\u201cSo do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today\u2019s trouble is enough for today.\u201d At first sight the lessons today seem to give us confusing messages. On the one hand we are called by Saint Paul \u201cstewards of the mysteries of God.\u201d On the other hand Jesus tells us not to worry or at least about anything long term. Indeed, in another passage in Philippians, St. Paul instructs his hearers not to worry about anything but instead to pray. That all sounds very pious, but reality seems different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No one needs to tell us that worry and stress are the blight of our lives. What makes it worse is that whereas once we had an extended family with which to share worry and stress and to receive comfort and help, all too often today we seem to be on our own. In a recent poll, a huge number responded that loneliness was one of the negative aspects of life. It\u2019s all very well, we may be thinking, for us to be told to be like the lilies of the field or even the birds of the air. But we live in today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As if we don\u2019t have enough to worry about all by ourselves, our television sets daily, even hourly, suggest other worries and stresses. If the proverbial person from outer space sought to evaluate human life by watching television advertisements, the impression would be that we are chronically ill and dysfunctional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the pressures and cares of daily life are not enough, today\u2019s readings bluntly inform us that the Kingdom of God is our first concern. We are \u201cstewards\u201d of the \u201cmysteries.\u201d What on earth does that mean? It sounds suspiciously as if this is an excuse for the stewardship committee to start telling us to increase our pledge or support the MDG project. No doubt we will shortly be urged to give money to the poor, use less gas, make our homes \u201cgreen,\u201d and find a way to combat global warming. It\u2019s as if paying the mortgage, college tuition, affording gas for the cars, dealing with illness, the trials of being young or old, are not enough. Don\u2019t we go to church to get comfort?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.\u201d Now that sounds better. Maybe, we think, that\u2019s a bargain we can keep. God seems to like us to worship and sing all those strange hymns, give a bit, support our parish when we have time; and in return, God will give us all we need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is exactly not what Jesus is saying. God doesn\u2019t bargain with us. Jesus starts this section by telling his hearers to get their priorities right. Jesus said, \u201cNo one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus is using one of the most demeaning institutions humans can experience or impose on others to tell us the facts of life. Slavery was a reality in first-century life. Jesus doesn\u2019t condone slavery, but he uses something frightful to demonstrate total goodness. A slave belonged to an owner and was forced to serve that owner exclusively. In one of the most extraordinary passages in the New Testament, St. Paul reminds the Philippian Christians that although Jesus knew of his relationship to God, he emptied himself and became the equal of a slave and gave his life. In that self-emptying, Jesus demonstrated just who he is. He is the one to whom every knee shall bow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As an old Anglican collect puts it, it is when we serve God that we discover our freedom. Stress, compulsive worry, unacknowledged bitterness and resentment easily become our owner. We can\u2019t serve two owners. Sometimes whole communities, parishes, even larger Christian groupings become enslaved to anxiety, to fear of loss, and to dysfunction. Those destroying demons become alternative owners. \u201cNo one can serve two owners.\u201d Ironically, what Jesus calls \u201cwealth\u201d can be a wealth of troubles to which we cling and which define us and the way we live our lives. In our loneliness, such a wealth of troubles may well own us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In our baptisms we were called out of such ownership. The fellowship of the church is given by God to enable us to share together the wonder of God\u2019s love experienced in community. The community of Christ supports us as we learn to offer up the dreadful things that capture and own us, and love takes their place. This isn\u2019t a \u201conce and for all\u201d process. We don\u2019t give our lives to God and all becomes lovely. We give ourselves to God daily, hour by hour, and God gives us what the Prayer Book describes as the \u201cmeans of grace and the hope of glory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In community, as stewards, servants of God and God\u2019s world, we are strengthened in the Holy Meal. And we are strengthened as we read and hear God\u2019s Word to act out love toward all whom we meet, and to take responsibility for a world God made, a world God said was \u201cgood\u201d and a world which God intends to restore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s no bargain here. Life will continue to be tough. Tragedy happens. Suffering is real. The difference is that, as Christians, we face these dreadful realities, these \u201ccrosses,\u201d knowing that God in Christ has \u201cbeen there, done that\u201d in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, and that together, in Christ, we are enabled to expose and overcome those dreadful owners we allow to dominate our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who on earth wants to construct an alternative God called \u201cworry,\u201d \u201cstress,\u201d \u201cloneliness,\u201d \u201cbitterness,\u201d and \u201cfear\u201d? The picture of such a dreadful idol would be fearsome. Such a God, such an owner, debilitates us. When we seek the Kingdom of God first and yearn to be \u201cright\u201d with the God of love, everything we need together to be useful and fulfilled servants is provided freely. We see the true God \u201cin the face of Jesus.\u201d So we seek first the Kingdom of God and accept with joy the things God adds to us. \u201cThe trials that beset us, the troubles we endure\u201d will remain real, but that reality becomes transformed and made glorious as we serve God and do God\u2019s will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This sermon was written by Anthony F.M. Clavier<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cSo do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today\u2019s trouble is enough for today.\u201d At first sight the lessons today seem to give us confusing messages. On the one hand we are called by Saint Paul \u201cstewards of the mysteries of God.\u201d On the other hand Jesus tells us…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201212,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[43,52,33,1953],"tags":[505],"class_list":["post-511937","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sermons","category-sermons-that-work","category-the-season-after-pentecost","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-proper-3a"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":43,"label":"Sermons"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":33,"label":"The Season After Pentecost"},{"value":1953,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":505,"label":"Proper 3A"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/511937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sermon"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/511937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3473525,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/511937\/revisions\/3473525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}