Matthew 6:24-34
When I think back over the many things I have worried about there is one particular instance that sticks out. This is the first memory I have of worrying. I was in elementary school and had gone to church with my grandma one Sunday morning. After church I went to use the restroom, which was an outhouse at the time. Yes, I lived in a time when my church did not have indoor plumbing. When I came back from the outhouse my grandma had already left along with all the other church folks. So I sat there on the front step of the church worrying that no one would notice that I wasn’t at home and that my grandma would not remember that she had forgotten me at church. I only lived a little over two miles from the church and could have walked home, but I didn’t know what to do. This was also before the time of cell phones and my church didn’t have a land line either. So, there I sat worrying and waiting for my grandma to return and pick me up. Of course she remembered pretty quickly that she had forgotten me and returned to pick me up. Yet, I couldn’t help but worry.
That may have been my first memory of worrying, but it surely wasn’t my last. I must admit that I am a worrier. I worry about almost everything. I worry about traffic. I worry about the weather. I worry about my debt. I worry about what classes I am going to take next semester. I worry about being so far away from my family. I worry about getting sick. I worry about safety. I worry about the future. I worry about worrying. And even though Jesus commands us not to worry in our text for today, I can’t seem to stop. If there were a Worriers Anonymous group I would be a participant. It is a habit that I just can’t seem to kick.
I would venture to say that some of you worry as well. We worry about our treasures, our homes, our possessions, our investments. We worry about finances, about children, about parents, about jobs. We worry about our health, our futures. And 98% of the time our worrying doesn't accomplish anything, yet we continually worry.
If worrying accomplishes anything it makes us sick. Statistics tells us the 85% of the people who visit a doctor are ill because of stress and worry. 85% of all illness is caused by stressful emotions and not germs or viruses. So when Jesus asks, “And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?, the answer really is “no.” In fact, we likely lose minutes and hours of our lives by worrying.
When I think back on my childhood there are a few non-worriers that stick out. One was my brother’s Big Mouth Billy Bass. It sang the song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Released in September 1988, this song became the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a position it held for two weeks. The performer was Bobby McFerrin. The song begins, “Here is a little song I wrote, you might want to sing it note for note. Don't worry be happy. In every life we have some trouble when you worry you make it double. Don't worry, be happy.”
The other non-worriers I think about were characters in a Disney movie that was released in 1994. Timon and Puumbaa, the meerkat and the warthog from the movie, “The Lion King.” These two loved to sing their theme song, “Hakuna Matata.” “It means no worries for the rest of your days. It’s our problem-free philosophy. Hakuna Matata.”
And today in our Gospel lesson we encounter Jesus, who is also telling us not to worry. At first thought, Jesus’ command seems as ridiculous or even silly as the Lion King and Big Mouth Billy Bass. This famous teacher taught people not to worry with some very memorable sayings, for example: “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.” Jesus told people to be as worry-free as the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. “Do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?'”
Jesus’ message is more than “Don’t worry, be happy.” And it is more than “Hakuna Matata,” too. Jesus’ message is more like, “Don’t worry, be trusting.” Jesus attempts to alleviate our worrying by reminding us of the blessings we have received, and about the vastness of God’s care and love. Do not worry, but trust that God will provide. Trust that God will make sure that you have food to eat, water to drink, and clothes to wear. Do not worry, but trust that God will take care of you. Trust that God will take care of you, because you are just as important, if not more important, than the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.
Jesus teaches us that we cannot remove worry from our lives by trying to remove it. I think we are able to push it out by replacing it with something else. That something else is thankfulness. Once we trust God we are able to see the ways in which God is working in our lives. That recognition can help us to move forward with an attitude of thankfulness. Worry usually deals with what we don't have. Thankfulness deals with what God has given us. Worry usually thinks about what bad things might happen in the future. Thankfulness trusts that the future is in God's hands.
So, I challenge us to focus on living lives of trust and thankfulness, not worry. Especially as we embark on our journey of Lent to the cross. Be thankful for the food you have to eat. Be thankful for the clothes you have to wear. Be thankful for the One who daily provides for you and takes care of you. Be thankful for the God who made you, loves you, and will never forget you. I understand that this is difficult to do. It is even difficult for me. Yet, this is what we are called to do. We are called to trust in God who has created us, claimed us, and called us. We are called to be thankful people. We are called to be thankful for the many blessings God has given us. We are called to trust in the One who was, who is, and who is to come. “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.” Don’t worry, be trusting. Amen.
