Do Not Worry

We are just weeks from an election in November, and I am not here today to tell anybody how to vote or which issues should matter most. But I do want to address a feature of election campaigns that are worthy of a response from the church. And let me say right up front that this is a feature which is in no way isolated to any one party or candidate; it persists throughout. So, if anything, I put myself out there as an equal opportunity offender because I think this is a fair critique of our world as a whole. It is not just a critique of our political system. No, what we are seeing take shape in our politics is simply an expression of a much larger paradigm we see all throughout our sinful broken world.

Just earlier this week I sat with a group talking about prayers of lament. And several people in the group shared the way they lament the ugliness of political campaigns. It seems you cannot watch a single television show without an onslaught of negative political advertisements. And every day when you go to the mailbox there are several campaign postcards with negative messages. The shared sentiment is that we all just want the election season to end so that this nonstop barrage of negative messaging can be over.

fear sells, fear motivates

So, let’s put the politics of this aside for a moment and consider what is really going on here, because it is much bigger than politics. It has to do with fear. Marketing advertisers know all-to-well that fear sells; fear motivates. Sinclair Broadcasting has stated exactly this in their marketing strategy. Sinclair Broadcasting is the company which owns several local television stations. Here in West Michigan the local CBS station (WWMT channel 3 out of Kalamazoo/Battle Creek) is owned by Sinclair. If you watch the local evening news on channel 3 you may notice just how many of the local journalism stories are bent towards fear, slanting towards headlines like “crime in our streets” - “drugs in our schools” - “seniors at risk” and the like. It is an intentional marketing strategy of Sinclair to appeal to our fears when promoting headlines to gain viewer ratings. Fear sells; fear motivates.

Along those lines it makes perfect sense then that political campaigns would try their very best to motivate you to vote in certain ways by appealing to fear. The goal is not to gain your vote because you love and support the positive and hopeful positions of their candidate. The goal is to gain your vote because you are afraid and angry of the devastating outcomes that go along with the other candidate. And let me say again, I think we can all see that this happens on all sides of our political spectrum.

there are over 100 passages in scripture which state a command to not be afraid

Here is where the Bible has something to say. In fact, the Bible actually has quite a bit to say about fear. There is a myth out there on the internet which says the Bible has 365 “do not be afraid” passages—one for each day of the year. That’s not true unless you bend the rules and pull in passages which generically mention people being afraid. However, there are over 100 passages in scripture which do in fact state a command to not be afraid. There is enough mention of this command that I think we as God’s people should always have our spiritual antennae tuned into an awareness of when fear is trying to creep its way into our thinking. And there is enough mention of this command in the Bible that whenever we find someone trying to bend our actions and motivations by appealing to fear, we should instantly pause and remind ourselves of what the Bible says about acting in fear. I want to begin this week with some words of Jesus in the gospel of Luke which point to one of the primary catalysts of fear: worry. When we worry, it is like pouring gasoline on a spark of fear. Listen today to what Jesus has to say about worry.

Luke 12:22–34 (NIV)

Luke 12:22–34 NIV

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27 “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. 28 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! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 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. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Jesus is talking primarily about food and clothing—basic human needs

The context for these words of Jesus seems to be centered around material possessions and wealth. But I think the example of worry which leads to fear can be applied to a broader kingdom principle. Let’s start by taking these examples of Jesus in this passage at face value. Jesus is talking primarily about food and clothing—basic human needs. We should remember that most people who lived during the time of Jesus depended on the current local harvest in order to provide their food. Jesus did not live in a world with the complex food industry that we have in our world today. There were no grocery stores or canned goods or freezers. In Israel at the time of Jesus, if the crops in the local area failed that year for whatever reason—drought, hail, insects—food was going to be scarce and people would have to figure out how to survive with less to eat.

what are the things we worry about in our world?

In that sense, the words of Jesus do have an immediate concern. People did in fact worry about being able to have enough to eat in order to survive. Food shortages and starvation were a very real thing during that time in that part of the world. We should not lose sight of that because we live in a time and place where food availability is a reliable constant. Let’s be honest, you and I do not live in a world in which we ever experience the threat of running out of things to eat. Of course we do not worry about things like that. Our task today then is to bring this message of Jesus into our current surroundings and ask the question: what are the things we worry about in our world? For a good share of the people who come to our Tuesday night Life Skills program, it is about housing. For people who have not been able to achieve the privilege of owning a home, the sharp increase of rent has left many of them living month-to-month trying to keep a roof over their heads. They worry about not being able to have a place to live. For others the worry may be about health related issues. For students the worries often revolve around achievement—the sports team I am on is trying to win in order to achieve success, the classes I am taking need to be completed in order to achieve good grades—students can often worry about performative achievements.

