Sermon - February 27, 2011
Year A - The Year of Matthew - Epiphany 8
Isaiah 49:8-16a; Psalm 131; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Matthew 6:24-34 

Dictators and kings find it very effective to keep their subjects in constant anxiety. If the people are anxious about their life, and worry about where their next meal is coming from, then perhaps they will be more willing to do the king's bidding in order to get the food they need from the king's storehouse. Anxiety keeps them in their place. Fear makes the monarchy firm.

One of the greatest things about Jesus our King is that he does not want his people to be anxious. The main point of today's text is that God does not secure his kingship by cultivating anxiety. On the contrary, the aim of God's kingship is to free us from anxiety. God does not need to keep us anxious in order to establish his power and superiority. Instead, he exalts his power and superiority by working to take away our anxiety.

We need a word from the Lord Jesus this morning to remind us that his kingship is not built on the anxiety of his people. He has made himself king over us for the very opposite purpose, namely, to take away our anxiety. In my own life, the statement from the Lord that does not want me to be anxious has a great tendency to give me peace. However, when you add to it the reasons he gives why we do not need to be anxious; his word becomes tremendously powerful. So let us look at some of these reasons in Mt. 6:24-34.

It seems clear that the main point of this text is that disciples of Jesus should not be anxious. Verse 25: "Do not be anxious about your life." Verse 31: "Do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?'." Verse 34: "Do not be anxious about tomorrow." So one thing should ring in your ears when you leave this morning, namely, "Jesus does not want me to be anxious, but why? Why is Jesus emphasizing this idea about not worrying?" After all, worry seems to be almost part of our make up as people. We worry about so many things that we lose sleep at night. This theme about worry comes up repeatedly in the teachings of Jesus.

Jesus brings up the idea of worry so often because we tend to worry about the wrong things, or we worry about the things that eventually do not matter while we ignore the things that do matter. It is Jesus saying, "If you want something really worth seeking after, try this on for size - the kingdom of God and his righteousness."

Instead of being anxious, Jesus is saying, "Seek first God's kingdom." In other words when you think about your life or your food or your clothes or your spouse or your job or your lot in life, do not fret about them. Instead, make God the King in that affair. Hand over the situation to his kingly power and do his righteous will with the confidence that he will work for you and meet your needs. To seek the kingship of God first in every affair and every moment of life is a new way to live. It is filled with freedom, peace, joy and adventure. However, it can also be filled with hardship; but it is worth it. If you believe in the kingship of your heavenly Father, you do not need to be anxious about anything. 

Most of the things I worry about and that keep me up at night end up not worth the energy devoted to the worry. Generally, worrying about something is more painful than the thing about which I am worried. Most of what has kept me up at night has so faded over time that it is just a distant memory. Jesus wants us to distinguish between the corn and the husk, the kernel and the chaff. He wants us to see the difference between what is important and what is not, and to seek after what matters. 

If we want, something really worth seeking it is the kingdom of God and his righteousness. The kingdom of God is what Jesus came teaching us to seek. 

The big seeking is what Jesus came to do. He came to seek and to save the lost. That is us. We were lost, drifting in this world, thinking we are on our own, worrying about our things, but only giving a second thought to God. However, Jesus came and sought us out. He is the supreme gift from the Father, who came down from heaven for us and for our salvation. Jesus gives us the righteousness we need. We could not keep God’s law, as we ought. Jesus did. We could not pay for our breaking of God’s law. Jesus did. He did that on the cross, for you and me. His death and resurrection win for you forgiveness for your sins, eternal life in God’s kingdom, and righteousness to stand on the Last Day, the perfect righteousness of Christ your Savior. 

Seek after these things, the things Christ comes and brings right to you as a gift: the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Hunger and thirst after these things, after righteousness, and you will be richly satisfied. For out of the same goodness with which your heavenly Father feeds and clothes you from day to day--out of that same goodness your Father feeds you with the bread of heaven, gives you to drink from the cup of salvation, and clothes you with robes of righteousness for eternal life in his kingdom. Amen.