"Promises and Hope are Bigger than Today"        2011

Deuteronomy 8:2-10             Matthew 6:24-32

 

Deuteronomy 8:2-10

            2Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. 3He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4The clothes on your back did not wear out and your feet did not swell these forty years. 5Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the Lord your God disciplines you. 6Therefore keep the commandments of the Lord your God, by walking in his ways and by fearing him. 7For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, 8a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, 9a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. 10You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you.

 

Matthew 6:24-32

            24“No 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. 25“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? 26Look 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? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But 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? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

 

Did you hear about the guy who decided

            that since anxiety and worry are unhealthy and unpleasant,

                                    he’d hire someone else   to do his worrying for him?

 

                        He told a friend about what he had done, 

                                    who asked him, "So how much does that cost you ?"

            He replied,

                        "I agreed to pay two thousand dollars a week."

 

            Astonished, his friend asked,

                        "But how can you afford to pay that much?"

                                                He shrugged and said,

                                                            " I don't know   …  …  that's his worry."

 

 

So how are we going to get through the challenges of life?

            How are we going to survive the problems we are facing,

                        and deal with the things that wake us up  late at night?

 

            "I don't know   …   …   that's God's worry!"

 

Jesus said,    vs. 25

            … 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?

 

Some writers suggest that Jesus said,  “do not worry about your life”,

            because if you are really spiritual,   obedient and trusting,

                                    then God will solve your every problem painlessly,

                                                and by your faith,  soften every harsh situation.

 

But I have a little trouble with that interpretation …

            … because difficult and terrible things do happen,

                            that do require more of our concern and attention

                                    than simply,   just be happy and don’t worry about it.

 

In the original Greek, the words, do not worry, mean,

            “don’t be distracted and don't be double-minded.”

 

I think Jesus was telling us stay focused,

    and do not let yourself be distracted or frightened by this world;

                        instead,  trust in God’s purpose, power and promises

                               even though there may be some à

                                          dark and threatening storm clouds on the horizon.

 

Because, as Jesus explains,  vs. 24

            No 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.

 

If we are double-minded,

            undecided between this world    and trusting in God’s promises,

   then like a deer caught in the headlights,à

            we will be controlled and immobilized by fear and anxiety

                        over shifting situations and the difficulties we face.

 

But as Jesus points out,  vs. 25                  

            Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

His message

            is to keep our focus on the steadfast faithfulness of God,

                        and to be attentive to God's presence   with us always,

                              even when all else is in flux and crashing-in around us.

 

But how do we do this ??

 

Jesus tells us to do this,   by becoming bird-watchers.  vs.26

            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?

          Watch the birds, 

                        and notice how our loving Creator provides for them.

 

Then Jesus said, vs. 28 - 30

            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?

 

Flowers very rarely worry about what they will wear …

            you hardly ever see flowers shopping for sales at the mall  …

                                    and yet no king or queen was ever more royally robed.

 

Both of these examples, the birds of the air, the lilies of the field,

            are what scholars refer to as, "how much more so parables."

 

Look at how God fulfills his promises,

            even with the mere feeding of birds and clothing of flowers;

              how much more so will your God who loves you, provide for you.

 

The point is, vs. 31               "Therefore do not worry".

          Noticing how God abundantly provides

                        even for relatively insignificant flowers and birds,

                                        then surely will God fulfill

                                                His even more important promises   made to you.

 

            Let these examples of God's faithfulness to his creation

                        remind us of God’s steadfast faithfulness to his word,

                                    and rather than the mundane stuff of this world,

                                      let us instead focus on the promise of God’s Kingdom.

 

God created us to be far more than

            just workers, producers, accumulators and pleasure seekers.

If acquiring possessions, accomplishments and success

            do rule over our passions as our highest priority and longing,

                        then we will surely leave this mortal life

                                    with nothing much to show     for having  ever lived,

                                           for none of that stuff goes with us past the grave.

 

Jesus calls us to make a conscious decision   not to be so tied

     to the things  of this world,   that we cannot be focused upon God -

 

-for if our efforts, our time and sense of self   are all caught up

            with shopping, consuming, earning, acquiring, using, dusting,

                        maintaining, cleaning, arranging, improving, replacing,

                             comparing, storing, protecting, and showing off…

 

            … then that really doesn't leave much room    for us to focus

                   on being faithful and serving to glorify God's name,

                             much less being aware of the signs of God’s love.

 

You and I live just a few years in this world,

            then we are promised to spend eternity in God’s kingdom…

 

… so don't let our troubles, concerns & distractions of this world

            cause us to overlook the grace that God is doing in the world,

                 and hope ahead   for the fulfillment of His promised kingdom…

                       

            …and don't allow circumstantial worries to grow into fears

                        which can distract and keep us from recognizing

                                    the limitless love of God   so evident in His creation.

 

Jesus instructs us, to reflect on how God sustains all of Creation;

      for our hope is sustained by knowing that it’s the  same God,

                           who will also   always fulfill His promises to each of us.

