Gospel: Matthew 6:25-34
Grace and Peace to you from God our Creator, and from Jesus the Christ, Amen
Happy Thanksgiving! This Gospel text, is a beautiful text. Consider the lilies of the field, Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will bring worries of its own… Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew is full of memorable verses we all hold with us. The last verse that we read today is one that particularly sticks out to me.
When I was younger, I’d hyperfocus on things, and worry about different things in my life, or the world or whatever… I distinctly remember one night lying in my bed, and my dad came up, talked with me for a bit, and told me his favorite verse in the Bible, and it was “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:34 NRSV)
That moment and this verse stick with me, whenever I am worrying about life. And as you know, there is plenty to worry about these days, but there is much more to be thankful about. My second child will hopefully be here within a month. Star Wars is less than a month away. For those of you who have Thanksgiving feasts tomorrow or in the coming days, you can be thankful for that. Christmas is usually a stressful, but joyful time of year filled with good food, friends, family, presents, and the endless Christmas songs in all the stores. If you experience those things, then hopefully, this is a beautiful time of year to be thankful for.
Another memory I have associated with this text, is the 1963 film, Lilies of the Field with Sidney Poitier; a role in which he was the first Bahamian and African-American person to win an Oscar for Best Actor… It’s a beautiful film if you’ve not seen it. I highly recommend it. In the film, Sidney’s character plays a man in the southwest who gets stranded at a mission with German Catholic nuns. The sisters don’t speak much English, but they’ve been wanting to build a chapel, and see Sidney’s character, Homer Smith (or Schmidt as they call him) as a gift from God to help them build a chapel for the local Catholic mission congregation. I won’t spoil it for you if you’ve not seen it, but in the process of the movie, Homer finds common ground with these German nuns, as a Baptist man himself, and learns to appreciate the little things they can provide for him such as eggs and toast. Homer fulfills his mission, God fulfills God’s mission, and the heartwarming movie ends, quite literally with a resounding Amen. The audience is left to indeed, consider the lilies of the field, and not worry about things, for God will provide.
And it’s hard sometimes. It’s hard to remember that God provides, when we are seemingly left with so little to go on. When life throws everything against us; when terror strikes all over the world; when the nation still struggles with homelessness, poverty, and failing infrastructure… There are times when life seems… pretty scary.
When people are undergoing anxiety attacks, one of the ways professionals suggest that anxious people stuck in these anxiety attacks cope and fight these attacks - is by focusing on something small. Something stationary, something beautiful, something stable. When life is spiraling out of control for folks who undergo such anxiety attacks, it’s good to seriously consider the lilies - if of course, there are lilies in one’s immediate vicinity. But seriously, there are times when we really just need to stop and smell the roses. (That is, if you’re not allergic to pollen…) Sometimes, we just need to take in what we have. Stress is high these days, especially with the Christmas season coming soon. Advent and a new church year start on Sunday, and Advent is a time in which the church, in general, tries to slow down and focus on the coming of the Messiah. Oftentimes, it’s not the case, but especially at the busy and stressful times of our lives, it’s very helpful to take a moment and focus on something else. Take your mind off of what’s going on. And give thanks.
Give thanks for the Savior of the World, who hung on a cross to save us from ourselves. To save us from our sins, our terror, our fear, our anxieties. Jesus the Christ, who was a refugee himself, fleeing the death and destruction left in King Herod’s wake; died and rose again to save us all. For the love of God, found in the death and resurrection of Christ, God’s son, was spilled out for the world. It is this Grace, this Love, this Mercy of God - that we give thanks for. We give thanks tonight for the Savior of the World, who was born in squalor, fled his home with his family as refugees, and died a criminal’s death. We remember his life, and give thanks for God’s Grace that is bestowed to the whole world.
But how do we give thanks? Well, when someone gives you a gift, the proper protocol is to thank them for the gift either in person or with a card. After the hustle and bustle of big events like confirmations, graduations, weddings and funerals… Giving thanks for gifts in the form of writing cards is tradition. It’s proper protocol. We sometimes forget or put it off, but usually someone reminds us to do so. We give thanks for the gifts we’ve been given because it’s the thing to do. Because it’s nice. Because the people appreciate it. But not, because it’s required of us.
Likewise, we give our thanks to God in worship. By offering thanks in our offering; in our tithing; in our time spent with folks; in the use of our talents at church. We give thanks by being active in our world, making God’s creation better for us all. We give thanks by standing up for one another; by being a friend; by offering a shoulder to cry on; by offering a listening ear to someone in need.
The world is a scary place. When blatant racism is alive and well in the streets of Minneapolis; when the fear of the unknown, the other - permeates who we are as Americans; who we are as Christians… and fear blinds us into believing our neighbors are more harmful to us than ourselves… It’s hard to give thanks for this modern world of fear. Fear is the mind-killer.
That is where the love of Christ comes in. That is where the Peace of Christ, that surpasses all understanding, must hold refuge. It is the Peace of Christ, the Love of Christ that allows us to look across at our neighbors… and see the Face of Christ. The child of God that looks into our own eyes. That is what we must be thankful for.
The Grace of God shown forth upon the world is a beautiful thing to be thankful for; for it is this Good News, this saving Word of God that surpasses all understanding that holds us bound to the truth - that the neighbor looking into our own eyes - is no more different to us as we are to them… That the neighbor looking into our own eyes - is no less loved by God than we are loved by God.... That the neighbor looking into our own eyes - is no less a beloved child of God than we are a beloved child of God… When we look into the face of our neighbors, we are looking into the face of God.
For it is that God is incarnate in Christ Jesus. For it was that this Messiah fled his homeland in search of refuge. That our Lord, Jesus the Christ, was a refugee himself. This Good News that our Lord Jesus the Christ - who tells us to not worry about tomorrow - who tells us to consider the lilies of the field - who dies like a common criminal on a cross and rises again - began his life in squalor and fled with his family as refugees fleeing their country.
So do not worry. In a world rife with chaos, hardship, struggle, anguish and despair… God will take care of it. Let us give thanks for all that God, our Creator has given us. God gave us life, that alone we must be thankful for. But the saving living Word of God found in Christ Jesus is another beautiful thing to be thankful for. We give thanks by offering ourselves, our time, and our possessions to serve a greater purpose: to better the reign of God on Earth not because it is required of us, but because we are called by the giver of life to do so. Not because we have to, but because we should. It is this response to the Good News of Jesus Christ that betters the world around us. So there is less to fear. So there is less to worry about. A great president once said that there is ‘nothing to fear but fear itself’... “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Give thanks to God, for God is Good. Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Amen.
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