the holy Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, according
to Matthew, Therefore I tell you do not be anxious about your
life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your
body, what you will put on is not life more than food and the
body more than clothing. Look at the birds of the air,
they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into Barns and yet your
heavenly father, feeds that are you not of more value than they
And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to
his span of life. And why are you anxious about
clothing? Consider the lilies of the
field, how they grow? They neither toil nor spin yet.
I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like
one of these. But if God, so clothes the grass
of the field, which today is a lie and tomorrow is thrown into
the oven. Will he not much more clothe,
you Oh, ye of little faith. Therefore, do not be anxious
saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink?
What shall we wear for the Gentiles seek?
After all these things and your heavenly father knows that you
need? But seek first, the kingdom of
God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be added
to you. Therefore do not be anxious
about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself
sufficient for the day. Is it on trouble?
The gospel of the Lord. May the words of my mouth and
the meditation of my heart be acceptable.
In your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer, I'm at what a
joy to be with you all this morning, happy, June, happy
summer, and all that. I love driving up Lake Shore
Drive this morning and like everybody's out there but
they're dogs at running and all kinds of carrying on what's
going on over in. Grant Park there, people like
iron up gorillas already. I like it's 9 a.m.
I don't know what's going on over there.
But looks like it's going. Fun.
It's my joy to bring to you. A teaching from Jesus, from The
Book of Matthew which I just read.
So that's the text we're going to be using if you'd like to
follow along in your Bible or in your bulletin from Matthew
chapter 6. As I read this, it reminded me
of a time when I was having dinner with my friends, when my
kids were really little and we were sitting at the table having
dinner enjoying time together and then that beautiful time
comes when the is go outside and the adults are still sitting
there and the adults can have conversation.
It's so magnificent. And the kids went outside like
onto the patio, and there's a sliding glass door that closed.
So the adults were at the table having a A conversation and the
kids were out there playing. And I looked out there and I
thought that's beautiful, they are Marvel.
Look how should say, what a gift that I have these to learn to
care and then the sliding door cracked open and I could hear
all the yelling and the whining and the fighting and the
carrying on. And all of the sudden And I felt
like the burden of having to provide for them and thinking
they're exhausted and I'm going to have to drive them home and
give them behaves and this is really hard.
And how is this how is this happening?
So somehow the barrier of sound with that barrier of sound, I
saw their preciousness behind the glass but with the sound I
felt the burden. And if I'm honest, I sometimes
gave into the heaviness of worried about my kids.
And, and taking care of them, instead of enjoying them.
And I've wasted precious energy and time worrying about how
things are going to be provided for me, and for my kids, instead
of living in faith. And yet the Lord has always, he
has always provided We can sew something that Jesus is getting
at in this text. Wait, there's a whole Chong on
one second. I think I've got one of my pages
in the wrong order. So, I'll be giving the intro at
the end, okay, half the that's okay, let's see.
I think something Jesus getting at and it's Tech is that if we
could see our lives from his perspective, without all that
noise of fear, Without the driven thoughts about all the
things that we know that we need and how we're going to get them.
That we would see that our lives are a gift from God and that he
intends to provide for our needs.
If we can see the goodness of God, right around us right now,
is fatherly care. Then we can breathe and we can
be present to his provision for us to our lives to the people
right around us. Jesus wants us to live without
worry for what we will eat or what we will wear so that we can
focus on the important things, The Gift of Life, the dearness
of others, the assurance, and confidence in his provision, and
him his goodness. In today's text Jesus is white
directive in just. Those few verses, he says, 3
times do not be anxious. Do not be anxious.
So I think if there's one thing
we should take away from this passage, it's do not be anxious.
So, let's unpack it a little bit.
What does this mean? If Jesus tells us do not be
anxious, this must be possible. You wouldn't tell us to do
something, if it wasn't possible.
It must be something we can take responsibility for or our
thoughts or he wouldn't ask it about us.
