Matthew 6.25-34

FAITH AND ANXIETY

(Matthew 6.25-34)

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, 'Do not worry about your life. (Matt 6.25)

I'm afraid that is easier said than done!

In June 2003, I had occasion to go and see my doctor, Ann Oakes. After about an hour of conversation - I hasten to say that I was the last appointment for the day - Ann turned to me and said that I should take the next six to eight weeks off from work. Needless to say I protested with a host of reasons as to why it was not possible. After I had finished, she quietly said to me that, if I did not, I was likely to have a heart attack or a stroke and that it would be fatal!

Well, that knocked the stuffing out of me, but still I took no notice.

However, ten days later, I found myself conducting the funeral of my doctor, Ann Oakes, who had died of a massive heart attack at the age of only 53 years. Needless to say, I now decided to take her advice before it was too late.

To cut a long story short, I was off sick for some four months and worked only part time for a further two months, before I took early retirement on the ground of ill health.

If I had not worried before, I certainly worried now.

I worried about the church, which was in the process of being reordered to provide for a central altar, and was anxious about the likely reaction of the parishioners once it was finished.

I worried about how we were going to live, since for thirty eight years I had lived in tied accommodation. It was essential that I found some property for Joyce in case Ann's prediction proved true, since I knew that the church, which talks a lot about caring, is very bad about caring for its clergy, and Joyce would be given two months to vacate the Vicarage. Incidentally, the Rural Dean never came to see me and the Archdeacon asked me to go and see him!

I worried about how we were going to be able to afford a home. The Church Commissioners kindly offered me a loan or assistance towards the purchase of a house, provided it was not more than £125,000! And when I asked them what planet they were living on, I was told that they had recently bought a house in Bradford for that amount. I pointed out that I had never lived in Bradford and had no intention of doing so in the future!

Fortunately, I had some property in Australia which I was able to sell, but the exchange rate was against me, and whereas property in the UK had quadrupled in value over the past ten years, in Australia it had only doubled, So I worried about finance.

And then I worried about where we could afford to purchase property. Having looked at Devon and Cornwall, since they were by the coast, and the Lake District, because it was also by water, we found ourselves in Herefordshire which is some distance from the coast.

Even so, we must have looked at the details of about a hundred properties, which is not easy when one was living in Hertfordshire. At the same time, I was trying to run a busy parish. For instance, in one week, Joyce just sat beside me in the car reading the details of some eighteen funerals, which I had to conduct in five different crematoriums around the infamous M25!

Well I survived, and finally moved to Kings Acre. My daily intake of tablets has been reduced from seventeen to only five. It is only now, when I look back, I become aware of the anxiety I experienced at that time.

Hence, when Jesus says, 'Do not worry about your life', I said it was easier said than done.

'Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear', says Jesus.

These must have been challenging words to the early disciples, who lived a precarious life, in a hostile environment, where water and food was often scarce.

But Jesus goes on to give a couple of illustrations of what he means.

The first illustration concerns the birds of the air, who neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet they survive through the providential care of God. And so Jesus challenged his followers with the words that, if God cares for the birds of the air, how much more will he care for you and me?

The second illustration concerns the lilies of the field, which neither toil nor spin, and yet look amazing through the providential care of God. Again, Jesus challenges his followers with the words that, if God cares for the flowers, how much more will he care for you and me?

And in between these two illustrations of God's providential care for his creation, Jesus asks whether anyone can add a single hour to their lives through worrying. If anything, it is a more likely to shorten life!

In fact, Jesus goes further and suggests that those who worry are no better than pagans who do not believe in God! The reason for this is that, if we believe that God creates life, it is not unreasonable to believe that God will also care and provide for his creation.

Now this prohibition against unnecessary worry does not mean that we should not exercise prudence as regards the future. After all, elsewhere he suggests that no one sets about building a tower or going into battle without first weighing up the costs.

Jesus sums up his advice to his followers with the words, 'Strive first for the Kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well'. And that, you may recall, is the same order in the Lord's prayer, where we pray first that God's kingdom may come, before we ask him to give us our daily bread.

This is really a challenge to our faith. Do we or do we not have faith that God will provide for us, like St. Francis of Assisi, or is our faith only half-hearted? Are we prepared to be risk takers, or do we prefer to play safe and never know what God can do with our co-operation?

When I look back upon my past ministry, I have to admit that I have never turned my back upon the challenge of faith, whether it be building and opening a youth centre in Liverpool; the altering of a church to meet both worship and social needs in Plymouth; the rationalisation of an international seafarers centre to meet the changing pattern of shipping in Fremantle, Australia, or building a parish room adjacent to the church and reordering of the interior of the church, at North Mymms. In all these cases, I have never allowed the costs of such projects to deter me because I have believed that, if they were of God, the means would be supplied, to the surprise of the dismal Jeremiahs around me.

Even in my own personal life, I have gone forward confident that if God was calling me, he would provide the means of overcoming any difficulties. Hence, I did not let the lack of a public or grammar school education deter me from seeking ordination.

Perhaps one of our problems is not just a lack of faith but also a desire to try to live in the future, whereby we fail to savour the present. No wonder Jesus says, 'Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow brings worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today."

Unnecessary worry can be harmful not only to our spiritual wellbeing, but also our physical and mental wellbeing.

There is, however, one person who will never let us down, and that is God. Now that is not to say there will not be surprises and challenges to our faith. Nevertheless, if he has created us, he will not fail to care for his creatures.

So, 'Strive first for the Kingdom of God and righteousness'. In other words, seek to do his will ‘and all these things will be given you as well.'

This is the secret of a contented life, free from unnecessary worry. No wonder Jesus says in this passage of the Gospel, no fewer than five times, 'Do not worry.'