Union Church

May 25, 2008
Matthew 6: 25-30.

Worry. We all know that we worry.
We’ve all had sleepless nights of relentless worry.
And we all know that worry seldom accomplishes anything besides discomfort and lack of sleep.
Worry comes from the thought or fear of scarcity: There won’t be enough to go around.
Money doesn’t grow on trees.
Worry also comes from the feeling of vulnerability:
I have no control over the situation.
It is just me against the world.

When we worry, we often spiral down towards despair. We become disconnected from our relationships and circumstances. We only see and hear and feel the worst possible scenario.

And yet, worry has become a virtue in our society. Isn’t a mother supposed to worry about her children even if they have grown up, have moved out of the house and have their own children?
How many times have I told ny daughter, Michelle that worry is written in the small print of the contract?

But we run into a problem with worry.
When we worry we don’t do anything but worry.
When we worry, we usually feel helpless to act.
When we worry, we wring our hands instead of rolling up our sleeves and solving the problem.

Now there is a lot in life to be concerned about.
But when we fail to engage our concerns we turn them into worries. When we engage our concerns, we change the outcome in the present. But when we worry, we are living either in the past or the future and we are no where close to the present moment where change occurs.
When we worry, there is no place for God.

Now, we may think we can find God in the past but it is only a reference point to finding God in the present.

We may think God lives in the future like so many of our plans but the present moment is the only place that God’s life is found.
You see, God , the Life- giving Spirit is only found in the present moment.
This is what Jesus is trying to teach in our gospel lesson today. When we worry about the things that we think we need, we are not really engaging in the getting of them.

Jesus’ reference to nature, so often misunderstood by modern minds, is simply this:
The birds of the air and the lilies of the field don’t worry about what they need.
They live completely in the life spirit of God.
They are constantly fully who they are in each moment.
They are totally connected with the Spirit of life.
And in this way, they have all that they need.
We can live like this also.

The birds of the air are not on a holiday.
They are 100% involved in their life of feeding and nesting and raising their young and migrating.

We might say that we are very involved in these same pursuits but worry is just one of the examples that says we are not.
Making all sorts of plans is another way of not being 100% in the present moment of life.
Remember the wise saying, “Life is what happens on the way to making plans.”

So, how do we know if we are in the moment?

Well, we might have a plan for getting from point A to Point B.
And it might be a wonderful plan. But being in the moment is being attentive to what goes on, and who we meet between Point A and Point B.
Being in the moment is not concerned about the end result.

In our new worship format we have prayers of joy and concern.
We don’t have prayers of future plans but prayers of present joy. We don’t have prayers of worry but prayers of concern.
You’ve heard the saying: Don’t worry. Be happy.
Today I’d like to suggest: Don’t worry. Be present.

Seeking the Kingdom of God, God’s New Day.

Matthew 6:31-34.

When we live in the present moment we can discover the Kingdom of God, God’s New Day.
In seeking the kingdom, all of our needs will be recognized and met. This is a biggie.
Let me say this again.
When we live in the present moment we can discover the Kingdom of God, God’s New Day.
In seeking the kingdom, all of our needs will be recognized and met.
This is awfully difficult to believe and trust.

Are we are really sure if we want what God wants for us?
Are we are really sure if God recognizes what we think we really need?

But real life, life lived in the present moment,
life lived in the Kingdom, in God’s New Day is richer and deeper and more connected than our planned out and worried lives.

Remember my example of going from Point A to Point B?

God’s New Day, the Kingdom of God happens between Point A and Point B.
The disciples were constantly trying to get Jesus to move on to some place different than where he was. There was a plan and they seemed to need to keep him on task.

And what did Jesus do?
He kept stopping.
He kept connecting with folk along the way.
God’s New Day happens along the way.

In order to feed and clothe and care for our family,
we know we have to do X.Y an Z.
But it is what happens along the way of doing X, Y and Z that invites us into God’s New Day.

Every August, as we finalize programs for the fall, we wonder if we will have enough leadership or participants or money.
Every year, it is amazing how folk unexpectedly come out of the woodwork to lead and participate and share.
Sometimes we can’t keep doing things the way we used to.
And so creative new ideas surface. i.e the Kids Program is the Phoenix from the ashes of the traditional Sunday School model. We realized that kids and adults don’t come out to church every Sunday so each Sunday has to stand on its own.

Our new progressive church worship format is developing from the question: What are the needs of people in the 21st century?

These are examples of seeking first the Kingdom of God.

When we seek first the kingdom of God and God’s creative possibilities, our needs are met.

When we start to trust in it and even expect it,
greater things become possible.
We live up to the potential,
we live up to the creative possibilities of the Spirit of Life in every moment.

And when this happens, people notice
and they follow us back into church.