Now when Jesus says, do not be anxious, I don't think he's
talking about the kind of cultural stress that we are
experiencing or the condition. We may think of as anxiety.
He says, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat,
what you will drink, what you will wear, these are anxious
thought Thoughts around provision, not so much a state
of anxiety because Jesus is wise and careful in his interactions
with people and he knows the one thing that a person suffering
with anxiety doesn't want to hear is do not be anxious.
So, I mean, Jesus isn't just looking at a field of anxious
people telling them not to be anxious and that is that's just
not how he is. So but if you today happened to
be struggling with constant anxiety more days than not that
impacts your sleeping and you're eating and your relationships
and your work. That's a different kind of
problem than what Jesus is addressing here.
And you may need medical care, you may need counseling, and
that's really important. And I do hope you get that.
But I also hope that you don't hear that Jesus is word for you
is just don't be anxious because this is about something a little
And as Jesus is teaching, he is looking out over the people, and
we know that when Jesus looks at the people, he doesn't just see
their bodies and their families together and their friends, you
seized their mind and he sees their hearts.
And he sees that they're distracted, that they're
preoccupied that they're anxious and heavy with these thoughts
and he wants them to be free from the preoccupation and the
weight of anxious. I bought especially thoughts
around, whether they will have what they need.
So, let's just walk through that passage together.
Therefore I tell you do not be anxious about your life, what
you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what
you will put on is not life more than food and the body more than
clothing. So Jesus sees that his audience
is preoccupied with thoughts about what they will eat or
drink so much so that it impacts their life and Jesus invites
them to step back and consider their anxious thoughts and
wonder if there's more to life than these concerns.
And Jesus challenges these thoughts, with an invitation, to
look at her and lilies. So Augustine.
What Augustine says about this passage is very simply birds and
lilies are proposed so that more important things may be
suggested by things of less importance.
So we're about to hear how more important things are suggested
by these things up, a little importance, the little art
scanned flowers. So, the next verse, look at the
birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap nor gather into,
Two barns and yet your heavenly father feeds them, are you not
of more value than they and which of you by being anxious
can add a single hour to his span of life.
So is Jesus suggesting here that we all should live like birds
and fail to sow seed. It is Jesus telling us we don't
really have to do anything. Is he just going to give us food
one commentator? On the passage says answers that
question with this. The heavenly father feeds the
birds but he hardly ever makes worms rain from the sky into
open beaks. They work for their food but he
providentially puts worms where their beaks heck.
So Jesus message is not do not work because work is part of how
we're made working for food is different from fixing your mind
on how to get food. So moving on in the text and why
are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the
field, how they grow? They neither toil nor spin yet.
I tell you even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like
one of these. But if God, so clothes the grass
of the field which is today alive and tomorrow thrown in the
oven, will he not much more clothe you, oh, you of little
faith? Do not be anxious.
Look at the birds. That's interesting.
Do not be anxious. What does he ask us to do to
look at the birds. Oh look at the birds.
See that slow down attend to them.
Look at the birds. What do you notice about them?
Do they sow or reap? Are they hungry?
No, they're Fed. So what does this tell you?
That these birds are my creation.
They are small and insignificant but I feed.
And if I do this for Birds, what about you aren't you more
valuable than those tiny little Burr.
These worries you have about what you will eat, do they add
to your life? Does the time and energy that
you give to these thoughts, have the power to impact the
substance of your life at all the length of your life.
Two wasted effort. So like if you want to get to
the lake, you have to walk down the sidewalk.
You can't get to the leg by hopping on your treadmill and
just walking and walking and walking, right?
It's like why are you just running on this treadmill?
It's getting you nowhere. Consider the lilies.
So we've looked at the birds now, we're looking at the
flowers look at their magnificent color.
Have you ever seen anyone even a very rich person dressed so
beautifully, and these lilies are literally of no consequence.
