Do Not Be Anxious

Text: Luke 12:22-34

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

          When you’re really anxious or worried about something, what’s the last thing you want someone to tell you? I’m not talking about the silly things that might cause anxiety, like whether the Brewers are going to extend their 8 game winning streak this afternoon, or if the high heat is going to ruin your party. I’m talking about those times when you’re seriously anxious about a very serious thing: when your child spikes a fever in the middle of the night. When you’ve lost your job. When the bills seem overwhelming. When the doctors don’t have any answers. Have you ever been anxious about these things and had someone tell you, “Don’t worry about it?” When someone says something like that, we all just want to say, “Come on. That’s not helpful.” But today it’s not just anyone telling us not to worry, it’s Jesus. And He’s not just offering up empty words or a useless cliché. He’s telling us, even commanding us, don’t worry about it. And when He says it, we can fight that urge to say, “Come on. That’s not helpful.” Because unlike anyone else who might say those words,

JESUS HAS ANSWERS FOR OUR ANXIETY.

          And anxiety needs an answer. A real answer. Not empty platitudes. It’s a real problem, if we allow it to be. Anxiety causes all sorts of trouble. Sleepless nights. Panic attacks, heart disease. It has physical and emotional tolls that we see affecting too many people. We live in an anxious culture. It’s no surprise that anti-anxiety drugs are among the most prescribed medications in our country and that the leading over the counter medications are for sleep and stomach disorders. I’m not qualified to speak to the medical aspects of anxiety but what I do know is that  there are even far more serious spiritual effects of anxiety. Spiritually speaking, anxiety is idolatry. It’s the worship of false gods. It’s raising up idols that promise us health, wealth, happiness, identity, security and meaning for our lives. And like all other idols, the idol of anxiety will eventually consume its worshippers.

This issue with anxiety isn’t anything new. It had to have been a problem in Jesus’ time or else He wouldn’t have been addressing it. The disciples likely suffered from the same misplaced focus on earthly wealth and security as the rich fool did in our lesson last week. And they were likely wondering how a person living in this fallen world could possibly not worry about those things. So Jesus addresses the issue. “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.” Jesus’ logic is perfect, isn’t it? Food might energize and sustain life – but it’s not life itself. Clothing covers and protects us, but you are not what you wear, no matter what social media or the fashion industry says.

Worry is illogical for believers. “Consider the ravens,” Jesus says, “they do not sow or reap; they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them.” The birds of the air don’t plant or harvest their own food; they don’t store it up in pantries or bank accounts – they’re totally reliant on God for their food on a daily basis. In this way, they’re a picture of faith. “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” The flowers of the field don’t spend hours shopping for just the right article of clothing at just the right price. They don’t carry credit cards and cash around. They don’t have closets filled with more clothes than anyone could wear in a whole year. And yet God makes them more beautiful than any fancy wardrobe ever could. Like the birds, they’re a picture of faith.

From these illustrations Jesus draws His conclusion: “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.” You could say, “Come on. That’s not helpful.” But think about it. Does your anxiety put food on the table? Does it clothe you or your children? Can it add one minute to your life? Does your anxiety add anything to your life except sleepless nights, restless days, headaches and heartache? Intellectually, we understand that worrying is foolish and useless. It makes sense that the God who takes such good care of birds and flowers would take even better care of us, the crown of His creation. Why, then, are we so anxious about food and drink and clothing and shoes?

Jesus’ question actually contains the answer to that question. Did you catch it? “You of little faith,” Jesus says. Anxiety can be symptomatic of the littleness of our faith and the largeness of our unbelief. That’s what really doesn’t make any sense, right? We trust God for the big things – forgiveness of sins, resurrection from the dead, and eternal life. Those are things so big we can’t wrap our minds around them – much less do anything to achieve them. But then we don’t trust the same God who has taken care of the big things to take care of the little things; for food and clothing and shelter. Why don’t we trust him for these small things? Why do we let anxiety crowd God out of our hearts?

