September 17, 2023 Sermon Trinity 15 The Sunday of Not Worrying

Trinity 15
Matthew 6:24-34
September 17, 2023

“God’s Things First”

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

“You can’t tell me what to do!” You can’t say that to a lot of people without getting into some trouble. You can’t say that to your parents. You can’t say that to your boss. You can’t say that to a teacher. You can’t say that to the police if they pull you over for speeding. You can’t say that to the man at the checkout in the store when he says, “That’ll be $39.28.” God says that all of those people can absolutely tell you what to do. They can and you must obey as long as it doesn’t mean you’d have to disobey God. You can’t say to most people, “You can’t tell me what to do!”

But here’s a little fun. You can say that to the devil. You should say that to the devil all the time, “You can’t tell me what to do, you dirty devil.” And you can also say that to the world when the world demands that you do and be everything the world wants you to do and be. Then say to the world, “You can’t tell me what to do.” Because Jesus says that you cannot serve two masters. You can’t have two people telling you what to do. You cannot serve God and money. Only one master. And that master is God. And if the world tells you different, then you say, “You can’t tell me what to do.”

In fact, this is kinda fun. I think you should practice doing this. For instance, you can talk back to all the advertisements and the slogans that try to tell you what to do. When Nike tells you, “Just do it,” then you can tell them, “No. You can’t tell me what to do. No, I don’t need your over-priced apparel just because you put a swoosh mark on it and just because I like Michael Jordan. No, I won’t just do that.” Jesus says not to be anxious about clothing. God puts better clothes on the flowers than Nike has ever sold in all their years.

Look up here at these flowers. Look at this rose. How does God do this? Nike has never made a fabric in all their existence that feels and smells as good as the petals of this rose. Nike has never made a shoe that’s as beautiful as this rose. “They neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” That’s what Jesus says about lilies. And this rose will be dead and wilted within a few days. God has so much beauty to give that He can afford to give it away on roses that only bloom for a short time and then are thrown into a landfill. “Will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” Nike clothes are fine, of course, if you want to wear them. And there’s nothing wrong with a marketing slogan. But don’t let them tell you to just do it. You don’t have to have any certain brand or type of clothes. Because you’re not that overly concerned about clothes. You have a greater and better Master that you serve.

And what about food. Don’t let those food advertisements tell you what to do either. When you hear Dunkin’ Donuts tell you, “America runs on Dunkin’,” then you should say, “Maybe, but I don’t. You can’t tell me what to do.” Who runs after a big donut, anyway? Not anyone I know. I certainly don’t go running after a delicious Boston Crème donut from Dunkin’. I don’t run on over-priced coffee and donuts and neither does America. Sure, Dunkin’, we might eat your donuts and drink your coffee once in a while since you positioned yourself right there so nicely by the Walmart and the Aldi. But you can’t tell us what to do. We certainly don’t need a coffee and donut to get us up and running.

Jesus says, “Don’t be anxious saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’” Food and drink are wonderful gifts of God. But they shouldn’t tell us what to do. “Look at the birds,” Jesus says. Do the birds build Dunkin’ Donut drive thrus? Do they build big barns to store all their food? Sure, some of you will put up “big” barn feeders for them on poles in your yard full of seed. And they appreciate that. But they don’t worry if yours runs dry. They just fly off somewhere else. In fact, where do birds even go all the time? What a mystery?! Yet your heavenly Father is always feeding them. So why are we so worried about food? We shouldn’t be continually being told what to do and eat and buy just because the world has good ad slogans.

Now this is actually serious business. Of course, you know it’s serious because Jesus is talking to you about it. The world wants you to be far too concerned about food and drink and clothes. Big, big money is spent trying to get you to think you have to wear certain clothes and eat certain food and drink certain drinks. But you don’t have to. The world isn’t your master. God is. The world can’t tell you what to do. You can drink the water from your kitchen faucet, wear the same clothes two days in a row if necessary, and eat peanut butter and jelly for lunch and dinner. And you’ll be just fine.