 

Jesus is teaching us that the point of life and of our living

            is not about trying to cram in   as much pleasure, success

                        and acquisition   of wealth and power as we possibly can.

 

Rather, we live this mortal and finite life well and with meaning;

     as our classroom, our internship   for learning to walk with God,

            and building a life of character, integrity and righteousness

                 toward our eternal life ahead   in the coming Kingdom of God.

 

The purpose of the Christian life is not primarily

            about ease, comfort, pleasure or prosperity in this world.

 

Our task is to build and enjoy an authentic relationship with God,

            so that as our faith develops, deepens and matures

                        through Christian service, experience and endurance,

                                    it is in preparation to dwell eternally with the Lord.

 

And sometimes in this life we get a glimpse of that hopeful promise,

            and we see how God sustains us and comforts us and guides us

                        in wonderful and unexpected ways, even in this world.

 

During the year I served as a seminary intern in Washington state,

            Kathy and I were part of the team on a weekend renewal retreat.

 

            I counseled with a number of wounded folks with major problems

                such as an abusive spouse in prison, drug dependencies, etc.

            It was an incredible experience, wonderful and life changing;

                        and it was also very demanding, draining and exhausting.

 

By the time we are able to leave late on Sunday afternoon,

            after such a powerful and intense weekend,

                        I was spent -- physically, mentally, and emotionally.

 

We still had a 9 or 10 hour drive to get back home after the retreat,

            and we considered staying in a motel, but money was too tight.

Then, against my better judgment,

            Kathy convinced me to stop along the way,

                        at a fancy resort hotel nestled in the mountains…

…that was obviously way pricier than anything that we could afford.

           

In fact, I was so sure that it was hopelessly beyond our budget,

            that I waited in the car

                        refusing  to go in with Kathy and even ask about a room…

            … and sure enough, before long Kathy came out,

                        with that huge smile of hers and waving a room key.

                                   

Actually, it wasn’t a room key – she had gotten us a suite,

            with even our own kitchen and a rooftop patio

                        that looked out over a most amazing panoramic view …

… which including taxes,

            came to a little less than $50 for the night.

 

    Now Kathy is a pretty good negotiator, but I have no doubt,

            that it was really God's lovingly abundant provision.

                        Its excessive opulence was a sign of God's abiding love,

                             as we felt God's comforting compassion resting upon us.

 

If God provides shelter to the animals of the field;

            nests to birds, burrows to rabbits, swamps to frogs,

                        tree-tops for buzzards and wet slimy places for the slugs,

                                    how much more so,

                                      a place for the night to his weary servants in need?

 

But the point is not that God will always fix things  into painless,

            or resolve our every little problem or disappointment in life.

Yes, absolutely sometimes it works out that way,

            but the message, “not to worry”  is true because,

                        God loves us, and is always with us, and God is for us,

                            even when we are weary or must endure set-backs in life.

 

            Even when everything around us is going wrong or getter worse,

                        God is still shouting to his children,

                                    “I love you, I am with you and I’ll stay with you.”

 

And if by faith we will listen and look,

            if by faith we will be attentive and notice,

                        then there will always be signs of God’s abiding grace.

 

God is always up to something.

                        God’s hand and gracious love will be visible

                                    to those with eyes and hearts that attend and notice.

 

Jesus says, “I tell you not to worry about your life”,

            not because everything is always going to go our way,

                        but because God will be with us all along our journey,

                                    and will surely bring us into the Promised Land …

            … and we will be able to see God’s grace and endure by faith

                    if we will remember that God has loved us all along the way.

 

It is in that sense

            that Moses reminds the people how far they have come. Deut. 8:2

                Remember the long way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness   …,

 

Remember how along the journey of those 40 years in the wilderness,

            all that God has done for you … and remember

                        the lessons in grace that God has tried to teach you.

 

Try to remember the specific ways of grace,  and retell the stories

            about when God touched you, and proved His love for you.

Remember how God has blessed your life and journey with à

            manna to eat, water to drink, a cloud and fire to be your guide…

 

… and so to us,  today the message of the texts we read earlier,

            is to reflect on the graciousness of God in our own lives…

                        … on the many times God has protected us from disaster,

                                    and the endless stream of kindness and good things,

                                                blessings our God lovingly packs into our lives.

 

Our call today

            is to look around and remember the gracious deeds of our God.

And let us consider, what does our past have to say and declare

            about the truthfulness and certainty of God’s promises?

 

Truly, our hope and security are not in the resources we set aside,

            nor are they in the plans and strategies that we make…

                        … but reside solely in the steadfast faithfulness of God.

 

We will never control the winds of our circumstances,

            but we can and we must

               reset our sails to tack with the winds of God’s gracious will.

 

            No 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. … 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?

 

If rather than worry, we focus on the reign and promises of God,

            then surely all of our life’s needs will fall right into place.

As promised through the prophet Jeremiah 29:11

            For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.