sunshine this summer and keep it for winter, but unfortunately I don’t know how. Of course, property values are high, and that’s good, but only if you are planning on moving soon and can find a buyer. It costs a lot more to buy milk these days and if you like to buy organic vegetables, the price isn’t real low either. Of course, you can buy the cheap processed foods more often, but then you have to worry about trans fat, antibiotics and the obesity problem in America. You want to hang out more with your kids so they feel loved, but you have to work more hours so they feel full and warm. You know that bringing work home will stress out your family, but you know that bottling up your feelings is bad for your health. Oh yeah, and Jesus says, “Do not worry.”

Yeah right. How can’t we? Why wouldn’t we worry? We have every right to worry! Of course, everyone knows that they SHOULD not worry. Worrying hurts us physically as well as emotionally. Everyone knows this. I’ve heard Christians point to this section of the Bible and say, “Look! Look! The Bible is so amazing because it gives this helpful advice.” But this isn’t anything really new is it? Every psychologist could tell you the same thing, do not worry. Yeah, duh! So who cares! That’s nothing new. Why does Jesus say this at all? Is he just being a good psychologist?

Today’s passage begins with the following statement: no one can serve two masters. You see, everyone and everything is in service to something. For instance, Jesus proclaims that, life is more than food and the body is more than clothing. This is correct of course, because food serves life, it sustains our bodily functions, and clothing serves the body, it keeps it warm and protected. In the same way, Jesus tells us not to serve wealth but to be served by our wealth.

Life is more than the money and possessions we store away, but we can serve one another with our money and possessions to sustain life. In the musical, The Fiddler on the Roof, the leading role, Tevya says this to God, “I know it’s no shame to be poor, but it’s not an honor either.” In other words, God does not judge your life based on your wealth or lack of it. Wealth comes from God, so even wealth can serve God. Jesus points out that it is, at best, silly to worship money, and at worst idolatry. Why not worship the one who created it all instead?

So let me summarize this passage for you. Do not worry about how you are going to take care of the ordinary things in your life. Pay attention instead to who is giving you everything. When you know that you are not finally responsible for your life, your worries will be seen in a very different way.

You see, we usually think of worry as something that is simply bad for your health. I worry too much and so this causes stress on my body, my pulse increases, I have a higher risk for heart attacks and high blood pressure. Of course, then we just start worrying about being worried. It is a never ending cycle. Anxiety breeds anxiety. The same is true of depression. When you are depressed you can try and try to not be so blue, but, when you fail, it makes you feel that much more depressed.

I am a pastor, not a psychologist. Psychologists and psychiatrists are gifted by God in a particular way and with wonderful skills that can be very helpful for many people, but I am not a psychologist. I am a pastor. And the gospel text today is taken from the Bible, a book used to strengthen your faith. It is not from a research paper on anxiety, to strengthen your resolve. Therefore, while it is true that you should not worry and there might be many helpful techniques or even medicines to help you deal with the stress in your life, I am really not authorized to give you any advice in this area. Thankfully, this passage doesn’t point us in that direction for help.

“Do not worry,” Jesus says. “Do not worry about your life what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.” You are not responsible for providing your food and clothing. God is. Therefore, worry is more than some unhelpful psychological response that is up to you to get under control. Worrying is finally a sin against God and his promise to provide for your daily needs and your eternal life. Worry is a trust problem sinners have with God. We do not trust him to do what he is responsible to do, namely, feed us, clothe us and sustain our lives.

When Jesus says that you cannot serve God and wealth, he is not asking you to make a decision. He knows that you have already made your choice to serve wealth. But this is difficult for us to imagine, that we have already made the choice. We like to imagine ourselves as manual transmission sports cars that are always idling in neutral until we decide to shift into first gear or back into reverse. When Jesus says, “Do not worry,” we imagine he’s asking us to make pull forward and make good choices rather than shift into reverse and make bad choices. But we are always going somewhere. We are always making choices. We are never in a neutral gear. Unless God chases us down, and points out what gear we are in, we will always choose to trust in our money to get us by, serving wealth above anything else and leaving God behind to eat our dust.

“Do not worry about your life,” Jesus says, “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?” Jesus isn’t saying that these things aren’t important, or aren’t worth worrying about. He is saying that, in fact, there are even more things you could worry about. There is even more to this life. He doesn’t just stop at food and clothing where we might stop. For us, here in Cornwall, Jesus is not just talking about gas, oil, high food prices, wars, earthquakes and cyclones. Jesus says, “Is not life more than these things?” Life is about these things and even about more than these things?

Jesus raises the bar higher, ”Do not worry about anything, not even eternal life. God is in control of all of these things.” “Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” In other words, Jesus is saying that we can trust God not just to provide for our daily meals, our oil bills, and a good government, but we can trust him with the real big stuff—even eternal life. It’s not just one or the other, it is everything. God is responsible for all of your life on earth and your eternal life—everything!

Let me put it this way, when Jesus says, “Do not worry” he is not giving you advice, he is pointing out your sin. And let me tell you, if you understand what that means it will give you a peace that passes all understanding. Why? Because when your anxiety is a sin and not just your personal personality defect, then Jesus has the cure and can break the cycle.

It is only in this situation, standing as a sinner amongst other sinners, that I am authorized to say anything about your anxiety and worries. In the name of Jesus Christ, I declare unto you the entire forgiveness of all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. I forgive you for not trusting God to provide for your daily needs. I forgive you for not trusting God with your plans and possibilities. I forgive you for not praying to God for relief at all times. I forgive you for relying on your own abilites rather than on God’s grace to see you through.

I forgive you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for serving wealth rather than serving God. For serving yourself rather than others. Trying to protect your life through obtaining wealth, rather than serving others and trusting God with your life. Despite what you have done, despite your constant worrying, God cries out with joy that you are pleasing in his sight.

I expect gas prices will be going up again next week. Six dollars by the end of summer some people say. This means that food prices will continue to go up and so will lots of other commodities. Your IRS stimulus check will probably be gone before you know it. And then, you may find yourself in this situation again, telling yourself not to worry. Being forgiven for worrying doesn’t mean you won’t do it again here on Earth. You also don’t have to start worrying about worrying even if it is a sin. It means that you can trust God himself to deal with your sins, with your worries, instead of relying on yourself to deal with them on your own.

So we pray to God to give us relief from these burdens of finances. We pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, to help us realize the abundance he has given us. We pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, to be showered with blessings so that we can be a blessing to others who may also be in need. And, when you find yourself buried again under the weight your worries, and you cannot find it within you to trust in God to actually do what he says he will do, just admit it. Confess your sins and find a preacher. Whether it is me or another of your Christians brothers and sisters.

When Jesus says, “Do not worry,” he is not giving you good advice, he is pointing out your trust problem so he can forgive it. And once your sins have been brought to light and forgiven, the words become a promise—good news. “Do not worry.” The creator of all life is responsible for you. “Do not worry.” He forgives you sins. “Do not worry.” He is responsible to love you, to feed you, to clothe you and to take care of you. You may put your trust in him. Do not worry. He is faithful and he will do it. Amen.