Matthew 6:25-34
Thursday, 24 April 2008
Being competitive is a part of my nature. Most of the time, I try to use this tendency as a motivation to do more of what is good and right. But occasionally I find myself in the mode of "keeping up with the Joneses." Every now and then I find myself looking at my neighbor and comparing myself to her or him. And you know how that moment of comparison and judgment makes me feel? Anxious.
Our text today is one of the most famous in scripture because it expresses the primacy of the kingdom over every material concern, even for necessary things. Jesus' expression is even more vivid in the King James Version. Where the NRSV says "Don't worry," the KJV says "Take no thought." It's almost startling to read Jesus telling his disciples not to think at all about the very things that most consume our attention. After all, food, clothing and shelter are basic needs. All around us people are stressed about how they will provide for themselves. But Jesus doesn't want us to look around us at our friends and families; he wants us to look at the flowers. When we consider the flowers and the birds, we realize that taking care of ourselves is not our top priority. Our top priority is God's kingdom and God's righteousness.
In this season of economic downturn, when anxiety fills so many hearts and when the desire to show off materially could have disastrous effects on our present and future, it is good to be reminded to look at lilies and sparrows. We cannot afford to let the anxieties of this world distract us either from the security we have in a loving God who provides or from the responsibility God has given us to seek God's reign and justice.
Sing, "His Eye is on the Sparrow"
Loving God, we bring all of are cares and concerns to you. We thank you for the reminder that you care for us and that you have always taken care of us. May we grow in our trust in you and in our commitment to your righteous rule here on earth as it is in heaven. Keep us centered in our purpose as your children; rid us of our anxiety and make us secure in your love. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen
Showing posts with label anxiety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anxiety. Show all posts
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Time Has Come 12 February 2008
Mark 1:14-28
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
I know that it is still the first week of Lent, but I have to admit that I'm getting anxious. The problem is not a craving for the various foods I have "given up." The food and the fast are just signs of a deeper issue. I said it already a few days ago. I have come to this Lenten season with some concerns, with an agenda. And while I am anticipating God's great work in my life, I am not known for my patience. Indeed I have been requesting the prayers of those who are closest to me. Pray, I say to them, that neither my faith nor my patience fails. And I know that I'm not the only one who struggles with the waiting.
Following Jesus' baptism, John the Baptist was arrested and placed in prison. At that very moment, Jesus' public ministry began with his entrance into Galilee announcing the words that every anxious person longs to hear. "The time has come." The implications of his statement intensified along with the delight of his audience. "The kingdom of God has come near." Initially, Jesus' hearers must have anticipated that the kingdom of which he spoke represented the overthrow of the corrupt empire epitomized in the actions of evil king Herod who imprisoned John. The season of waiting was finally over. God would arise and God's people would be free. But wait. Jesus was not proclaiming the overthrow of the Roman empire or even the rescue of John from the chopping block. "Repent and believe the good news." From that time on, Jesus called disciples, "Follow me."
Confronted with the truth of the text, I have to admit that most of the time the work that God most desires to do is the internal work on me. I want God to avenge the righteous and overthrow the evil. God wants to pick me up, turn me around, and place my feet on solid ground. Indeed the time has come, not for God to chase after my enemies, but for me to follow after my Christ. The time has come to repent and believe. That is, after all, the primary agenda of Lent.
Sing "Where He Leads Me"
Let us pray:
Loving God, we confess that sometimes in our hurry and anxiety we miss the crucial lessons that you are trying to teach us. Help us to take one day at a time in this Lenten season, slowing down to listen for your voice and giving our attention to the call to follow you. Continue to confront us with the truth that we need to repent and believe. Help us to trust that in following you we will find the fulfillment of everything else in its own, in your own time, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
I know that it is still the first week of Lent, but I have to admit that I'm getting anxious. The problem is not a craving for the various foods I have "given up." The food and the fast are just signs of a deeper issue. I said it already a few days ago. I have come to this Lenten season with some concerns, with an agenda. And while I am anticipating God's great work in my life, I am not known for my patience. Indeed I have been requesting the prayers of those who are closest to me. Pray, I say to them, that neither my faith nor my patience fails. And I know that I'm not the only one who struggles with the waiting.
Following Jesus' baptism, John the Baptist was arrested and placed in prison. At that very moment, Jesus' public ministry began with his entrance into Galilee announcing the words that every anxious person longs to hear. "The time has come." The implications of his statement intensified along with the delight of his audience. "The kingdom of God has come near." Initially, Jesus' hearers must have anticipated that the kingdom of which he spoke represented the overthrow of the corrupt empire epitomized in the actions of evil king Herod who imprisoned John. The season of waiting was finally over. God would arise and God's people would be free. But wait. Jesus was not proclaiming the overthrow of the Roman empire or even the rescue of John from the chopping block. "Repent and believe the good news." From that time on, Jesus called disciples, "Follow me."
Confronted with the truth of the text, I have to admit that most of the time the work that God most desires to do is the internal work on me. I want God to avenge the righteous and overthrow the evil. God wants to pick me up, turn me around, and place my feet on solid ground. Indeed the time has come, not for God to chase after my enemies, but for me to follow after my Christ. The time has come to repent and believe. That is, after all, the primary agenda of Lent.
Sing "Where He Leads Me"
Let us pray:
Loving God, we confess that sometimes in our hurry and anxiety we miss the crucial lessons that you are trying to teach us. Help us to take one day at a time in this Lenten season, slowing down to listen for your voice and giving our attention to the call to follow you. Continue to confront us with the truth that we need to repent and believe. Help us to trust that in following you we will find the fulfillment of everything else in its own, in your own time, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen
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