Peace Worship Blog
Blogging toward Sunday, November 22, 2015
Treasure: Don't Worry 'bout a Thing!
Thanksgiving/Commitment Sunday
Tom Wilkinson, preaching
 
Matthew 6:24-33 (NRSV)
24 "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you-you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' 32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
 
In 1988, Bobby McFerrin recorded a song encouraging us to adopt a simple philosophy:
Don't Worry, Be Happy. The lyrics played well in the wake of the "Me" decade, as described by Tom Wolfe in his celebrated essay, "The 'Me Decade' and the Third Great Awakening," published in the New York Magazine. Consumer-focus and the motto, "the one who dies with the most toys wins" achieved bumper-sticker status in the 1980s, and the Bobby McFerrin song hit the top of the charts.

Jesus echoes the words of the songwriter (well, sort of). He states that we can't serve two bosses, especially bosses who demand total obedience and loyalty. This week's scripture begins with the theme verse of our "Treasure" stewardship focus: "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also," concluding with "You cannot serve God and wealth (Matthew 6:21 and 24). Matthew 6:24 encourages against our obsession with "stuff," and Matthew 6:24 seeks to move people away from worries over necessities toward reliance on God.
Jesus understands and taps into human nature here. He knows our deep desire for both comfort and control. We like to think we're in control of our lives and our decisions are well founded on objective and rational decisions. When things get out of control (the Great Recession, health issues, terrorist attacks and threats), we feel overwhelmed. These feelings lead us to unhealthy and even destructive behaviors-greed, possessiveness, self-medication, and depression.

Jesus offers an alternative, the hallmark of his ministry on earth: If wealth is our boss, we will worry. How much is enough? How can we keep, much less make the most of, what we have? Will we ever be satisfied? We worry and fret over keeping what we have and getting more.

Seeking God first, although it does not guarantee material wealth, does promise abundance of contentment and meaning in life. If we choose God as our priority, in both good and difficult times, we have not need to worry. The good news is that God will provide for our needs.

God invites us into God's realm, where our participation is not about stuff, things with their built-in obsolescence, but instead about God's community and God's vision for all of creation. We look out for each other; we share what we have; we take what we need and leave some for others. We think and care about our neighbors the way we want them to think and care about us.

"Don't worry, be happy" can sound shallow and unrealistic. Jesus gets this. His encouragement to life without worry helps us understand that God will not leave us without support. We can face all of life's uncertainties and threats with the assurance that we are not alone. God cares about us in all our situations. We can let go of worry, because God is with us.

Come Sunday, prepared to worship God as your true treasure. We'll be making our commitments to serve God first as we commit our lives and our gifts to continue the ministry of Peace United Methodist Church in the coming year. Please pray about what God is calling you to give, and come ready to give thanks and praise to God on this Sunday before Thanksgiving.

Thanking God for all of you!
LeeAnn