St Matthew 6:24-34/1 Kings 17:8-16/Galatians 5;25-6:10
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Death does not reign. If death reigned there would be no birds or lilies. But the Lord is a God merciful and gracious. He has not abandoned His fallen creation. He has turned toward you in love and is gracious toward you. He is faithful and just. He forgives your sins and cleanses you from all unrighteousness.
Your Father in heaven has made you and all creatures. He has given you your body and soul; your eyes and ears, and all your members, your reason and all your senses. And in His compassion, on account of His very nature, He still takes care of them.
He also gives you clothing and shoes, food and drink, your home, your spouse, your children, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and all that you have. He richly and daily provides you with all that you need to support this body and life. He defends you against all danger. He guards and protects you from all evil.
All of this He does only out of His fatherly, divine goodness and mercy; without any merit or worthiness in you. And even without your prayer!
In His boundless mercy He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for you. And for His sake, on account of His perfect life and righteousness, your Father in heaven forgives all your sins.
Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Consider the birds. They don’t plan. They don’t store. They flit and fly around, oblivious to the dangers of the world. To cats and windows and jet engines. They do not engage in commerce. They are not concerned with seedy politics. Jesus counts their survival as coming from God. Your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not of more value than they? Than birds! – which the Lord of creation employed to serve His prophet. He commanded the ravens to feed Elijah. They brought him bread and meat in the morning and the evening. He drank from the brook. All of creation has been made to serve man. But man alone was made to receive God’s love. You are indeed of much greater value than birds. Death does not reign.
So set aside your anxiety. Your belly is not your god. The Lord provides daily bread in abundance, even without your prayer, even to all evil people! Receive it with thanksgiving. For even your prayer for daily bread comes second to petitions to hallow God’s Name and let His kingdom come.
Even these He grants you out of His grace and mercy! For He causes His Word to be preached among you in its truth and purity; your heavenly Father gives you His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace you believe His holy Word. Thus do you live by the Spirit and also keep in step with the Spirit.
Consider the lilies of the earth. They do neither the hard labor of the field nor the delicate work of the artisan. They do not live in paradise, in the garden of Eden, but in our broken world. They live alongside thorns and thistles that seek to choke them out, with insects, molds, and various diseases, trampled by children and dogs, eaten by deer and rabbits. And yet they are beautiful; they are more glorious than Solomon, even if their glory is fleeting.
But still death does not reign. For if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
You are indeed of more value than birds and flowers. For you the eternal Son of God, the only begotten from eternity, who walked with Adam and Eve in paradise, took up frail flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. He did not abandon His creation. He came. For us men and for our salvation. For you the One greater than Solomon gave His life, in order that you may live with Him forever in righteousness, innocence and blessedness!
Death does not reign. Death is dead. Jesus lives! The birds eat all winter and the lilies come forth each Spring! In faith, little though it may be, trust in Christ who is the Righteousness of God and in whom the Kingdom has come. Seek it first. For His righteousness is not only the chief goal of the life of the disciple, but also the content, as St Paul writes, bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ. Jesus Christ is the center and circumference of faith.
Now then, do not be anxious. Jesus lives. Jesus loves you. You are now suffering many things. The devil tempts you to waste your energy and effort, to compound your sorrow with worry about various things. The devil would tempt you to worry about money, about mammon. He would turn your thoughts on how to pay your bills, how you can be popular or successful, or even just how to survive.
If he cannot get you to fret over your own desires and imagined needs, he will turn you to fear for others. He will tempt you to obsess and fret over your children or your country or for the poor who are always with us. He will fill the news with tragedies and crimes and disasters. He will try to wear you down, to overwhelm you, to bury you with the impossibility of it all. Do not be anxious, it is useless. You only hurt yourself and those you love. Jesus lives. He will provide. The lilies do not toil or spin. The birds do not sow, reap, or gather. Your heavenly Father takes care of them. He takes care of you. He always has. He always will.
Today has its troubles. Of that there is no doubt. The widow of Zarephath certainly knew this. But the call not to be anxious is not a denial of these hardships. Nor a pie-in-the sky ignorance of them. These troubles need our attention and action. Your children need their lessons and their teeth brushed. Your mother needs a phone call. Your husband needs a pat on the back.
Even your country needs you. She needs your prayers and your involvement, your support and defense. She needs you to vote for the best candidates, to defend liberty and freedom, to care for your neighbor in mercy.
But these needs, though they seem big, are in fact small. They are nothing to be anxious about. The Gentiles, that is, the pagans, worry about these things; your heavenly Father knows all that you need.
For our Lord who feeds the birds and clothes the grass, provides you with bread and clothing of eternal value and significance.
Death does not reign. Jesus lives! And He feeds you with His very Body, the Bread of Life; in mercy and in love. He clothes you with the garment of salvation, the Baptismal robe of His righteousness, more splendid than Solomon.
He takes care of you. Rest. Let go of your anxiety. The Lord has claimed you in the waters of Holy Baptism. He has sent His Son to die for you. He will never abandon you. He will provide. You do not need to look like a supermodel to please Him. You do not need to keep an immaculate house or yard or have your car clean of empty cups. You do not need to get straight “A’s,” to never get grumpy, or be perfect in any way.
Death does not reign. Jesus lives! Your Father in heaven loves you. He will take care of you as surely as He takes care of the birds and the lilies.