Even though you and I tend not to worry every day about having food to eat or clothes to wear, these words from Jesus still apply for us because we do yet live in a world which can be filled with worries. So, let’s note the main points that Jesus is making here in this passage. I think we can see two features here.

our worries do not change anything

First, Jesus is reminding us that our worries do not change anything. This is worth picking apart because I do not think Jesus is giving a license here to throw off all responsibility. Jesus says, do not worry about what you will eat. But at the same time, it is good that people plant seeds and tend their farms and cultivate their crops. We still have a responsibility to engage and work our part to the best of our ability to cultivate and replenish our supply of food. When Jesus says do not worry about what you will eat, it does not mean we should just abandon and walk away entirely from agriculture.

we still have reasonable responsibilities to care for ourselves and care for one another

Carry that forward into our own real-world examples. When Jesus says do not worry it does not mean we should abandon all financial investment and retirement plans for the future; it does not mean students can just toss aside homework and never study for classes; it does not mean ignore going to the doctor when a health complication arises. We still have reasonable responsibilities to care for ourselves and care for one another. All Jesus is saying is this; adding worry on top of it does not change any of those outcomes.

What does worry do then? This brings us to the second thing to which we see Jesus pointing in this passage. If worry does not add to or change the outcome of whatever it is we are worrying about, what does worry do? There are probably a lot of things we could say in answer to that question. For example, we could note the ways in which worry adds to our stress and anxiety. We could also note the ways in which worry can strain relationships—it can be very draining to be around people who insistently worry all the time. That may be true, but that is not what Jesus points to in this passage as an outcome of worry.

our worries distract us from the kingdom of God

Here is what Jesus says worry does to us. It becomes a distraction. When you and I become people who immerse ourselves in a tidal wave of worry and fear, those things become distractions which pull our attention and focus away from what matters most. And what is it then that Jesus says in this passage should be the focus of our attention instead of worry? We see it in verses 31-32.

Luke 12:31–32 (NIV)

Luke 12:31–32 NIV

31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

This is what Jesus points to as the outcome of our worry and our fear. It pulls our attention and our focus away from the kingdom of God. Worry has the outcome of taking our vision off from the things that actually matter most—the things of God’s kingdom.

we now live as redeemed people with the assurance that we are completely covered in the perfect righteousness of Christ

Let me reframe this for you within the biblical story of our own lives. You and I are people born into a sinful and broken world; we are born with a sinful nature which would keep us separated from God. But our story does not get stuck there. Jesus came into this world to live the perfect life that we never could. Jesus submits himself to death on the cross so that he can take all the guilt of our broken sinfulness upon himself. And there at the cross Jesus takes away all the guilt of our sin and exchanges it for his perfect righteousness given graciously and freely to us. Jesus rose from the grave victorious over sin and death. You and I now live as redeemed people with the assurance that we are completely covered in the perfect righteousness of Christ. Jesus ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father interceding on our behalf.

a kingdom in which Christ is on the throne a kingdom in which Christ has sent to us the Holy Spirit a kingdom in which the evidence of spiritual fruit persists a kingdom in which the shalom flourishing of God persists

This, brothers and sisters, is the kingdom in which we live as God’s people. It is a kingdom in which Christ is on the throne. It is a kingdom in which Christ has sent to us his Holy Spirit to dwell within our hearts so that—as redeemed people of God—we may more and more be sanctified and made holy. It is a kingdom which is now marked by the evidence of spiritual fruit which is brought about and produced in God’s people by the Holy Spirit within us. It is a kingdom marked by the proliferation of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control. It is a kingdom in which the shalom flourishing of God persists in and through his people. And about all of that Jesus says in this passage, SEEK THAT FIRST! and all those other things will be provided for you as well; in fact, the heavenly Father is pleased to give you what you need for his kingdom.

Christ has guaranteed your citizenship in his heavenly kingdom and nothing can ever take that away — seek that kingdom first by living like citizens of that kingdom

What does worry do? Working takes our energy, time, attention, and focus away from all of that. At various points throughout the Old Testament in the Psalms and in the prophets we are told that in this world kingdoms will rise and kingdoms will fall, but the Lord sits enthroned forever. And so, yes, sometimes the candidates we vote for ascend to those earthly thrones of power and sometimes they don’t. I am going to choose to not worry about that because worry and fear are only a distraction which takes my attention and focus away from what matters most—that even amidst the rise and fall of our earthly positions of power and control, Christ remains forever on the throne of his kingdom. And so those campaign postcards that come in the mail go straight into the recycle bin because I do not need to worried or be afraid. And those television election advertisements go in one ear and out the other because I do not need to be worried or afraid. Christ has guaranteed your citizenship in his heavenly kingdom and nothing can ever take that away. Let’s seek that kingdom first by living like citizens of that kingdom even right here and right now today.