They're going to be burned the next day and yet it pleases God
to dress them like royalty. And you you're not going to be
burned in the fire in 24 hours. You are Eternal, you have an
eternal life. He knows what you need is given
you life. You will provide the clothing
that you need. Now, this is not to say that the
physical needs. We have are not important.
Jesus taught us to ask for our daily bread.
To give a cup of cold water to clothe the naked neighbor, so
attending to our needs and the needs of others.
Is part of Loving Care. But those who have suffered
hunger know, the pain and fear that it brings, it's a real
need, that's not to be ignored. There's a lovely book that I
read called sleeping with bread. And in this book, the author
tells a story of children that were orphaned in the bombing
raids of World War Two, and the children that were fortunate
enough to land in refugee camps, had lost so much and had
experienced starvation. They were so fearful that many
of them couldn't sleep or they would awaken at night and go and
make food. Well, someone had the idea of
sending each child to bed with a piece of bread to whole bread,
real food, the hold and they could finally sleep because they
knew when they would wake up, that bread would be there.
Those adults wanted to help the children's Hearts to be at ease.
Now this book is about teaching the prayer of the examine which
is a prayer that helps us give. Thanks to God for how he's fed
us today and open our hearts to the faith that he will again
feed us to Mark. So the examine is a helpful
prayer to engage if you'd like, to practice this of considering,
what is the bread that God has given me today knowing that I
Will and get again. Give me read tomorrow.
So moving on in the passage, therefore do not be anxious
saying what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink?
Or what shall we wear for the Gentiles seek?
After all these things and your heavenly father knows that you
need them all. So Jesus said that these anxious
thoughts, cause us to ask questions.
How will I feed and clothe myself?
Jesus points out that unbelievers?
Worry about this because they have no, father, they don't
know. They have a heavenly father but
you do know. You haven't have a heavenly
father. Does he see your need and does
he care? Yes, he does.
He's provided provided abundantly and beautifully for
insignificant birds for little tiny flowers.
And so much more for you. Jesus is inviting us to live as
if we really believed. We had a father as if we really
believe that he will take care of us that he's real and he will
give us what we need. Jesus says, do not be anxious
because he knows that those kinds of thoughts grip, the mine
so much so that they can become a preoccupation, anxious,
thoughts, Spin, and spin as we rehearsed potential problems,
and solutions turning the mind and heart inward in on itself.
And in this position, there is little freedom to Simply Be to
be open to Be present to be calm and quiet on the inside.
This is so important because it's from quiet and that gentle
place and being present with God that we meet him, it's that
place that we meet him, that we appreciate his gifts and that we
learn to trust in his provision. What would it be like to live in
deep assurance that God would take care of it?
What space would that open up in your heart and mind that is
currently filled with Benning fearful thoughts?
Just sitting here today what would it be?
Like if your heart would be at breath in him if you could live
in peace and calm, God wants to give us.
This is the where the Holy Spirit can work and help us.
This isn't something we can do on our own lean, need his help.
Because that quiet on the inside is essential.
If we want to read the scripture and understand it and hear God
speak to us through it, that internal quiet is essential.
If we're going to study, if we're going to focus on a task
from the beginning to the end, it's essential for any kind of
creative work or knowing others and being known and for
receiving God's love The world is desperate for people of depth
and quiet with a capacity to listen to God and listen to
other. We need people who can be with
others in really hard place. It we need mothers and fathers
that are able to love to remain present through difficulties and
who are willing to lay down their lives is from that place
of quietly receiving God's love and trusting in his provision,
that we have the strength to hang in there for difficult.
But seek first, the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and
all these things will be added to you.
Jesus is asking us to seek the kingdom because he wants our
minds focused there on his kingdom, both the future
Heavenly Kingdom, and what's coming, and that it's real and
that we will see him face to face but also embodying his
kingdom now and experiencing his love and provision.
Now, There's a really precious character in the Narnia series
that I think embodies this particular virtue of having a
fixed mind of Faith toward where he's going.
