Loving God, you bless us with your bounty and provide for us all that is needed.  Teach us to set our anxiety aside and to trust in you instead, even as we give thanks for Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    These days, you don’t have to look very far to find anxiety.  People are worried about whether they will have a job or not.  Some worry about investments and pension funds and whether they will be able to retire or not.  Some worry about being able to pay the bills from month to month and having food and shelter and clothing.  Some live in a state of constant anxiety because of the behaviour of family members.  Some live in fear of getting sick – and what if there is a pandemic?

    In case people aren’t worried enough already, there is plenty in the media that aims to heighten our anxiety.  Are you protected?  Do you have your emergency kit?  Will you be the one who dies from the flu?  Have you gotten your insurance to protect yourself?  Could you or your family be at risk?  Are you in danger of losing everything?  Oh, and, by the way – have you washed your hands enough lately?

    And into this swirl of anxiety comes Jesus, saying, “do not worry about your life” (Mt. 6:25).  In today’s gospel, as in the first reading from Joel, we are pointed first to God’s care of the plants and the animals and the birds and the trees.  “Do not fear, O soil,” says Joel (2:21).  “Do not fear, you animals of the field” (Joel 2:22).  For God has provided the rain and the green grass and the trees that bear fruit and the wine and the grain and the oil.  In the same way, Joel says to the people, Rejoice, and be glad, and give thanks.  God has provided for you abundantly.

    In the same way, Jesus points to the lilies of the field and the birds of the air.  He says, “Look how God takes care of these and clothes them and feeds them.  How much more will your heavenly Father feed and clothe you?”  I can’t help but think of what Martin Luther writes in the Small Catechism regarding the first article of the Apostles’ Creed.  He writes,

I believe that God has created me and all that exists.  He has given me and still preserves my body and soul with all their powers.  He provides me with food and clothing, home and family, daily work, and all I need from day to day.

    Of course, the first question that comes to mind for many people is, “What about those who don’t have enough food or clothing or jobs or a home or a family?”  The answer given in today’s gospel is this: “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt. 6:33).

    Those who truly live seeking God’s will, in trust and thanksgiving, and who live in community with their brothers and sisters in Christ always have their basic needs met.  In part, this is because brothers and sisters in Christ look out for one another and care for one another.  However, this provision also comes out of our relationship with God, and God uses many different means to provide for our needs.

    I have spoken to a number of different people who have very little but are quite content and give thanks to God.  Whatever they have, they share with others.  They give things away to those who can use them.  They give and they trust that God will provide.  And they have always had their basic needs met, and they are content and give thanks.

    I have spoken to other people who have more than they need and yet worry about every penny.  They worry about investments and insurance.  They scrimp and save – after all, you never know when you might need something.  They hold on as tightly as they can to what they have – because you never know what tomorrow might bring.

    Now, this is not to say that all those who have an abundance of resources live without trusting and giving thanks.  Yet, perhaps we are more inclined to rely only on ourselves when we have a lot to start with.  The key is to remember the Source of all that we have and to live in a relationship of trust and thanksgiving with God.

    Joel Osteen tells the story of a man who had lost his business and his home and his family and who was living in his car (Your Best Life Now, pp. 222-3).  This man was feeling pretty hopeless about any prospects for a better life.  Joel suggested to him that he should start doing whatever he could to help others.  In doing so, his focus would be taken off of his own problems and would move outward to the needs of those around him.

    The man took Joel’s suggestion and started working with a group that helped drug addicts.  The man became a friend to many of the addicts and listened to their stories.  A few weeks later, Joel saw the man again and his whole attitude had changed.  Somebody had offered him a job, he was moving into an apartment, and he knew that God was good.  Simply by taking his focus off of himself and seeking to help whoever he could, his whole life got turned in a new direction.  “Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt. 6:33).

    At base, today’s gospel lays out two alternatives: Living with an attitude of trust and thankfulness to God or living with constant worry and anxiety.  I’d like to relate this to H1N1 for just a moment.  I have observed of late many anxiety-producing media reports and even policies adopted by churches that seem to me to be largely fear based.  Now, I have no problem with basic common sense – like staying home when you’re sick, or not sneezing or coughing on your neighbour, or washing your hands when you should be, or even using hand sanitizers when needed.

    However, I also have to ask, where is our trust in God?  Is God not the giver of health and salvation? And when does our fear of getting sick turn into a lack of trust in God?  I remember reading somewhere not too long ago about the time of the plague in Europe (and I’m not suggesting that H1N1 is anything like the plague!).  When the plague struck, Christians were the only ones who were willing to care for the sick and the dying.  This was not because they had a death wish.  Rather, their trust was in God, and their lives were in God’s hands.  Certainly, some of them also got sick and died. Yet, they believed that they were doing the work of God’s kingdom and that they belonged to Christ whether in life or in death.  Their lives were in God’s hands, and they continued to live as servants of God and brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6-7).

These verses are from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, and echo the message of today’s gospel.  This is not about ignoring reality, but about living in a relationship of love and trust with the Creator of the Universe.  Our God is quite capable of looking after us and, in fact, promises to do so when we seek God’s kingdom and God’s will.

    Let us then give thanks for all of the good things that we have received, even as we bring our requests and our intercessions to God.  And then, trusting in our Saviour Jesus Christ, let us strive first for the kingdom of God and for God’s righteousness, and all these other things will be added to us as well.  Amen.

Thanksgiving Sunday (B)                            Matthew 6:25-33
October 11, 2009                                Joel 2:21-27
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2009 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved