"Who lives like that in our community?" So our conversation about this passage began. "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear." God will provide. Consider the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. These thoughts all sound good, but what role do they play in the real world? Should we fire our financial planners? Are we to be irresponsible? Our conversation moved to a discussion about worry. The truth is that we can be consumed with worry. How much is enough? Is money a priority? How can finances and worry about money divide a family? One of the real concerns with aging parents can often revolve around finances. Parents work their whole life to create a nest egg to provide for their future, but when the future arrives, they do not want to touch that nest egg for any reason. They are so worried about having enough and not wanting to be a burden. Too many families have become deeply divided over an inheritance. That money was to provide for a better tomorrow for everyone, but become the occasion for a bleaker one. Everyone in the group agreed how worrying about finances has impacted their lives and family. And the kicker is that worry accomplishes nothing. Being anxious does not improve the situation.
This focus on worry also lead to another point. In reading the words of Jesus, everyone in the group felt indicted. However, the point of Jesus is not to have us feel bad. The point of Jesus is to hold up a mirror. The truth is that we do worry too much. That truth becomes a part of my confession. Left to our own devises, we tend to worry. We need to lift up those worries to God and turn them over. We need to be reassured that God knows our worries, and still cares for us, holds us, and will provide for us.
All of this being said, Jesus is not encouraging irresponsibility. Jesus was not addressing someone who was doing nothing, but someone who was overly worried. Jesus calls us to be engaged in the world, however, we are to keep our focus on God. If we keep our focus on God, everything else will fall into place. The truth is that we can do Kingdom work wherever we find ourselves. We lifted up example after example of people we know whose focus has been on caring for others, on being a person of integrity, of making a difference, rather than the paycheck or status. In other words, they have been doing Kingdom business and guess what, God has provided. These people have been very successful without focusing on success. They have been great providers while being people of God.
Finally, we talked about the ways God provides within the life of our own congregation. These are scary times for many people. We have watched as people have lost their jobs. How do we see God providing at those times? The truth is that we have watched the church spring into action. The church has been their for people. The church has been as expression of God's providing. We are not alone.
Peace,
Pastor Summer
No comments:
Post a Comment