Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
We worry about many things. Some of these things are very
important: how our children will turn out; how we’ll get by when we retire; how
some relative or friend will get through a sickness or trauma; or what path the
Lord is leading or dragging us down as we consider our life together in this
parish. These are not small matters. But then, neither are questions like, “‘What
shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’” There
aren’t too many things more basic than food and clothing. And there aren’t too
many things that really matter more than our children and grand-children, our
loved ones, our church, and our walk within the Body of Christ. So we worry.
Sometimes we obsess and fret and agonize and stew.
But what does our Lord say about all this? Once again, it seems
as if He’s not listening, or doesn’t take our concerns seriously, or tunes us
out. He’s going on and on about trivial things like birds and flowers: things
that we never worry about, things that come and go, things that really
don’t matter. And we’re still asking and praying about really important stuff. Is
Jesus telling us that our important stuff is trivial? Is He saying that the
things we worry about are inconsequential? Is He just brushing us off?
That’s not our Jesus. Our Jesus doesn’t treat His adopted
brothers and sisters that way. And neither does His Father who is our Father.
Our God is not a harsh, uncaring, selfish Father who plays with us only when it
suits Him. Our Father is the picture of perfect warmth and kindness. He’s the
essence of mercy and love. He never brushes us off, never leaves us to
ourselves, never abandons us. We may say He does, but our lies don’t change the
truth. We may turn a deaf ear to Him, but that’s not how He treats us. We may
be unfaithful, disloyal, and disrespectful, but He never dishes it back to us. We
think He did us wrong, but He is quick to forgive, quick to renew His Holy
Spirit within us, quick to restore to us the joy of His salvation.
So then, how does He answer the things that worry us? What does
the Word say? First, the prophet told us, “Do not fear.” The Lord will take care of you. You
may think you’re up against the wall. You may firmly believe that God has
forsaken you. You may be convinced that you must take matters into your own
hands, and do for yourself. But, really, there is nothing to fear. And what’s
more, “The Lord will send rain on the earth.” He will send you His Holy
Spirit to restore your hope, to lift your spirit, to help you look beyond the
many things that trouble you. No matter what you’ve done or what’s been done to
you; no matter what the future may hold for you or your children; and no matter
what direction this parish may go, the Lord will continue to take care of you, blanket
you with His love, and sustain and strengthen you. So do not fear. There
is nothing to be afraid of—not now, and not whenever—because you stand before
the Lord and dine with Him.
That’s not a brush off. That’s not our Jesus saying that the
things we worry about don’t matter. That’s not our Lord making light of our real
and honest concerns. He tells us how things really are. We don’t need to worry
about tomorrow—or our grandchildren, or our jobs—because He holds all things in
His hand. But most of all, we don’t need to worry because we can trust Him. He
has already prepared His Kingdom for us. He knows all we need, and in ways we
can never imagine or that never make sense to us, He is arranging everything
for our salvation with Him in His holy church. He will never forsake us. He
will never take lightly our prayers. And He remains faithful, now and forever.
In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all
understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.
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