First and foremost, it’s because we likely don’t see it as sin. I don’t want to lose you here, so please don’t hear me as saying that being concerned about things and taking measures to deal with them is sinful. What I’m talking about is the kind of anxiety that denies that God is in control and capable of providing all things. This is sinful. And it’s not helpful to view it as, “Everyone is doing it, it can’t be that bad.” We might accept that it’s foolish and pointless, but how often do we recognize our worry and our anxiety as a sin against the 1^st Commandment. Anxiety is the kind of idolatry that idolizes ourselves in place of the one, true God. Anxiety is the idolatry of raising ourselves above God; of exalting ourselves when we imagine that our daily bread is provided by our labor and sweat rather than by our good and merciful Father in heaven. It’s a form of pride. It’s faith in ourselves rather than faith in God – and for that we need to repent.

But that’s just one side of the coin. It’s not just that we fail to recognize anxiety as a sin, but also that we fail to trust that our Father in heaven really loves us and will really provide for us. As Jesus said, “For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.” God really does love us and really will care for us! More than anything in the world, that’s what we should be sure of even though we may not see it the moment. But there’s still a problem, isn’t there? We may understand logically that we’re more valuable than the birds of the air and the flowers of the field; we may confess our anxiety and worry as idolatry and know that we should trust our Father’s promises – but the worry and anxiety are still there, aren’t they? Why? Because the remedy for anxiety isn’t found in our minds. It’s the same thing as when someone says, “Don’t worry about it.” That doesn’t solve our problems. It’s because The Law can diagnose the problem, but it can’t solve it.

Yet, there is a solution. Let’s think back to the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. While they don’t sow or reap or store up or labor or spin or worry – that doesn’t mean they’re lazy. The birds are constantly busy flying around gathering the food the Lord provides. The flowers of the field reach down into the soil and up to the sun – gathering in the nourishment the Lord provides. In other words, faith (which is the opposite of anxiety) isn’t idle. It’s living and active. You could actually say that the cure to worrying about the wrong things is worrying, or maybe more properly, focusing on the right things. And Jesus gives two examples of how this faith can be living and active.

First, He says, “Instead, seek His kingdom.” And His kingdom isn’t a nation, but rather His rule in the hearts of all believers. A reign that’s focused on Jesus, who broke into this anxious and worried world and conquered it with perfect faith in his Father. Think about how many things Jesus could have been worried about. Image and reputation. Food which He was deprived of in the wilderness for 40 days. Not having a place to lay his head or to call home. And His solution to all these things that could have caused great fear, anxiety, and worry was to pray. Unlike us, Jesus knew exactly how he would suffer and when he would die. And yet, instead of worrying about it, He gave it all to His Father. Jesus had every reason we do, and more, to be anxious and worried – but He wasn’t – and His worry-free life is now yours. When God looks at you, He doesn’t see an anxious idolater who has wasted countless hours trying to take on His role of caring about every detail of creation.  What He sees is His Son’s life of perfect fear, love and trust. As you “seek His kingdom, these things will be added to you.”

And when the King of creation ascended the throne of the cross, not only did He have nothing to eat, but he thirsted for just a drop of water. He was stripped of every bit of clothing, so that, unlike the flowers, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him.” And yet, in allowing everything to be taken from him, Jesus gave us everything; everything the kingdom of God contains. Forgiveness, life and salvation. For Jesus’ sake “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” And you seek and find these blessings in God’s kingdom right here. In baptism you received citizenship in His kingdom. In absolution He rids you of the rags of your anxiety and worry and clothes you with robe of Christ’s righteousness. In the Lord’s Supper he feeds you with food that will never perish or run out. And if your Father gives you those big, eternal things, how could you ever doubt that He’ll take care of the little things like clothing and food and shelter?

The second example Jesus gives about how your faith can be living and active is when He says, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” It might seem counterintuitive that giving your things away could alleviate anxiety, but the last sentence explains what Jesus means. By your charity and generosity you are exercising your faith and your trust that your true treasure is already locked away safely in heaven. When you can allow earthly possessions to pass through your hands, trusting that your Father will continue to provide for you day after day, then it will become clear to you that God has provided for you the remedy to anxiety; that you believe and trust that “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.