Trust and Priorities

A Church article with View Comments posted 25 November 2009.
Tags: sermon, thanksgiving, trust

Occasion: Thanksgiving Eve, Year B
Text: Matthew 6:25-33

This sermon was prepared for the joint Thanksgiving Eve service between St. John’s and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Sterling, IL, and Immanuel Lutheran Church, Rock Falls, IL.

This evening, as we consider Jesus’ words in the Gospel, I think we’ve got a long way to go. “Do not worry about your life?” Maybe he didn’t get the memo. We’re in the biggest economic disaster since the Great Depression. If ever there was a time to worry about our lives, this would be one. Let’s see here: the economy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, nuclear proliferation, Iran, domestic terrorism, Islamic terrorism, the health care debate, unemployment over 10% nationwide but closer to 16% in parts of this area… and that’s just the short list. We haven’t even started talking about how stressful Thanksgiving can be! Got to get the bird cooked, the table set, and make sure that everyone gets along. Lord Jesus preserve us from talking about politics or religion at the dinner table, right? It’s easy to believe that Jesus had no idea what we’re facing. Jesus, how can you tell us not to worry? You must not have seen this coming.

But consider the day and age that Jesus was speaking in. Times were hard, famines were common, and there were wars and rumors of wars. There was no grocery store, no modern medicine, no ubiquitous transportation, no instant communication around the world. To top it off, they lived in occupied territory – occupied by the brutal military oppression of the Roman Empire. There was no freedom, no civil rights, very little freedom of religion. It was no picnic living as an Israelite in Jesus’ day. In fact, I’m quite convinced that Jesus’ hearers would have found what he was saying as hard to swallow then as it is for us now. For most of us, life is not simple, easy, or worry-free.

Of course, we know that Jesus is not ignorant of this reality. He knows that we face struggles, temptations, and all the other things which lead us to worry. And in the midst of this, he turns us to consider all of creation. If God cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, how much more will He care for us who are made in His image?

God cares about us. God knows what we need. And the remarkable thing is the promise we have that comes at the end of this passage. Jesus tells us that if we strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, God will provide for our everyday needs. We can choose to hear that in one of two ways. The first way is to make this into a law, something like: “If you strive for the kingdom of God, you’ll have no lack of the things you need.” The problem with that view is that it doesn’t line up with reality: I know of plenty of very faithful Christians who are very poor.

I think instead Jesus is presenting us with a challenge to our priorities. Instead of focusing on what we are going to eat or drink or wear, we first strive for the kingdom of God. We first strive for God to be King of our lives. It’s not quid pro quo, it’s not tit-for-tat, it’s certainly not “you scratch God’s back and God will scratch yours.” It’s a question of priorities – and when we put God first, we’ll find that we worry less because we’ll trust God more.

Here’s an example: When I was little I was playing over at my grandparents house, and I fell down and bumped my elbow. It really hurt, and I was a little teary. (I was a little kid – give me a break!) My grandfather, who would normally never have done anything like this, called me over and started to pinch my ear – hard! It hurt way more than my elbow did. Afterwards, I was pretty mad at my grandpa and had cried a whole lot more, but I wasn’t paying much attention to that elbow anymore. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, and it wasn’t a good thing to do, but my attention was entirely captivated by that pinched ear, and other pains paled in comparison. How much more pleasant for we who trust God, our gracious and loving Father, that when we put our faith and trust in the Master of the Universe, our worries and fears take a back seat to the way he provides for us.

You see, the fact is that you and I are made to trust God. That’s our purpose in life. Did you know that? You don’t have to read books or go to seminars to know what your purpose in life is – it’s just to trust God. In fact, you all owe me big time – I just saved you all a ton of money on self-help tapes! Christians call trusting God “faith.” We have faith that God will provide.

On this Thanksgiving Eve, recognizing that all we have comes from God and belongs to God, we turn our hearts to the one who created us and we say “Thank you, Lord.” Thank you for our lives – though at times we face difficulties. Thank you for our families – though at times we face difficulties. Thank you for our homes and our jobs and all that you have given us. And as we look out into the world, sincerely worrying about what the next year might bring, we also say “Come, Lord Jesus. Walk beside us and calm our fears.” For the one who has promised these things is faithful, and we can trust that he will provide for us. Thank you Lord for the faith to trust that you will provide for us as we follow where you lead. In Jesus name, Amen.