The purpose of his life, the tenacity of his choices, the
resolved energy to continue the journey.
He's a creature of low estate, but a magnanimous.
He did not consider his task too great or his stature too.
Small to pursue a glorious prophecy spoken at his birth
that led to his faith in Aslan and his destination and aslan's
Country and anyone guess who it is.
Reepicheep. This is the prophecy that was
spoken over reepicheep. He said, when I was in my
cradle, a wood woman, a dryad spoke this verse over me.
Where sky and water meet, where the waves grow, sweet doubt, not
reepicheep to find. All you see there is the utter
eat and he said I do not know what it means, but the spell of
it has been on me all my life. So this destination descend
Pursuit was so fixed in his mind that he would go through any
path. Any hardship and he privation
abandonment injury, Hurry to get to aslan's Country.
And when the group had to decide well in order to break a spell,
who would go into the utter East and never come back.
He was like, this is in my in my whole life.
He says my own plans are made when I can, I say least in the
Dawn Treader, when she fails me, I paddle least in my coracle
when she sinks, I shall swim East with my Four Paws.
And when I can swim, no longer, if I have not reached aslan's
country or shot over the Of the world in some vast cataract.
I shall sink with my nose for the sun, right?
Such a in aslan's country, such love for him, and believed that,
what was spoken over him would come to be?
So that nothing no hardship or privation would prevent him from
doing that. That is a noble heart.
If reepicheep see, thoughts had been taken up with fear around
daily provision. If he had spawned his spots
around daily, how he was going to get his needs met.
I mean, they're in a boat going. Who knows where they have no
idea. He may not have had his mind and
his heart full of where he was headed or had the grit to step
forward day by day. So Jesus says, seek first, the
kingdom. The kingdom, the future that the
father himself loves me that I will see him face to face but I
am marked as Christ's own forever.
That's the future Kingdom. But also God at work.
Now making himself know, even in the most insignificant parts of
his creation. He is good and I will choose to
believe that he will provide everything I need and not waste
my life. Worried about how it's going to
happen, but knowing that I'm going to be with him, he's going
to provide for me. This passage finishes up with
therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow
will be anxious for itself. Have worries robbed you of the
gifts of the present moment. Having zayat he's robbed, you of
receiving, God's love that coming to you right now.
Do you desire an open heart to receive his love and the
Assurance of his provision for you that he sees your needs?
He's able to provide for you. His gentle word to you.
Is you not being What Assurance of his goodness and care for
you. And you see today?
What bread are you already holding that?
He's already given you. And would it help you to
literally go outside and look the birds probably, would, I
think there's actual clinical evidence that it actually would
help you. So Jesus was right on the mark.
This case gospel is consist that.
I'm not getting you. I mean, it's true.
Look at the birds. But truly, if you look at herbs
and flowers, you will feel better.
You will do better either. It's just true.
But we can only meet God in one place, and that's this place
right now. This moment we can't receive his
peace yesterday. We can't receive his love for
tomorrow, but he comes to us now right now with his love and
prison. So as We Gather today around the
table, Jesus comes to us, then plea and physically, he gives to
us his body and blood Even if your heart is heavy, your mind
is spinning. You can come to him and see.
You are a good father. I trust you'll provide for me,
feed me now and receive the tangible presence of his body
and blood by opening your hand and saying, thank AMA.
Let me just pray for you now. Lord you.
Now when you look out on your people that you see anxious
thoughts and eating we confess the ways that we have failed to
trust you, We repent and we turn to you.
Now, we believe Lord help our unbelief.
And Lord where there is need, would you come in your abundant
provision and here for these, your little one?
Home, you know and love. Would you lift?
Now, anxiety. But that has robbed and joy, and
present. And would you Holy Spirit send
now? You are loved and he May the
peace of the Lord to send on us. Now as we lift up his name and
blackton Father, I believe, you know what I need.
I will not be anxious. Come Holy Spirit, and the peace
of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your
heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.