Roger's Postings

Friday, February 10, 2012

Matthew 6:25-33.       Seek first his kingdom!                                               12/2/12

 (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 important than food, and the body more important 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} Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? {28} "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. {29} Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour 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, O 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.

 Here today our focus is drawn to the wonderful gifts that God has so richly provided for us as we live out our lives. We don’t just need to look around the front of the church here to see this: our stretching waistlines and good clothes also testify to this. Not to mention the good cars and all the other excesses that we have and see around us all, go to show that we are richly blessed here in this country.

 But as we celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving here this morning, are we so thankful and appreciative of all that we have? Or, are we one of those whom Jesus is referring to here when he says; do not worry about your life? Are we like the pagans who run after all those things that make for outward splendour and security; thinking that we have to have these things above all else? So, do we also obsess ourselves with, and even worry about, what we eat and drink and wear, as well as our super funds and other securities, thinking that it is these things that will give us what we need in order to get through this life?

 Yes, I am sure, that all of us fall into this category to a greater or lesser degree. All of us hunger and thirst after these things, thinking that they will add to our quality and length of life. As human beings we place a great deal of trust in these things being what makes for life. And we worry!! Do I have enough super? The price of petrol, food and housing is going up, but my wages are not keeping pace. Will our economy go into a major depression? And the list goes on.

 But surely these things are important! Surely we are to take these things seriously! We have to keep up with everyone else or we will get left behind. So we have to put our heart and soul into it, and we have to be positive about these things, or else we will not get by in our world today.
We have to ..... We have to ...... And the pressure continues on.

 That gets us right to the heart of the issue; doesn’t it? We and these things are what is all important for us. These are what we trust will give us what we need to get us through this life in one piece and give us health, wealth and happiness. And where our treasure is there our heart will be. And there then will be the things that we hunger and thirst for: that which we will worry over. And we will worry over these things because deep down we know that time and time again these things do not live up to our expectations, and again and again we are left short and alone. In the end we still die with no more than we began with. It is all such a worry!!

 It is right here then, as we are caught in the midst of our worries that Jesus comes again and speaks words that we desperately need to hear.
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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin.  Yet I tell you that 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, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

 Yes, look again around you. Look again up front here, and at the plenty that we have and are surrounded with. Look at how richly we are blessed here in this country. We have so much, not because we have focussed on these things and worried about them, but because God has provided in abundance for us. Not because we are good and deserve it, but because he is almighty and gracious. Not only has he given us all that we need for this life in abundance, but he has also richly provided for us beyond this life, into all eternity: Again, despite the fact that we have turned our backs on God and chosen to want to live our lives in isolation of him. Despite the fact that we are unable to get there by our own goodness, God in his grace sent Jesus into our world as God and a human being to take our punishment on himself so that we might be forgiven and accepted into his family. He has thereby blessed us beyond measure with that which is the very best of all. We have thereby every reason to be excessive in our thanksgiving on this day and every day.

 Knowing then that he loves us to this extent, we now surely will look to him and trust him above all things. Because he has not only provided for us here, but also into eternity, we will now seek first his kingdom and his righteousness above all else.

 Because of the depths and riches of his love that he has shown to us in Jesus, we will now want to come once again under his rule. Instead of looking to ourselves and the things of this world as being central to all that we are, have and do, we will seek to be in his kingdom. We will desire to live under his grace, rather than the pressures to have and to perform according to that which is here today and gone tomorrow. We know that he is the Way and the Truth and the Life, and so we will allow him full control over our lives.

 We also will seek first his righteousness, rather than try to stand in our own goodness. We will desire to have and be a part of that right relationship with God that Jesus has made possible through his death on the cross. That means that we will constantly recognise our sinfulness and our need for his forgiveness. It will upset us that we have gone against what he has to say to us, and we will want to be right with God. So we will thereby repent; turning back to him, and seeking to have and be a part of all the goodness that he desires for us. We will regularly gather in his house so that he can reassure us that he does love us and forgive us; that he has joined us to his family here and in eternity; and so that he can guide us in how we can live at peace with him and with each other. All this we will seek as of highest priority in our lives: His kingdom and his righteousness is what we will hunger and thirst after.

 Then as we go on desiring God and his grace more than anything else we will find that our trust in him and what he has done and given for us will shut out every bit of worry from our lives. We then will know that since God loves, cares and has even died for us and our forgiveness, he will also then give us our food, drink, clothes and so much more. We will be able to trust that just as he feeds the sparrow which does not sow or reap or store away in barns, he will also do for us. Even when we face difficulties and hardships we will be able to accept everything that comes our way, knowing that God is there in the midst of it seeking to bring good about through it.

 Yes, today, look again around you and see how richly we are blessed. See again how God has abundantly provided for us, even though we do not deserve it. See it and know that God is true to his word, all these things have been given to us as well. So let us give him thanks and praise for all his goodness to us. He has truly been wonderful beyond measure toward us, so let us look to him always and trust him to care for us no matter what comes our way.

  So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

 To him be all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.

 Pastor Roger Atze
Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

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