St. Matthew’s UCC
Thank Offering Service
November 19, 2006
Libby Herman
Scripture Lessons: Joel 2:21-27; Matthew 6:25-33
_________________________________________
In the Matthew scripture, we must look at the situation in which this teaching occurs and who is telling the story. As a social outcast, considered to be unrighteous by religious leaders and alienated by the general public as a traitor or fraud, Matthew the tax collector places this scripture near the end of the Sermon on the Mount. This man of questionable character hosted a dinner in his home attended by Jesus which thoroughly “stressed out” the religious leaders of the day. It is through Matthew that Jesus reaches out to a people desperately in need of a savior, and makes clear the possibility that anyone can be saved—anyone willing to admit he or she needs to be saved. Earlier in His Sermon, Jesus has taught “The Beatitudes”, “You Are the Salt and Light”; He has made clear that He didn’t come to destroy the Law or the Prophets—that is the Old Testament—but that He came to fulfill It. In this part of the Sermon He makes explicit the morality of Christ: What the consequences are of breaking the Ten Commandments, and like any good teacher, He uses examples to clarify the intent of each Law and decisively explicates the punishment. Next, He moves to teaching the spiritual disciplines—how we are to act as Christians. The motive for what we do is as important as the act itself. For example, from last week’s message the widow’s mite was worth more than what the rich has given because they had given out of their wealth; she out of her poverty, gave all she had. What an act of faith! As one of His spiritual disciplines, Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer and the importance of how and why we pray, and He warned of “laying up earthly treasures”. It is at this point that Matthew inserts the scripture for today, which deals with worry and serving two masters. From this point, Jesus teaches to “judge not” and challenges all His children to obedience.
To help His audience realize that what we truly need and what we think we need are two entirely different concepts, Jesus uses the metaphor of the birds of the air and how God takes care of them. The birds do their part in seeking the food that God provides; in the same manner, we should work to earn money for provisions for our home and families without resentment. And how many clothes can we wear at one time? The lilies of the field have one glorious outfit, and we think we have to have a full closet with shoes and accessories to match. Any what happens when we don’t have what we desire or things don’t go the way we want? We become anxious; we start getting stressed out; we worry about what we can do to have things our way, or even worse—we worry about things that may never happen. This is exactly what Jesus warns us not to do. We cannot do this and serve God at the same time.
Do you know on what an average person’s anxiety and worry are focused?
40% -- things that will never happen
30% -- things that have all ready happened and cannot be changed
12% -- things about criticism by others, that are mostly untrue
10% -- health related issues, which get worse with stress
8% -- real problems that will actually be faced?
One source states that “Worry is fear’s extravagance. It extracts interest on trouble before it comes due. It constantly drains the energy God gives us to face daily problems and to fulfill our many responsibilities. It is therefore a sinful waste”. I have heard many people say they wished there were more hours in the day; yet, we waste much of our time in worry or anxiety which keeps us from being effective with the time we have. Have any of you ever been afraid to be alone at night. If so, you will identify with this story. “For several years a woman had been having trouble getting to sleep at night because she feared burglars. One night her husband heard a noise in the house, so he went downstairs to investigate. When he got there, he did find a burglar. ‘Good evening,’ said the man of the house. ‘I am pleased to see you. Come upstairs and meet my wife. She has been waiting 10 years to meet you.’”
“Worry is faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant, assurance of disaster and belief in defeat…worry is wasting today’s time to clutter up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s troubles. When I don’t have anything to worry about, I begin to worry about that”, says Walter Kelly.
Anxiety, stress, and worry cause bodily responses that can be physical, mental, and emotional. Our bodies are “geared” for a certain amount of stress, but when it becomes harmful, it is negative stress or distress. Unfortunately, people sometimes use alcohol, tobacco, or drugs to relieve their stress, but these substances tend to keep the body in a stressed state and cause more problems. Consider these facts:
- 43% of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.
- 75 to 90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints
- Stress is linked to the leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide.
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has declared stress a hazard of the workplace. In terms of lost hours due to absenteeism, reduced productivity and workers’ compensation benefits, stress costs American industry more that 300 billion dollars annually.
Those three things--anxiety, stress, and worry that Jesus warn us about cause for many Americans another “big three” health concerns: Hypertension or high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Dr. Dorothy McCoy states “Every system in your body is affected by worry. In addition to raising blood pressure and increasing blood clotting, worry can prompt your liver to produce more cholesterol, all of which can raise your risk of heart attack and stroke. Muscle tension can give rise to headaches, back pain, and other body aches. Worry can also trigger an increase in stomach acid which creates stomach distress”. Well, what can we do to counter this unproductive lifestyle? The Bible clearly instructs us on that issue in the scripture from Joel.
