Bible Readings: Matthew 6:25-30
Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, you of little faith?
A Thought
Last weekend we met up with our daughter and grandchildren in Thetford Forest. After three months separation, it was great to have uninterrupted conversations, watch the children play, exchange presents and share a (socially distanced) meal together.
Text messages and emails are great for passing on information but they are rubbish when it comes to having a conversation and understanding the feelings and emotions of the sender; you can't see the expression on the face or hear the tone of the voice, and it’s very difficult to communicate exactly what you are feeling in a limited number of words. In the absence of being able to meet face-to-face, ‘Zoom’ is a real bonus, but I don’t think anything will replace actually getting together.
So, imagine you were in the crowd in our reading, listening to Jesus. What was the expression on his face or the tone of his voice when he said, ‘Do not worry…’? Do you think it was a gentle ‘There, there, don’t worry, it’ll be alright’, a more emphatic ‘DO NOT WORRY!’ or something in between; a more reasoned ‘if God cares for the flowers and the birds, will he not also care for you?
However you imagine it, I think it is clear that when Jesus said ‘Do not worry, it was a command, not a suggestion, a command that we would do well to take seriously.
What are the things you worry about today? Maybe your health, your family or your finances, maybe it’s the many things you need to do today, or a conversation you need to have. Not worrying about them doesn’t mean they aren’t important, it just means that there is a better way to handle them, and that is the way of faith.
We may have, as Jesus said, ‘little faith’, but we have a great God. So, let us place our little faith in our great God to be with us and to lead us through all the things that concern us today, and let us obey his command ‘Do not worry!’
A Prayer
Father, I place into your hands my friends and family. Father, I place into your hands the things that trouble me. Father, I place into your hands the person I would be, for I know I always can trust you.
Amen
Father I pace into your hands