Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity
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Matt 6:24-34
Matt 6:24-34
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I want you to take out your Gospel lesson and follow along with me here as we work through it. For our Lord and Savior has words of precious comfort for us in this life. He knows our struggles, our pains, and even what makes us feel scared, or anxious. He would have us understand the hope and the peace that is found in him. What better reading could we ask for this weekend as we just observed the 20th Anniversary of 9/11 yesterday.
You will notice the verse that leads into this section talking about anxiety says you cannot serve God and money, but the greek there is really mammon which isn’t just money, but all possessions. If there is one thing that plagues mankind it is a fixation on material goods and wealth, but Jesus says here that you cannot serve God and your wealth, possessions, all the stuff of life. So this isn’t just talking about offering and setting aside your tithe, but this even refers to life. You cannot serve your world and God at the same time. This doesn’t mean there aren’t wealthy people who are godly, but they don’t serve their possessions, they serve God.
So in the very next verse, Jesus says that you are to not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or drink nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Here Now this might be a bit surprising for food, drink, body and clothing are our basic needs. We live in a land that is fairly blessed, but that doesn’t change the fact that these things are still needed, and when you realize that Jesus was talking about money and worldly possessions, this is to remind us that they are to have their proper place.
Then in the next verse Jesus points the people to what they see every day, the birds of the air, who don’t plant seeds in the spring, they don’t harvest in the fall, nor store grain in barns, and what God provides for them. Who are you, you aren’t a bird, you are the sons and daughters of Adam who was created separate and distinct from all of creation and given the Image of God. Why are you being anxious if God loves you more than He loves the birds and all the other animals of the world?
Jesus here chides the large crowd before him, and us as well, when he says, and which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life. There are a great number of things that a person can worry about, but God has already set the day of your death. That is outside of your control. Now if He was an angry and vengeful God then you would all sorts of reasons to worry, but then what would that accomplish? Consider the Love that He has for you that He would give up His own Son to save you? If God did that, why are you worried about food, or drink, when God has given you eternal life?
He then goes on and addresses clothing as well saying And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
When Adam and Eve fell into sin, and God found in the garden, he found them clothed in leaves, but do you know what He did for them? He killed the first animal after giving to them the promise of salvation through that precious seed that is Christ. God clothed them with those garments as they went out into the world.
God watches over us as well, this doesn’t mean we will have the fanciest or best clothing in this world, but we will be covered. Not only has he provided for you clothes to cover your body, but also He has given you a garment that far outshines all earthly garments. In baptism you were clothed in the Robe of Christ’s Righteousness that is what Graham received this morning. There is nothing more precious in the world than that garment. We often mistake material wealth with God’s favor or blessing, but they aren’t one and the same. Rather God’s favor is found in what we are given in Baptism. If you are clothed with that garment, you have far more beautiful than any suit or dress that has ever been made. For that garment given by God to you, gives to you the Holy Spirit, forgiveness, life and salvation.
Jesus does chide once again, saying O you of little faith. For to be anxious about these things is to forget God’s providence and not only what He has provided for you so far, but that He can continue to provide for you in the future.
Then Jesus says, Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Our Lord and Savior who was willing to give up his own life for you reminds that you shouldn’t be anxious about these things, for the people who are anxious about these things, aren’t the followers of God, but the pagans, the unbelievers, for they don’t realize that they have a God who provides for them, who is watching out for them. In fact did you know that in 1 Peter you are encouraged to cast all your anxieties, all worries on him because He cares for you. It says that in black and white.
For us to worry about doesn’t accomplish anything, well except making ya miserable as you constantly worry about what is going to happen. If your worries accomplished something good, that would be one thing, but worries often stem from fear, be it lack of control, be it lack of possessions, be it the fear of loss. But see what Christ has laid before your eyes, that in spite of your feelings the God of all creation cares for you. While you might not have everything you want, you do have what you need.
That is why Jesus was talking about serving God and money or possessions, that is often what we look to first of all, and why stewardship series make us uncomfortable. It’s because all of us are tempted to look first at our possessions to think that they will keep us safe. How could God want me to give up what I need to live, life is hard enough already. But could it be hard, because we so focused on holding on to the things that we forget the one who gave them all to us is still providing for us.
The giver of these good gifts didn’t go away or vanish, but has promised to be with us always. When instead we should see who is the one providing for us. That is why Jesus says seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.
When you understand that Jesus’ final words here will make sense, why we should not worry about tomorrow, because today has enough trouble on its own. But God is providing for you.
Now one thing we should talk about is because lazy people often misconstrue what Jesus is saying here and will try to twist God’s Word to justify their own sinfulness. Look at the text, and how many times does Jesus talk about being anxious? 6 times he addresses it, and 3 times he says don’t be anxious, that is don’t worry. Now how many times does Jesus say don’t work. Does he ever say to just lay around and do nothing?
This is important distinction that must be made so that you can go about the work that God has given you in peace and joy. Have you ever done everything right and failed or doesn’t work out the wya you want? That is because the outcome is in God’s hands, you do what’s right and leave the outcome to God. The reason that we often worry or are anxious is that we forget this, and instead work towards an end that God does not have in mind.
That is how Christians have found peace throughout the ages, and why they have had strength to endure all manner of troubles, being persecuted, captured, killed, or watched planes fly into buildings. They knew that their Father was watching over them. For even if our life ends, God will use our death to bring us to paradise. So what do you have to be anxious about? You are more valuable than birds and flowers, in fact we are so valuable that the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us to save us.
So my brothers and sisters in Christ, don’t be anxious, rather see that God watches over all Creation and He is even watching over you. Do what is right and leave the outcome in God’s hands. For it might not be what you want, but God has promised that he will work all things to the God, for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. In Jesus name. Amen.