"What's Worth Striving For"--August 30, 2019

"What's Worth Striving For"--August 30, 2019

[Jesus said:] "...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?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these thigns; 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." [Matthew 6:28-33]

If you can trust your needs are covered, you no longer have to be ruled by anxiety about yourself and your own interests.

If you are no longer tangled up in just living for yourself and what makes you "happy" for the moment (because, let's be honest, you can't hold onto it for more than that), you are freed to live for the sake of God's beloved community.

In short, once your hands are freed up from carrying around the baggage of self-seeking, you can actually use them for something productive, something bigger than ourselves, something that will last.

This is the thing it took me a really long time to recognize from Jesus' teaching here in what we call the Sermon on the Mount (which also comes through in Luke's version of the parallel passage, too).  Saying that Jesus teaches us not to worry is really only half of the idea here--Jesus doesn't just say, "Don't worry about tomorrow... so I guess now you're free to waste today."  And he doesn't remove the anxiety about our needs so that we can just fall asleep. Jesus tells us to quit "striving" after one set of things, and then instead, to "strive" FOR something different--the Reign of God.  The kingdom of heaven.  The Yahweh Administration. The beloved community.

Jesus doesn't empty our sweaty clenched fists of the old fear and envy and anxiety just so we can sit on our hands.  He pries them open so that they we can use them for the work God invites us to share in.

When I'm no longer obsessing over my fashion choices, I can be satisfied with clothes that will keep me cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and dry in the rain... and then I can move on from that subject to turn my attention to helping out the neighbor who doesn't have anything that doesn't have holes in it.

When I'm no longer selfishly blocking out time on my calendar that prevents me from being available for others in need, my time is freed up to be a blessing for others--and I discover in God's cleverness that God sends others in those moments to be a blessing for me, too!

When I'm no longer putting all my energy into pursuing the American Dream, I can be open to listening for God's dream, and I can offer my energy, vision, and passion for being a part of what God is doing in the world...which is always going to be bigger than just making more money or having the spouse, kids, dog, and white picket fence life.

And when I'm no longer consumed by fear about clutching on my stuff, or who is going to come and "take" my stuff, or how I can defend and guard my stuff, well, I can let Jesus disarm me and use my two open hands to share my abundance with my neighbor... knowing that Jesus is the kind of Lord who can take a few loaves and fishes and feed thousands with them.

The end of worry is just part of the conversation.  The Gospel is more than just a Bobby McFerrin hit, and the Good News is more than just "Don't Worry, Be Happy."  The freedom from worry allows us to spend our energy on what really matters--living our lives in the love of God that always leads me out of my narrow, shallow self-centered view of things, out into the spaciousness of mercy for all.  The freedom from anxiety that Jesus speaks about will always move me to be the peace-making non-anxious presence when people around me are tangled in chaos and strife.  The freedom from jealousy that Jesus gives makes me able to rejoice with thsoe who rejoice and to seek the good of others rather than trying to amuse myself all the time.  And the freedom from the old "pursuit of happiness" enables me to rest in true contentment right where I am, as I am, instead of constantly chasing after some elusive (and illusory) mirage out there that always seems just beyond the horizon, and just out of reach like a dog chasing its own tail.

So let's hear it now, and be freed for something meaningful today: we don't have to spend our lives striving after our own interests--God is already well aware of our needs, and God promises to have them covered.  But once we acutally trust that about God and can quit the selfish and shallow kind of striving, we can strive after something else, something better... something worthy of our energy, our love, and our passion.

Maybe today, the most freeing thing we can say is also the most fulfilling: since you don't have to obsess over your own interests any more, how can you use today for the sake of someone else's?  How can you let yourself be a part of God's way of running the universe today?  How will we live out the kind of justice, mercy, and goodness that are the hallmark policies of the Yahweh Administration?

In other words, don't quit striving--just maybe reconsider what is worth striving after in the first place.

Lord Jesus, free us from obsessing over ourselves, our interests, and our momentary gratification, so that we can spend our lives and energy on your Reign of goodness in the world.