Locusts have just decimated everything the Israelites possessed. Yet, God assures them and all of nature that if they are faithful to Him, He will provide for their needs: There will be plenty of grain, the wine will overflow, they will eat in plenty, and they will praise the name of the LORD their God. They will know that He is in their midst, that He is their God and no other, and that His people will never again be put to shame.
How does this apply to us? I believe that when we are able to take the focus off ourselves and what we want, and put it in its rightful place—on God; then, everything that concerns us does so appropriately. We don’t become consumed with it or overwhelmed by it. It can be faced and dealt with realistically and positively. The Israelites were cautioned that they must be faithful to God, which commands praising Him and thanking Him for all that He provides--by worshipping Him and not forgetting that He is in control of their lives. The current generation has more ease and luxury than any previous people; yet, we probably complain the most. Recall the plight of the Israelites. Think of the earliest settlers who began the tradition of Thanksgiving. In their first winter in
Norman Vincent Peale, in his book The Power of Positive Thinking, sets parameters and gives guided steps to overcoming and winning out over worry. A beginning he suggests is to become intentionally thankful for the things we have—large and small.
Listen to this thought-provoking story:
Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely maid with golden hair; I envied her—she seemed so gay, and how I wished I were so fair; when suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle; she had one foot and wore a crutch, but as she passed, a smile. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two feet—the world is mine.
And when I stopped to buy some sweets, the lad who served me had such charm; he seemed to radiate good cheer, his manner was so kind and warm; I said, “It’s nice to deal with you, such courtesy I seldom find”. He turned and said, “Oh, thank you sir”. And then I saw that he was blind. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two eyes, the world is mine.
Then, when walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue; he stood and watched the others play, it seemed he knew not what to do; I stopped a moment, then I said, “Why don’t you join the others, dear?” He looked ahead without a word, and then I knew he could not hear. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two ears, the world is mine.
With feet to take me where I’d go; with eyes to see the sunsets glow, with ears to hear what I would know. I am blessed indeed. The world is mine; oh God, forgive me when I whine.
Friday, I had the opportunity to read to Linda Hawn’s first grade students. It was a new experience for me, but one for which I am grateful. The book selected was a Bearenstein Bears’ book entitled Count Your Blessings. It was a children’s lesson that helped youngsters see blessings in things the bear children took for granted as they compared their toys to their friends and complained that they didn’t have as many. Before I started, I asked the students what a blessing was, and of course, the answers were “I say the blessing before we eat” or a similar remark. I tried to explain that a blessing is anything good that happens to us or anything good that we have. We talked about their homes, their beds, their clothes, brothers and sisters and someone to look after them—we even talked about how their teachers are a blessing. Seeing their faces, feeling how much it meant to them to talk and ask questions as I read was a great blessing to me.
Sometimes we only look at big things or big events as worthy of our thanks or maybe worthy of God’s attention, but God has made it vividly clear that we are to be thankful for all things—no matter how big or small. There are times that concern is proper; moreover, intentionally breaking the habit of worry is a difficult step. It is a goal, however, that can be accomplished with time, with effort, and with perseverance. 2 Timothy 1:7 empowers us to that possibility, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self discipline”. We can discipline ourselves not to worry.
One minister reiterates that God is with us as we try to break old habits and gives us these assurances on which we should concentrate and for which we can be thankful:
- God will help us keep our fears in perspective;
- God will help us sort out our priorities;
- God will help us live in the present;
- God will help us to know what perhaps we know in our heads and move it to our hearts by realizing how precious we are in the sight of the living God.
Worry is spoken about in scripture at least 14 times, and the Apostle Paul admonishes the Christians in
Think about those things for which you are thankful. Among the many things for which I am grateful are the Christian brothers and sisters that I enjoy in this church. The love and support of our church family and community of faith is important to all of us.
How much time will each of us spend this Thanksgiving week and in the future in earnest giving thanks for the bountiful blessings God has bestowed? This is the time to make a valiant effort to put worry in the proper priority of our lives by continually praising God and being eternally grateful for each beauty and blessing life has to offer?
Let us pray.
Dear Lord, we often look at our worries instead of your abundant love. Help us remember that you promise peace when we bring you our prayers with thanksgiving. We also, ask that you grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change; The courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference in order that, in our vanity we not exclude ourselves from your kingdom. AMEN.