In the Name of the Father and X of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Death does not reign. If death reigned there would be no birds or lilies. But the Lord is a God merciful and gracious. He has not abandoned His fallen creation. He has turned toward you in love and is gracious toward you. He is faithful and just. He forgives your sins and cleanses you from all unrighteousness.
Your Father in heaven has made you and all creatures. He has given you your body and soul; your eyes and ears, and all your members, your reason and all your senses. And in His compassion, on account of His very nature, He still takes care of them.
He also gives you clothing and shoes, food and drink, your home, your spouse, your children, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and all that you have. He richly and daily provides you with all that you need to support this body and life. He defends you against all danger. He guards and protects you from all evil.
All of this He does only out of His fatherly, divine goodness and mercy; without any merit or worthiness in you. And even without your prayer!
In His boundless mercy He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for you. And for His sake, on account of His perfect life and righteousness, your Father in heaven forgives all your sins.
Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Consider the birds. They don’t plan. They don’t store. They flit and fly around, oblivious to the dangers of the world. To cats and windows and jet engines. They do not engage in commerce. They are not concerned with seedy politics. Jesus counts their survival as coming from God. Your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not of more value than they? Than birds! – which the Lord of creation employed to serve His prophet. He commanded the ravens to feed Elijah. They brought him bread and meat in the morning and the evening. He drank from the brook. All of creation has been made to serve man. But man alone was made to receive God’s love. You are indeed of much greater value than birds. Death does not reign.
So set aside your anxiety. Your belly is not your god. The Lord provides daily bread in abundance, even without your prayer, even to all evil people! Receive it with thanksgiving. For even your prayer for daily bread comes second to petitions to hallow God’s Name and let His kingdom come.
Even these He grants you out of His grace and mercy! For He causes His Word to be preached among you in its truth and purity; your heavenly Father gives you His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace you believe His holy Word. Thus do you live by the Spirit and also keep in step with the Spirit.
Consider the lilies of the earth. They do neither the hard labor of the field nor the delicate work of the artisan. They do not live in paradise, in the garden of Eden, but in our broken world. They live alongside thorns and thistles that seek to choke them out, with insects, molds, and various diseases, trampled by children and dogs, eaten by deer and rabbits. And yet they are beautiful; they are more glorious than Solomon, even if their glory is fleeting.
But still death does not reign. For if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
You are indeed of more value than birds and flowers. For you the eternal Son of God, the only begotten from eternity, who walked with Adam and Eve in paradise, took up frail flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. He did not abandon His creation. He came. For us men and for our salvation. For you the One greater than Solomon gave His life, in order that you may live with Him forever in righteousness, innocence and blessedness!
Death does not reign. Death is dead. Jesus lives! The birds eat all winter and the lilies come forth each Spring! In faith, little though it may be, trust in Christ who is the Righteousness of God and in whom the Kingdom has come. Seek it first. For His righteousness is not only the chief goal of the life of the disciple, but also the content, as St Paul writes, bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ. Jesus Christ is the center and circumference of faith.
Now then, do not be anxious. Jesus lives. Jesus loves you. You are now suffering many things. The devil tempts you to waste your energy and effort, to compound your sorrow with worry about various things. The devil would tempt you to worry about money, about mammon. He would turn your thoughts on how to pay your bills, how you can be popular or successful, or even just how to survive.
If he cannot get you to fret over your own desires and imagined needs, he will turn you to fear for others. He will tempt you to obsess and fret over your children or your country or for the poor who are always with us. He will fill the news with tragedies and crimes and disasters. He will try to wear you down, to overwhelm you, to bury you with the impossibility of it all. Do not be anxious, it is useless. You only hurt yourself and those you love. Jesus lives. He will provide. The lilies do not toil or spin. The birds do not sow, reap, or gather. Your heavenly Father takes care of them. He takes care of you. He always has. He always will.
Today has its troubles. Of that there is no doubt. The widow of Zarephath certainly knew this. But the call not to be anxious is not a denial of these hardships. Nor a pie-in-the sky ignorance of them. These troubles need our attention and action. Your children need their lessons and their teeth brushed. Your mother needs a phone call. Your husband needs a pat on the back.
Even your country needs you. She needs your prayers and your involvement, your support and defense. She needs you to vote for the best candidates, to defend liberty and freedom, to care for your neighbor in mercy.
But these needs, though they seem big, are in fact small. They are nothing to be anxious about. The Gentiles, that is, the pagans, worry about these things; your heavenly Father knows all that you need.
For our Lord who feeds the birds and clothes the grass, provides you with bread and clothing of eternal value and significance.
Death does not reign. Jesus lives! And He feeds you with His very Body, the Bread of Life; in mercy and in love. He clothes you with the garment of salvation, the Baptismal robe of His righteousness, more splendid than Solomon.
He takes care of you. Rest. Let go of your anxiety. The Lord has claimed you in the waters of Holy Baptism. He has sent His Son to die for you. He will never abandon you. He will provide. You do not need to look like a supermodel to please Him. You do not need to keep an immaculate house or yard or have your car clean of empty cups. You do not need to get straight “A’s,” to never get grumpy, or be perfect in any way.
Death does not reign. Jesus lives! Your Father in heaven loves you. He will take care of you as surely as He takes care of the birds and the lilies.
In the Name of the Father and X of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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