Jesus Says: Don’t Worry!
Matthew 6:25-34 – November 24, 2024
Some people are real worriers. They worry about their house or apartment, they worry about their children or their parents, they worry about their job, their school, their friends, their car, their health – and that’s just to begin with! All of us know someone like this. And sometimes, worry about one or two, or even more of these things creeps into our hearts, too!
All of these things are troubles, concerns. Worries. The news on the radio, on the television, different media websites—all depend on worry, anxiety and fear to pull in their viewers. Here in our bible reading this morning, our Lord Jesus is telling us not to be filled with worry. Worry—anxiety—fear. When we come right down to it, this yucky predicament called worry sounds so familiar! We might not like it, we might be uncomfortable with it, but various yucky, fearful situations still happen to many of us, on a regular basis.
All the worry and anxiety I just mentioned? That was mostly external. Looking outward. Fear of people, places and things. Yes, common to all of us. Let’s up that worry and anxiety one notch higher. Let’s sprinkle some self-centered fear on it. Does that sound familiar, too?
Fear of the interior, that’s the inside job. Your insides, my insides. Our feelings and emotions, everything all mixed together like with a blender or a kitchen mixer. I imagine some people are so anxious and worried about what’s going on inside of them that they don’t even want to examine themselves, and do an inventory. They would far rather hide under a blanket. Or check out in ways that involve various addictions. Emotional insecurity is very real. Lots of people feel alone. All by themselves, and cut off from others. Bitterness and frustration can make things worse. Worry and anxiety can magnify those feelings, way out of control.
What can anyone do about this huge mountain of worry, fear, insecurity and anxiety?
Since this Sunday is Thanksgiving Sunday, our Gospel reading has a few things to say about all this worry and negativity. This reading is from the Sermon on the Mount. The second half of Matthew chapter 6 is all about treasure and where we can find it. As is often the case in Scripture, Jesus lets us know that He is summing up this section by beginning with the word “therefore.” “Therefore” is used “to indicate that the writer or speaker is drawing a conclusion. Jesus’ words here are very simple and to the point: worrying is pointless.” [1]
Wait a long minute, there! Worry is part and parcel of the human condition. Anxiety and fear of the unknown (and especially of what IS known, what we recognize coming up!) are so often sad realities. Worry is invasive, like a nasty, invasive plant. Those of you who garden are very much aware of these weeds, these choking, creeping plants that wind around the healthy flowers and vegetables we plant in our gardens.
I have heard a good deal about worry and anxiety in past years. In my previous job, I worked as a hospital chaplain, and now I am a hospice chaplain. Yes, I would pray with anyone who asked. But, I would also listen. As I listened, I heard about a whole lot of worry, anxiety and concern. And, rightfully so! Anxiety about upcoming treatment, worry about finances, awkward anticipation about losses of various kinds. But I would also hear about depression, anger, and self-pity. I’d hear about these painful emotions mixing and crashing around inside of people. Oftentimes, I would be helpless to do anything about it, except listen.
In my personal life today, I have concerns. Sure, I have thoughts that sometimes preoccupy my mind. I can live in yesterday for far too long of a time. I sometimes look forward to tomorrow—or next week with some fear and anxiety. I especially have concerns about an upcoming procedure in the hospital, very soon.
But what does Jesus tell us in this paragraph from the Gospel of Matthew? He talks about the beauty and the vastness of God’s creation. He tells us to pick up our heads and look around. Doesn’t God take care of the birds of the air and the beasts of the field? If God takes care of them, think about us. Think about you and me. Do you think for one minute that God would forget about you? Or, that God would forget about me?
One of my favorite commentators is the Rev. Janet Hunt. She is a Lutheran pastor, serving a church not too far away, in De Kalb – near the Northern Illinois campus. She talks frankly about being a worrier. She carried her fear and anxiety so deeply that her folks had her going to a therapist as a little girl (when that was still pretty unusual!). She said she still worries. She worried about where she put her cell phone the night before, She worried about an upcoming funeral sermon she needed to preach. She even worried about raking the leaves in her large yard!
Yet, Pastor Janet gets right to the point. She says, “Without a doubt, my worries are small and even when they aren’t they don’t seem to paralyze me as they do some [people]. Still, even my small worries get in the way of my living in the moment God has prepared for me. They take away from my fully experiencing and appreciating what is right in front of me.” [2]
This Gospel reading is certainly a challenge for me, today, with the unknown looming ahead of me. Yet, whether our worries are big or small, we can all be reminded of this precious gift Jesus offers us all, in pointing to God’s tender care for all that is in this world.
Anything can seem overwhelming, if we look at the whole huge thing all at once. Jesus’ words are really wise: “34 So do not worry about tomorrow; it will have enough worries of its own.” In other words, one day at a time. “Don’t worry about tomorrow!” Those aren’t my words—they’re the words of Jesus!
As we consider this Thanksgiving week, and any week of the year, “these words [of Jesus] are ours this Thanksgiving — urging us to let go of the worry — and to entrust whatever it is that would rob our lives of peace and joy — urging us to finally give it all back to God who gives us all of that for which we give thanks in the first place.” [3] Praise God!
Suddenly, in this world not worrying actually becomes an option.
Our God can help each of us deal with worry, fear and anxiety, whenever and wherever they might rise up, in each of our lives. We can all say amen to the Lord’s goodness. We can truly give thanks to God.
(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!
[1] https://lifeprojectblog.com/2024/09/09/worry-5/
[2] http://words.dancingwiththeword.com/2012/11/no-more-worries.html
[3] Ibid.
Pastor, Preacher, Pray-er 