Sermon May 25

Ok, so this is a bit late, but we've been pretty busy around here! Enjoy!

I have to be honest with you all. It feels hypocritical for me to preach today’s Gospel. How am I to stand before you and tell you all “Let today’s troubles be sufficient for today?” I have ALWAYS struggled with this in my own life. I worry, all the time. As a kid, I worried that I would miss the bus. In middle school I worried that my clothes weren’t cute enough or that I would say the wrong thing. In college, I worried about finding the right job that made enough money, being lonely, and if I had a high enough GPA. Today’s worries have never been sufficient for today. This is my demon…it can lead to sleepless nights, anxiety… am I alone in this? Does anyone else cling to worry? At times, I have been completely bound by worry, chained up by its power, unable to break myself free.
As I read this week’s Gospel, I feel like I have had this conversation with God on many occasions…probably daily, as God asks me “can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” We know that the answer is “no” don’t we? But, somehow, it’s impossible to let them go. Perhaps we feel a sense of power holding on, thinking “I’m in control.” I don’t believe our Gospel was written to trivialize our problems. Our concerns are very real, and they matter. They matter to us, they matter to God, and they have the power to radically change our lives. Is the job secure? Is the diagnosis bad? Is my family going to be here for me? We aren’t told to flippantly move forward, forgetting every trouble and care. Instead, these verses are to be freeing for us. It’s as if God has the key to release us, but we can’t let Him. These worries and fears about the world can enslave us; act as a chain around our legs, causing us to become unable to move forward. It’s self imposed slavery to the bondage of the world.
When we hold onto these worries and fears, we may think that we have power or control over them. Sometimes, it’s even an adrenaline rush…I’ve found myself worrying about something, thinking about it, then “poof”! I find an answer…or so I think. My solution may satisfy me for a while, it may “fix” this problem, but it doesn’t get to the root of the issue.
I want to keep the control for myself, and the thought of turning my problem over to God, or trusting that He’ll be with me in this trial terrifies me. Anyone else ever been there? I ask myself, “what if” What if this problem is too big for God? What if I fail? What if….I were to stop, read these verses of love given to me by God, and trust that He loves me, will be with me, and will never leave me? It’s scary, because it feels as if I’m losing control. And I am. But, let me ask you this, what if we trusted, and listened to the voice of God? What if we were still? Maybe, just maybe, that chain around our leg could be cut away, and we could be freed from the self imposed bondage of this earth. Our Gospel tells us, no one can serve two masters. God is inviting us to be free. We could be free to serve one master, rather than struggling to serve two masters—our personal god, which will never fulfill us, and our communal, saving GOD who redeems us. Free to feel peace in our hearts, to know that all we need, God’s hand WILL provide.
I want to be clear—I’m not suggesting our problems will just disappear when we trust in God. The job may not be secure, the diagnosis may be bad, and we may feel abandoned by those around us. But, as we invite God to release us from the bondage of worry, we can be reassured that God’s hand is with us, guiding us, holding us up when we feel broken down.
Even with this knowledge, I will continue to struggle and worry. I’ll try to find my own way, to look to the earthly answers, answers that always fail me. But, God has given me a gift, and has given you a gift. The gift of community, the Holy Spirit, living, breathing, and acting in each of us. Supporting one another, in our worries and fears. We can all take comfort in knowing that a community of believers are with us, praying for us, living life with us. Yes, the fears don’t vanish. But, we don’t have to fear that we’re doing this alone. Christ will be with each of us. The shackles of sin have been removed from our legs through His death and resurrection. And He’ll continue to remove the shackles, every day, even as we put them back on our legs, over and over again. For His power, the power of forgiveness is one thing greater than any worry, any sorrow, or any power we have in the world.