The sneakiness of worry
There is a superb balance in Scripture:
There is a perfect balance in the holiness and nearness of God.
There is a delicate balance between faith and works.
The Deity and Humanity of Christ seem like opposites and yet both are needed.
There is a perfect balance in the holiness and nearness of God.
There is a delicate balance between faith and works.
The Deity and Humanity of Christ seem like opposites and yet both are needed.
Justice and Mercy find their balance on the cross...
So too, worry and work are in balance...
The Scriptures are clear: Work is a blessing and a calling. Paul also admonishes the Thessalonians: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." (Note: It says "will not work" not "does not not work").
But we can become obsessed with material things. Our reading for today comes from Luke's gospel and Jesus has just told the parable of the foolish farmer who has become the "sole-proprietor" of his life. He has plans to tear down his barns and build bigger ones and to use his great success to secure a comfortable independent life for himself.
But the farmer had forgotten two things. Firstly, he forgot that it was the land that produced a magnificent crop. This was a blessing that he had no control over, but he took it for granted. Secondly, he forgot that life can be unpredictable. His focus, his obsession, his preoccupation was himself and his stuff.
In the light of the foolish farmer's failure, Jesus speaks about worry.
When we forget what we have freely received and we when we forget that we don't know what's coming, we succumb to the myth of self-determination and this leads to worry.
When we read the verses below, we tend to interpret them as saying: "Don't work, don't plan, don't make provision - just trust God." That's not helpful. The foolish farmer is our reference point. He forgot God, tried to do it by himself and focused on material things.
Jesus points us to the birds and the flowers. Birds still forage and flowers grow and photosynthesise. They are not passive, but they are also not obsessive. Worry is sneaky - it takes the daily gifts of work and living and causes us to obsess over them.
John Ortberg said "There's good news and bad news. The good news is that there is a God. The bad news is that it's not you!" But he went on to say: "And the bad news is actually good news too."
The farmer lives by: "He who has the most toys wins"
Jesus says "Real life happens when we trust God before all else."
Jesus says "Real life happens when we trust God before all else."
Read the verses below as Jesus meant them: Learn to live, trusting in the God who provides and gives.
| Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. (Luke12:22-31) |
