“What’s truly important”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Thursday, November 28, 2024
Matthew 6:25-33 Forward, p. 30) CEV p. 11:25
Coming on American Thanksgiving and one day before Black Friday, I find today’s reading most interesting and ironic, for two reasons. Ironic firstly, for the fact that the devisers of the New Revised Common Lectionary decided to leave out verse 24, which says that you cannot serve both God and money. (I would suggest that trying to do both simultaneously is a principal pursuit of much of America and much of the western world.) I hazard to say that few societies have ever been quite so materialistic.
And ironic, secondly, in that the rest of the reading has to do with worry and its fruitlessness, at least for believers. And can’t we say that ‘worry’ is one of the chief pastimes, and one chief bedevilments, of the American public—and of us Canadians too? We worry about where the next dollar will go or come from, or the cost of groceries or of rent or mortgage payments or gasoline. Elections are waged over things like inflation and the cost of living. And yet, we have it so very good. Food riots are a real thing in some countries—namely because scarcity and malnutrition are for real for them. There are no fall-back mechanisms or social programs to bail them out.
I say all this as a kind of preamble to what Jesus says about material things: Jesus says that food or drink or clothing, or any others of the necessities of life, should not be our primary focus. God knows that we have need of these and He can provide. Instead, our focus should be on Him and on helping bring forth His kingdom and His way of life, His righteousness. Those are the things that are truly important. Those are what we should be working on and for. And here it begins to sound hopelessly idealistic: Jesus says that if we work for these truly important things, the rest will be given to us. Here He sounds like a truly reputable employer, one that guarantees fair and full wages for employees who do their work. Surely, that is something that we should expect from our workplaces. But dare we think that we could also get that from God if we really put Him first? It is something to think about.
Forward notes: “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” (verse 25a).
“I am prone to worry. I don’t do it on purpose or even consciously sometimes. My mind ticks along with to- do lists and tasks to complete, constantly thinking about something that has passed or worrying about something yet to come. Worrying is second nature to me.
“In this passage from Matthew, Jesus doesn’t just suggest we stop worrying but instead grounds us in the abundance God offers. He points us toward the natural world—birds and lilies—to remind us that God always provides, and maybe—just maybe—we don’t have to work quite so hard to keep up with the Joneses.
“When I spend time in my garden, my mind slows. I don’t think about the last time I washed the sheets or whether I sent an email to the church council. It’s one of the few places in my life where I get to show up with whatever I have that day and just be present. I get to notice the many ways God is providing for me.”
Moving Forward: “What is the one place, thing, or person that keeps you from worrying? Seek them out today. Allow yourself to rest in the knowledge that God has provided, is providing, and will always provide for you.”