We take our marching orders from Jesus. He’s our Master. So let’s get specific about what He’s telling us to do here. It helps to think about this word translated “anxious” when Jesus says, “Do not be anxious.” It will help us all to make some distinctions here about what Jesus means and what He doesn’t mean. When He says that you shouldn’t worry, shouldn’t be anxious, shouldn’t be too overly-careful about food and drink and clothes—He doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t ever plan ahead. Of course not. So let’s make that distinction very clearly. Some faithful planning is good and holy. But only in it’s proper place. You certainly don’t need to worry or be anxious.

So it might help you to know that the word here that Jesus uses for worrying and being anxious has to do with being distracted. The Greek word merimnao. It could be said that you get distracted from the whole and become overly concerned with the parts. We’ll say that again. When worrying and being anxious, you’re losing sight of the whole and becoming distracted in the parts.

So, Jesus says, in order that you don’t get distracted and start worrying and fretting over the individual parts like food and drink and clothes—rather, “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” and all those individual parts will be taken care of. Why be anxious and worrying over small little parts like food and drink and clothes? God will take care of those. Don’t be distracted by the world and money telling you what to do. They can’t tell you what to do. You have a higher God and He will always take care of you. If He’s taking care of birds and flowers, then He’s going to take care of you.

Let’s say you’re on your way to St. Louis for a Cardinals game. They’re playing the Cubs so this can go for either a Cubs or Cards fan. I don’t know who you’re rooting for but your destination is Busch Stadium. Start time of 1:15 in the afternoon so you start out early around 8am in the morning. You want plenty of time for the drive and lunch and so forth. You get on Interstate 39 out here and you’re cruising. No anxiety. No worry. No distraction. Coming around the west side of Bloomington you see a billboard for McDonalds. “I’m lovin’ it.” You’re loving a coffee and a McGriddle so you take the exit ramp. While you’re off you also see the Farm and Fleet and remember you’d really like a couple tie straps or twenty so you take a quick stop. Plus then you can get a look at the baby chicks in the water trough. Then the Walmart’s right there and you could use a few snacks for the road so you’re off there for a bit.

Back on the road. On your way you see a couple billboards for Scheel’s in Springfield. Good thing you left early for the game. A short little four hour stop there at Scheel’s. Few turns on the Ferris wheel. Then you’re hungry. Ooh, there’s a Chick-Fil-A. Stop in there. Oh, a Dunkin’. Bostom Crème donut and a latte. And there’s a Kohl’s. It’s getting dark. Where were you going today anyway? Eh, who knows? Better head back home.

So we might translate Jesus’s words, “Therefore, I tell you, don’t be distracted by what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you’ll put on. Isn’t life more than food and clothes?” Yes, life is more than McDonalds and Farm and Fleet and Walmart and Scheels and Dunkin’ Donuts and wherever else. Life is God and His kingdom and His righteousness. Don’t get distracted along the way with worries and anxieties that God’s going to take care of. Yes, it’s good to know where the gas stations are on the way from El Paso to Busch Stadium. But much more than that and now we’re missing the whole picture.

First things first. That will probably become an overused cliché but it really is a good saying. You ought to keep first things first. In our case, that means God’s Things First. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. You know what that means. What does God tell you to do? Keep His things first and tell the devil and the world, “You can’t tell me what to do.” God’s things are His holy and sacred Word in the Bible that we’re talking about right now like when He says, “Seek first the kingdom of God.” Keep His Word first. God’s things are prayer and thanksgiving and singing. Keep talking to Him first. God’s things are forgiveness of sins and so we keep the Divine Service first and the Lord’s Supper first. God’s things are love for Him and love for our neighbor. So we keep those vocations first where we serve God and our neighbor.

Don’t be distracted. Don’t let the world tell you what to do. God will be taking care of you. That’s a fact. So seek first God’s things. God’s things first. And the rest will be taken care of. He will just do it.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.