Meditation for May 16

From The Rev. Peter A. Munson

Luke 12:22-31

"Jesus said to his disciples, 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.  Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds!  And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?  If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you - you of little faith!  And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.  For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.  Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.'"

Where Is Your Focus?

What if every mall in our country had signs posted above all the entrance doors which read, "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing."  Would we even see the signs?  If we saw them, would they make us pause, or would we scarcely miss a beat?  Would we be too distracted, thinking about which counter we wanted to go to at the food court, or which clothing store we wanted to go in first?

And  what if we had signs posted above our front doors at home, or at our desks at work, which read, "Do not keep worrying.  Instead, strive for His kingdom, and these [other] things will be given to you as well."  Would those signs help us stop worrying, even though - according to Jesus - our worrying cannot add a single hour to our life span?  Maybe those signs wouldn't help.  I recently heard that if you focus too much on your bills... even if you were to say, "I wish I didn't have all these bills to pay!", you are just likely to attract more bills and more debt into your life.  So if we focus on not worrying, isn't it likely to make you realize how many different things you worry about?

The solution is to shift our focus.  Jesus says "Consider", and then he gives us examples of other things to think about.

"Consider the ravens," he says.  How are they fed?  They don't even store up food for another time, like some animals do.  They don't have to sow a field, like you humans do.  They are fed by God.  That's the answer.  God provides for them.  And then he adds the punch line.  Aren't you of more value than a bird?  (I love birds as much as anyone, and value all  the species on the planet.  Jesus is making a point.)

"Consider the lilies," he says.  They don't spin yarn or do anything to clothe themselves and make themselves beautiful.  They just are beautiful.  God made them that way.  Come to think of it, Jesus says, Solomon - who is the richest man I can think of, who had the finest clothes anyone ever wore - Solomon was not nearly as glorious, all decked out, as one single lily.  And then the punch line again.  Lilies are here today and gone tomorrow.  God values you so much!  Where is your faith in God's provision for you?  Again the theme... God is the Great Provider.

Finally, Jesus says, if you worry about your life, about clothing and food and such things, you are just doing what all faithless people do.  You are just going along with the crowd, really.  Again he suggests we focus on something else.  "Strive for the kingdom," he says.

To strive for the kingdom we need to pause long enough to think of what the kingdom is about.  The kingdom is about people - and all of creation - being transformed, and being given new life.  It is about the blind receiving their sight and the lame walking.  It is about prisoners going free, and oppressors having their hearts transformed and repenting.  It is about loving your friends and loving your enemies, and praying for those who persecute you.  It is about maturing and being creative and becoming the person God made you to be.  It is about loving God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength.  It is not about what you wear or what kind of food you eat! 

Life in the kingdom is about trusting in God's goodness, trusting in God's provision, trusting in God's never-ending love for you.  It is about believing in God's graciousness.  It is about being able to live without worry and without fear, because of who God is.  Listen to what Jesus says in the very next verse after the passage quoted above.  "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32)

"Do not be afraid... It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."  Now that is something to consider!