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Are you a worrier? Do you spend time in anxious fretting during the day, Or maybe wake up in the middle of the night, with a sense of apprehension about a person or an event in your life? I see some shaking heads. Now, I wouldn’t call myself a “Nervous Nellie,” But I do have those nervous moments. Maybe you know them – when you can’t seem to shake the worries out of your head or your heart. You find your children are growing up and you wonder how they are going to make it through the next phase of their life. Perhaps today you’re fretting about your job, or your financial situation, or a medical condition affecting you or someone you love. We sometimes worry about whether we’re living up to expectations others have for us, Or whether we’re as good or gifted as someone else in our family or in church. How, we wonder, are we going to care for our parents, or do on our upcoming final exams, or be able to find someone who truly understands us? Apparently fear and anxiety are not new phenomenon, for we hear Jesus offering two words of advice to his followers 2000 years ago. Don’t worry. Don’t worry. Jesus preached these words to a diverse crowd, people who didn’t have the answers to all of life’s questions, who had worries of their own. Some were peasant farmers living at the mercy of the weather; they were citizens of an occupied country living at the mercy of the Roman government, They lived in poverty – many economically and some spiritually. And poor or rich – the possibility of disease and illness were cast a shadow over their daily reality. They struggled to live according to the Torah, to be faithful to their God, who called them into covenant. You see, The words of Jesus were spoken to people like us. And just in case they didn’t get it – Just in case it doesn’t sink into our hearts or minds – Jesus repeats himself five times. Don’t worry about your life. Don’t worry about your wealth; Life certainly doesn’t consist of what you possess. Don’t worry about how you will eat or drink or be clothed. Don’t worry about the future, For – And here is the essential part – your God knows what you need, and will provide you with what is necessary. Listen to the birds and consider the lilies of the field. See how God cares for the winged creatures, And learn from the beauty of the flowers. I don’t always follow the words of Scripture literally, but over the last two weeks or so, I decided to follow Jesus’ invitation to “look at the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your God feeds them.” So, I’ve been watching the birds – Out the window in my office and my family room, Sitting in the park, down by the river, while walking and driving (I promise – not too much while driving!) I’ve been watching to see what I can discover about God’s care. When I first began bird watching, It seemed to me that all the birds were doing was flitting about, flying from one tree, one bush, one rock to another. They looked as busy as we seem to be in today’s frenetically paced world! Every time I stopped to take a quick look at the birds, All I saw was them flying this way and that. And then it hit me – I needed to slow down, lay my worries aside, And give God an opportunity to show me, to teach me about God’s love and care. And so I did. And here’s a few lessons I learned about the ways God cares for us, the ways God feeds us. First, I noticed that there is incredible diversity among the birds: in color, size, wing span, nesting sites. And each of them is beautiful, and each of them is unique. So, too it is with each of us. If you were here last week, we heard the Scriptural truth that each one of us is created by God in God’s image. One of the ways that God cares for us, I think, is to make us in the divine image. This image, as unique as our fingerprints – is present within the gifts or characteristics that we possess. Some have the gift of laughter, and make others smile. Others of us have the gift of compassion, and enable friends and family feel hope amid life’s trials. Some have the gift of song, and bring joy in that way. Still others have the gift of friendship, and make others feel valuable and loved. You see, perhaps we really need not worry about whether we can do everything well or as good as our neighbor. We don’t have to worry if we’re perfect; We can use some of that energy to discover what gift it is that God has given to us and how we can use that gift to mirror God’s love and grace in the world. Here’s a second lesson I learned this week following Jesus’ invitation to bird watching. Birds feed in all different places. They don’t –as the Scripture says, reap and sow and gather in a barn, but they do find food. Sometimes in the grass, sometimes on a bush, or near the water, or off a picnic table at Mitchell’s by the River, or ometimes in a bird feeder. Every time I’ve watched a bird this week searching for food, they have succeed in their efforts. It is true as Jesus says – God does provide for them. Often it’s through the bounty of creation – the seeds, the grass, the dirt, the worms, the bugs, berries, the water. But there are other times that God feeds them through the goodness of others – through others who provide through bird feeders. I know this is true for many of you who take care of the birds in this way. Friends, God feeds us with grace and mercy and forgiveness and love each and everyday, and we can be fed by those things in many ways. We can be fed in times of prayer – coming to God in quiet and connection. We can be fed by God in times of worship such as this, and when we participate in the sacrament of communion. We can be fed by God when we go to a window and see all that God has made. And then there are the times – many times – that God feeds us through the goodness of others – through their phone calls and prayers, their smiles and words of encouragement, their offer of food and fellowship. Can you think of a time this past week or past few weeks when you have experienced God taking care of you through the kindness of another? In the midst of our worries, I hope you see the truth of Jesus words: We are fed in the ways we need – in body and in spirit. Thirdly, The birds I observed seem to take great care with what they have been given - leaves, bugs, branches. Watch a bird make a nest, and they will gently hold the items in their beaks and then place the twigs or leaves or webs – I found out hummingbirds make their nests with spider webs! – Every little thing is valuable, and that can be a lesson for us as well. Every gift we’ve been given, every way we are fed – is precious and comes from God’s graciousness and love. Jesus invites us to move from worry to gratitude, To utter a deep and profound thank you to the Creator whose eye is on the sparrow and on each one of us. Friends, I think it’s also important to remember that Jesus doesn’t say: Don’t eat, Or don’t dress, Or don’t take care of yourself. His admonition doesn’t give us license to become carefree and irresponsible. Rather, Jesus invites us to reorient our priorities and our lives, To be, as the biblical translation The Message says, “careless in the care of God.” Jesus invites us to trust in God to take care of us, To lean into the everlasting arms and the promise of sustenance and care. Jesus says that we can Live careless in the care of God When we first strive for the kingdom of God. Strive first and all will be taken care of. Strive for justice and peace. Strive to create a world where every child is safe, Every person is treated with their God-given dignity, And God’s creation is protected and allowed to flourish. As one of your pastors, I’ve often heard people say that one of ways that they have made it through a difficult period in their lives is by helping someone else. It’s then that the distracting and disquieting worries that overwhelmed them seem to dissipate and fade away. They do make it through the difficult period. We do feel God’s love and care, and discover the truth found in the passage from Matthew – that worry cannot add a single day to the span of their lives. Our Scripture lesson this morning ends with what, on initial hearing, might not seem like good news. Tomorrow will have troubles of its own? But we know the promise of God in times of trouble: We will not be left alone. We will not be left behind. God will be our companion, So let us give our attention to what God is doing for us and with us right now, And trust that God will help us make it through whatever hard times come. Let us rest today and each day in that blessed assurance. Amen and amen. |