Matthew 6:24–34

²⁴"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. ²⁵"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? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁸And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰But 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? ³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Life is messy. Jesus knows that. Jesus knows about the problems we face, the illness, the disease, getting older, the pains, the economic problems, how hard it is to make a living. He knows about the insecurity of the markets, about unemployment, lay-offs, home foreclosures. He knows our worries. He knows that life is so messy that we, his disciples, will find it hard to trust him. Our faith will be challenged. We will worry, be anxious and have problems sleeping at night. Jesus begins by telling us, "Do not worry...O you of little faith!" This is not harsh law; Jesus is not trying to establish a perfect society here, he is comforting us, encouraging us, strengthening our faith and trust.

"Do not be anxious about your life," he says, "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?" This is a rhetorical question. The answer is, "Of course it is!" We were created for more than a material life, we do not consist of merely physical bodies, rather we have a higher existence. We were made for a higher level of being. The human being is more valuable than any other part of creation. All worldly things are fleeting and transitory, but the human soul is immortal. It is for that reason that you are unable to find rest and peace in the temporal things of the world. All these things are earthly, yet you are of a heavenly origin. How then will you be able to fulfill your desires in earthly things. You were made for God. You were created to dwell in God and have your life in him. You were made to partake of the divine nature and live enveloped in the life of the Holy Trinity. Therefore there is no way that you will find peace and overcome worry and anxiety with things, money, intelligence, good looks, or any of the stuff of the world. If you are seeking your peace in money or investments, or good health, or good looks, or nice homes you will never have peace or happiness; you will never be free from worry. The things of creation will never satisfy you or give you peace and security. They were not designed to from the beginning.

You were created for a higher level of existence. The rest of creation was given to you as a gift to sustain your physical needs but it cannot fulfill you as a human being. God created mankind for himself, and he gave to man all that he needs: air to breath, water to drink, food to eat, clothing to protect your body, and beauty to enjoy. These are all good gifts which God gives to his most special creation: human beings. Jesus teaches us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," and it is done. He has already given it to us.

The Father who made you will not abandon you. The Father who made not only you, but also the rest of creation for you, will, therefore, supply all that you need. He will give you food and drink. He will clothe you. He cannot deny you what you need. The fact that you are still alive and sitting here shows that He has never let you down or abandoned you up to this point.

Jesus is not here saying that we don't need to work, rather that there is no need to worry about these things because they are not the important things. In fact, it is through your work that he provides these necessities. It is through your work and labor also, that he provides for the needs of others as you work to manufacture and distribute goods and services; and as you help the needy and poor. So he is not saying you don't need to work, but that life has another dimension that is much more important. Focus on the important things: on loving God and on serving your neighbor in need. For that is what life is about.

God not only made you, he redeemed you. He has purchased you for himself on the cross, to be his own dear child. He gave his life as payment for you. And therefore, human life is not to be thrown away for the sake of the convenience of others, like an unborn baby that is inconvenient to his mother. The value of a man does not depend on what he has, his wealth, his good looks, his fame, his intelligence or what he contributes to society. The measure of his worth is not the quality of his life. His worth is measured by the fact that he was created by God and redeemed with God's own blood for a much higher purpose and reason than this physical existence. Material things do not determine his value.

Look around you and see how the birds of the air are fed and taken care of. Behold how the flowers are clothed in glorious colors. Neither the birds nor the flowers were bought with the blood of the Lamb. Yet God takes care of them. How much more he will take care of you whom he created for a higher purpose and whom he purchased for himself with his own blood. He made you his child in Baptism and he joins his own flesh and blood to yours in Holy Communion. He cannot forsake or abandon you. If you were created for such important things as to be his child, he will surely provide the temporal things you need to live.

He tells us through the prophet Isaiah: "Can a woman forget her nursing child. Even if she could, I will never forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands." Yes, you are engraved on the palms of Jesus' hands with the nails that pierced his flesh on the cross. Those nail wounds; the holes in his hands are the engraving. With those marks your name is inscribed on the palms of his hands, written in blood; his blood, the blood that washes away your sin and gives you eternal life.

"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" All things for body and soul.

So, what sign does he give to show his love? What proof does God give that he will take care of your needs? The cross of Jesus is the sign. The cross is the proof that the Father loves you and will not abandon you. And where do you see the cross? You the cross in Baptism. Baptism joins you to the cross. Baptism is the sign of the cross. In Baptism you were clothed in Christ. Christ is your true clothing. And Holy Communion is your participation in the cross as you eat that very body that was hung on the cross and drink the blood that he shed for the forgiveness of sins. Here you find true food and drink. In Communion you partake of the cross of Jesus. Baptism and Communion are the signs that God will never and can never abandon you, but will keep you for himself, both your body and your soul because you are inscribed on the palms of his hands.

You are created for a higher existence so that true rest and peace will never come from temporal or material things in the kingdom of this world. True rest and peace are found only in the kingdom of heaven. "Seek ye first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Once again he repeats the promise that he will take care of the needs of your body. Instead of worrying about your body and temporal life, you are free to seek the kingdom. So we pray, "Thy kingdom come." How does it come?

His kingdom comes in Baptism. For in Baptism you are clothed in Christ. True clothing is the garment of Christ's righteousness that was put on you by Baptism. In Baptism you are given the kingdom and the righteousness of God. Christ himself is the kingdom, he is your righteousness; he is your food, drink and clothing.

So too, we seek the kingdom when Jesus sends you out to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The kingdom comes when you proclaim Christ to the lost and they are baptized into Christ. Baptized believers in Christ, you are a holy nation, a royal priesthood. That means it is your business to bring others to the kingdom by your invitation. As royal priests it is your business to save souls. When you pray, "Thy kingdom come," you are praying that God will send you to your friends, your neighbors, and your neighborhood to offer God's forgiveness to everyone. That is how the kingdom comes.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied. Jesus is true food and true drink. He will satisfy all your needs, both of your body and of your soul.

Amen.