Sermon by Nathaniel Samuel
Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany
All Saints Parish, Brookline, MA
February 27, 2011
Audio - Download mp3 (length: 13:30) |
Trust in God - Sermon by Nathaniel Samuel, Eighth Sunday after Epiphany, February 27, 2011 |
Readings: Isaiah 49:8-16a; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Matthew 6:24-34; Psalm 131
"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."
Are there times in life when we'd rather not hear the advice "don't worry;" when it seems unrealistic, or lacking sufficient empathy for what we are going through. Can you call to mind such an occasion in your life?
One year ago, my wife's sister unexpectedly lost her job as an architect, after ten years with her firm in Atlanta. With a one-year old and a husband who was also out of work, the family lost its only source of income. Life had taken a sudden and precarious turn, and as much as Wendy and I wanted to help, the painful reality was that we could only do so much. In such moments, the words "do not worry" can hardly seem substantial.
You may have seen the popular TV ad sponsored by State Farm, with the jingle "Like a good neighbor State Farm is there" – which, when sung after an accident, will miraculously conjure a State Farm agent – and a new car etc. If I had that power, I would call up Jesus: "Like a good neighbor Jesus is there." After listening to today's gospel, I would ask: "Lord, how exactly are we not to worry about life? How can the parent who has lost his/her job not also lose sleep over how to put food on the family's table? Or, how can a husband not be anxious after his wife is diagnosed with cancer? How are we not to worry about our children's first day at school or in college? Or, about a college friend who develops a drinking habit? Further, how are our high school seniors in this time of transition, to resist fretting over what college they will be accepted into? Thinking globally: what does today's gospel mean to the Haitians who still live without proper clothing and shelter one year after a devastating earthquake? Yes Jesus, how are we not to worry about life?
Take a moment therefore and call to mind the people, situations or things that you worry about, right now. Who or what are they? Certainly, we would all have in mind those we love – those whom we carry in our heart each day. Can you picture their faces? their situations?
Do we not also worry about things, much more mundane in nature. When Wendy and I recently purchased a spanking new car, for example, I was filled with anxiety about it getting scratched, or hit, or God-forbid: get dirty! (I really hope someone can empathize with me on this one?) Why do we do this? Perhaps our media is to blame? Indeed, it seems like corporate America daily tries to define what we need for a full and happy life and, as such, what we should be worried about. We need the latest exercise workout video and weight-loss pills because we should be worried about putting on weight. And young people, aren't you concerned about being popular? Well, if so, skinny jeans and wearing trousers down to our knees may just be what you need? Our billboards daily remind us about who we should look like, what we should wear, what we should eat, where we should live and what we should drive. So I ask: What do you think are some of the reasons we worry? What are the consequences?
Imagine yourself therefore, for one moment, among those sitting on a hill at the feet of Jesus listening to the words of the gospel. A few present are wealthy and have come to hear Jesus' life-giving words. You are also surrounded by a vast number of those living in poverty; many of who struggle to meet even a minimal level of subsistence. There is hardly enough arable land to feed their families, and the earnings of one's labor is heavily taxed by representatives of the Roman government. Freely imagine yourself as any one of these people sitting on the hillside as Jesus says: "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." Take note of your reaction to these words. How do you understand them? What would you like to ask or say to Jesus?
I wish to offer one interpretation of this passage, and I would be happy to hear how others see it later. I suggest that we understand Jesus' words not as a strict injunction against worrying, but rather as an appeal to not let worry, anxiety or fear dominate our lives. In other words: they shouldn't paralyze so that we are unreceptive to the hope and possibilities held by God's grace.
Perhaps a story would illustrate: one of my dearest memories of my youth on my native island of St Lucia was of going on long runs with my dad. We would get up at 4:00 a.m. (or rather he would get me up at that hour), and brave the early morning darkness and chill for a five-mile run. I prided myself on being in better shape than my dad, and would often sprint ahead in youthful vigor. I didn't mind being alone on the road, except for the part of our route that bordered the island's main cemetery. Superstitions about ghosts and the spirit world abound in St Lucia, and concentrate around graveyards. So it happened, that one morning, I nervously got to this part of my run. Suddenly, out of the darkness, amidst the silhouettes of gravestones, something large and nebulous moved! My heart leapt, my knees buckled, and I could not even cry out! My instincts kicked in and I took off; I lost all sense of tiredness and I bolted! I didn't dare look back. Later that day, the sun rose, and light filled the dark places of the cemetery that had earlier caused me such anxiety. Driving past the graveyard on my way to school, I looked towards the graveyard and found the cause of my fear – a cow had decided to spend the night, and must have stood up as I ran past. Fear and anxiety can indeed paralyze and blind us to the truth.
Returning to the interpretation of the Gospel, the first line reads "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." The word translated here as "wealth" is Mammon from the Greek original, and may be more properly understood as "that in which one places one's trust." "Trust" is the key word here. Jesus admonishes his listeners that our relationship with God must have first place in life; that we are to trust in God's grace before material possessions such as wealth, food, and clothing. In other words our possessions should not distract us from the truth of God's grace. Jesus seems to admonish against what today's collect calls "faithless fears and worldly anxieties" which can dominate and obscure the God in whom we are to put our trust. But isn't there room for the kind of worry that arises out of love, care and concern?
Our engagement with the gospel may also be deepened by considering Matthew 7:12 (not included in our text today, but important for its interpretation). "Therefore everything that you wish that people would do for you, so also do to them. For this is the Law and the Prophets." In effect, Jesus teaches that our trust in God is to be actualized in service to others. Perhaps Jesus' admonition against worrying can be understood as a call to service that alleviates the worries and anxieties of the neighbor, the vulnerable, the poor and the marginalized.
So imagine once more, if you will, sitting alone with Jesus. I invite you to share with him about the people, things and/or situations that you hold in your heart right now, whatever those may be - a sick parent, a broken relationship, a frustrating job search, a growing teen, getting into the right college. What would you share or say to Jesus? What would you ask about our scripture passage today? What does it invite or challenge in your life? Where do you think Jesus is calling you to trust God a little more? And, whose burden can you lift today, whose worries can you lessen? Take a few moments to hold these in prayer ...
Trusting God in the middle of life's messiness is hardly ever easy! Our gospel today is an invitation to recommit to this in humility but also confident in God's love. There are no simple solutions. But we draw on the witness of holy men and women like Martin Luther King (one of my personal heroes) who went through the dark night of the soul himself; and also St Ethelbert who we remembered at our Celtic liturgy.
Perhaps this is a good time to renew our trust in God, since we are inscribed "on the palms of God's hands?" The invitation is set before us in word and in the banquet table that we prepare. Let us partake.
Amen.