February 28
Matthew 6.25-34
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you — you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Verse 31 hit me differently this morning. When we look at those questions we do so from a place of abundance. Our worry is about which choice we will make among many. What kind of meat? Which vegetable? Rice, potatoes or pasta? Shall I make a sauce or a gravy? The struggles of life in our world. Which of these many choices will I settle on? The same could be said about our choices with beverages and clothing. I have so many options.Jesus spoke these concerns among people who likely only had one or two sets of clothes. Wondering how long they would last and how they would afford the next clothes they needed. He spoke this among people who only had the thought of where they were going to draw water. Jesus spoke to people who were wondering if there was something to make for a meal today. It is from that perspective of scarcity that they come wondering. No options, or at best a second option.I don’t think that in my lowest days of being in need that I came to that point. In our society, even as we see poverty, we have things in place where we can receive some help. It does not reach everyone. Some people do take advantage. But we live in a society that does what it can to alleviate these problems. Few, if any of us, have that recent memory of being in deep need. Having no clue where our next meal comes from. Not know if we can pay bills at all.But we still run after the desire for more and more. We make fun of the ultra-wealthy, who live out that conversation of John Rockefeller, the world’s first billionaire. When asked how much enough is, he responded, “A little bit more.” It should be noted that later in life he worked at giving much of that wealth away. The things of life did not fulfill him. The thing that will fulfill us is not having all the things of life. It is only that sense of being with God; that we know we are kept in his grace.As we each look at the many ways we have an abundance, we can look at how we can turn that into grace for another. How are we looking at where we have enough and the rest is for generosity.
Song – For All That You Have Done
Prayer God of extravagant mercy, with hands outstretched you have poured out wonder and pleasure and delight, goodness and beauty and bounty. So take our lives in all of the abundance you have given us, we pray, and thus may we and others know ourselves to be blessed. Amen.