Don’t worry

Matthew 6:25-34This is our last week spent on the series that focuses on Stewardship. And as promised I haven’t started a fund raising campaign I only want to explore our relationship to our resources, including our money and how it affects our spiritual life. I’ve heard the expression “we don’t own things, our things own us.” There might be some truth to that if our energy in life is spent accumulating and maintaining material things.We don’t want to lose our things.One of the greatest negative motivators is worry.  We may worry what we will eat or what we will wear. But if that is not a worry perhaps we worry about our house payments and our car payments. Perhaps that’s not a worry for you.  Maybe you worry about your retirement or your children’s education.  No matter what our situation we can really make ourselves miserable by worrying about it.Jesus says don’t worry.  Have you ever stopped worrying about something when someone says “don’t worry”? It’s really difficult. Once you board that worry train it can take you for a long ride that isn’t very fun.Parents, - you ever worry about your kids? Grandparents –you worry about your grandkids? We worry because there are real dangers out there.  Have you heard about that little girl on Oregon playing on the beach? That’s a tragedy.  There is some worry that is proper.  When we worry about the safety and well-being of those that we are supposed to protect, it motivates us to act for their safety. We worry about our health so we go to the doctor. We worry about the direction of our nation so we vote. We worry that something might happen so we do nothing and nothing happens and life begins to pass us by.But when we have done all that we can do.  When we have prepared responsibly and are properly attentive to what we have been entrusted with, worry adds nothing; it only takes away.Jesus says, “Don’t worry.”Worry is a form of fear; fear of some unknown or unwanted consequences. King David wrote in psalm 27The Lord is my light and my salvation—    whom shall I fear?The Lord is the stronghold of my life—    of whom shall I be afraid?That’s the confidence that God wants us to live with. God has promised us eternal life in Jesus’ name.  Jesus came to bring life in abundance. Do you trust in those promises?I’ve told this story before but one time when I was about 9 or 10 there was a tornado warning and I was home alone.  My grandma came over to stay with me. She brought me some sugar cookies as we waited out the storm.  I was afraid but she was not. Her confidence assured me. I trusted my grandma and I knew that everything was going to be okay.Jesus says, “Don’t worry.”Look at the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.  God takes care of them right?  You are worth much more than they and they have all they need. Jesus points these things out. The beauty of the creation around him was a teaching tool. Some of you moan about the changing of the season. Some of you welcome it. So…which of you is in charge of this transition?

A late August sign of autumn

I want to challenge you to find the beauty of today. “Yeah, great pastor Jon, it’s gonna get colder soon.”Yep. It’s going to get colder. And a lot of other challenges are going to come up over the next season, the next year, the next decade, the next century. Boy! In the year 2200 there is going to be some bad stuff that happens.  Is it productive for us to worry about that?  Is that the abundant life that God wants for you?But it is so hard to let go of that worry when the future seems so dark and uncertain. But guess what? I don’t want to alarm you or cause worry but every moment is uncertain.  There is no way to know what tomorrow will bring. Today has enough trouble of its own.When we worry we are putting the responsibility of the future on ourselves. Only God knows the future.  Only God is in control. We are not in control. We can only control our response to whatever my come. On Friday I spent a few hours at the traveling Vietnam War memorial. You know what I learned? Everybody has a story just below the surface just waiting to be told. I heard stories of loss.  I heard stories of guilt and shame.  I heard stories of service and sacrifice; of love and pride. I heard stories seasoned with nostalgia and stories spiked with pain.You each have a story.  Your life, the story where you are the main character is one that God loves.Jesus said look at the birds and the lilies.  He was pointing things that God treasures. But Jesus says you are more valuable then they. God cares about your story; God cares about what you have been through and where you are going. The good news is that we look to our Lord Jesus and he says “don’t worry,” because he knows how it’s going to turn out.I looked to my grandma during the storm and found confidence.  How much more can we look to the one who knows the future and holds us in his hand for even greater confidence?The Lord is my light and my salvation—    whom shall I fear?How do we find this confidence?
Seek God first.  The solution to your problem may not be a single step away. But when we put God first in our lives we will be with us through the storm.  The storm may be overwhelming but the storm will pass. Do what you must; do what you can and leave the rest to God.
Oh yeah, were we supposed to talk about stewardship today?  When we put god first, when we trust God with all of our tomorrows; when we lay aside our worries, we begin to see the treasures that God sees.  We see the treasure of this life and the beauty of it lived together. We see that God loves us.  When we can see the treasures of God, the treasures of this world start to fade and lose their importance. Our attachment to temporary things loosens and we gain freedom from them.
So, how is it with you today? What is your story? If you don’t know, I can tell you how it ends.  
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

The Vietnam Traveling Wall at Ludington city park.