Sermon: Glimpses of Grace in Worry

Glimpses of Grace: A Sermon Series
Grace in Worry
Matthew 6: 25-34, by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
January 31, 2016

‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
‘So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today - Matthew 6: 25-34


It is an important thing to look through the lens of faith to gain perspectives. It helps us to better see our individual and communal lives. Paul Tillich, a German-American Christian and theologian, once said that “Faith is the state of being ultimately concerned. The content matters for the life of the believer.” The concerns that we hold matter because they become a guiding force in the way we navigate through life and faith. Jesus himself speaks to the crowds about a concern that humankind has held over the course of time, and that is worry.

We worry about trivial things in life such as what we might wear or what we will eat. Thank goodness we have Pinterest to help ease the regular questions we ask about our wardrobes and recipe ruts! But for our neighbors who live on the margins, the concerns about clothes for the winter and questioning where the next meal might come from are deep worries about daily survival. You see it’s a matter of perspective.

We worry about the areas of life where we feel we have little or no control. We live in a time of fast paced change and it is hard to keep up with it all.

There are two types of change.

Continuous change includes change which is expected over the course of time – such as watching our children grow into responsible adults. It certainly doesn’t happen without a lot of reflection, concern, and worry, does it? Another form of continuous change is our climbing up the ladder in our employment to better our opportunities.

Discontinuous change however is different altogether because it is unpredictable – such as the rapid change of digital technology or the change regarding our sense of global security brought about by September 11, 2001.

Within any context of change our worries are compounded by a social culture that speaks to a narrative of scarcity and fear. If we really listen to media and marketing there is so much rhetoric that is fear based. The language of scarcity pushes us to believe we will not have enough. We are persuaded to believe in the fear of loss. The underlying current of fear capitalizes on our worries and causes great insecurity and distrust. When we allow worry to be our ultimate concern then it paralyzes us and prevents the gift of faith from being a guiding force in life.

The weight of anxiety and worry causes us to spend more time looking inwards rather than outwards. It makes us feel fragmented and disconnected. We spend more time focusing on our circumstances. We spend a lot of energy focusing on perceived realities that may not even happen. Our worries actually distract us from focusing on the One in whom we claim to trust and find our ultimate meaning. Anxiety makes us take our eyes off God alone. Jesus knows the power of worry is a deceiving one. Therefore Jesus invites us to look for God’s perspective rather than our human one.

God’s perspective shifts our ultimate concern to focus on living for the kingdom and right relationships. This is a primary focus of Jesus’ teachings. Christ encourages us to place our trust in God’s abundant presence, provision, and care. Christ assures us that there is no problem, worry, or concern that is greater than our God’s ability to work through it to bring about God’s purposes in the world. Christ urges us to have a teachable spirit by growing in our discernment through prayer.

Prayer is the space we hone our skills to focus and keep our eyes on God. It is where we practice asking, searching, and knocking on the door of heaven to see God at work in the ordinary places of life. It is where we gain God’s perspective on things we do not understand. It is where we are humbly reminded that we are always a student of life and faith as we seek to learn how to relate and respond to a changing world through the example of our Lord and Savior.

I cannot help but think of Paul’s words, “Do not worry about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

God’s Word says we are not called to bear the weight of worry and anxiety, but we are called to bear the weight of grace. Matthew remembers Jesus said to those of us who carry the weight of worry: ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light’ (Matthew 11: 28-30).

When we are tempted to carry worry and we bear the weight of anxiety, we are forgetting that the yoke Jesus is talking about it not a yoke for the shoulders of one to carry. The yoke Jesus speaks of is a double yoke that rests on Christ’s shoulders and ours. Christ comes beside us in this gift of faith therefore we are called to carry the weight of grace.

The weight of grace allows God to moves our focus beyond ourselves and towards the example of Jesus Christ. We are to follow Jesus’ every step and find humbling strength that God is in control. It is in Jesus Christ that we see God’s coming kingdom that is mending, healing, restoring, and making all things new. It is in Jesus Christ that we see what it means to live in right relationship to God and one another. Striving for the kingdom and God’s righteousness is to seek God’s perfect love that casts out fear.

Our commitment to love God and neighbor hinges upon the law and all the prophets. When our faith is ultimately concerned with what Jesus values the most then this gift of faith truly becomes a guiding force not just for our personal lives in great times of need. Faith also becomes a guiding force for the body of Christ to point to God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness breaking into the world around us and through us. And we are not just to point to this coming kingdom. Others will see glimpses of the kingdom through you and me. So yes, the content of your faith and mine matters in the life of the believer, as Paul Tillich says.

The next time you are tempted to worry, God’s Word urges us to refocus our lenses of faith. We cannot see the world our even our own situations rightly without God’s Word – the spectacles of faith as John Calvin would say. We should all allow the Spirit to write these words on our hearts so that the weight of grace may still the chaos of our sleepless nights:

“God did not give us a spirit of cowardice or fear, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).

“ Do not worry about your life…but strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:25).

“Do not worry about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

May it be so as we seek glimpses of grace in our times of worry.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sources:

Paul Tillich, “The Dynamics of Faith” (New York: Harper Collins, 2001, 1957), p. 4.