Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.
How many of us here this morning believe that life would be improved if we spent more time worrying? How many us here are totally free from any kind of worry?
How many us here would like to be free from everything that causes us to worry and be anxious? Whether worry is a constant part of our everyday life; whether you and I experience worry as only a slight distraction or something that completely paralyses us, I feel confident in saying that we would all like to worry less.
I think God has something to say about worry. The Bible is, filled with events like the creation of the universe, the rise and fall of kingdoms, the beauty of heaven, and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, he also considers it important to give us some help with this very ordinary human emotion. Even though he is God of the universe, he’s not just a God out there somewhere. He’s a God here, with us. And has something to say about the worry that plagues us almost every day.
There is no doubt that worry is a part of every day life, some days are better, than others. We worry if we don’t have a job; if we do have a job we worry about keeping it. We worry how we are going to get around if we don’t have a car; if we do have a car, we worry about keeping it on the road.
We worry if we are sick; if we are healthy, we worry about getting sick. We worry that our children are never going to leave home; when they do leave home, we worry about them. We worry if we don’t have enough money; if we do have enough money, we worry about our investments and not losing it.
Someone said, "I have so many worries that if anything happens to me today it will be two weeks before I can get around to worrying about it.
Why is it that we worry so much? The amazing thing about worry, and I know this from experience, is that only a fraction of the things we worry about ever turn out to be real concerns. Most of the time, we worry about things that will never happen or about things in the past that we can never change.
Researchers say that only 8% of the things we worry about are real problems that we have to face.
Before we go any further perhaps we should ask the question, what is worry? To put it simply worry is a lack of peace. That’s why we toss and turn in bed at night when something is worrying us. That’s why we are so unsettled and unhappy when something is on our mind. Worry can be so consuming that we can think of nothing else except what is worrying us.
We lack peace because from where we stand it seems that things are beyond our control. We feel incapable of making a decision, taking a step, correcting a situation so we continually turn it over in our minds to the point it affects our health. We are anxious because we feel helpless and powerless to help ourselves and change things. We just can’t help ourselves.
Paul is writing the last few lines of his letter to the Philippians. He gives them this piece of advice. "Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus." He is saying –Don’t worry. Pray to God. And God’s peace will fill your life.
Jesus says something similar when he tells us not to be worried about food and drink and clothes. He points to the birds. They don’t worry and yet God takes good care of them. Aren’t you worth more to God than birds. Then he says to look at the flowers and notice how God clothes them with such beauty. He concludes, "Only people who don’t know God are always worrying. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things."
Straight forward isn’t it. Nothing too complicated. Jesus says, "Don’t worry. Trust God, he knows exactly what we need". Paul says, "Don’t worry. Pray to God and he will give us peace of mind." and I could add the words of St Peter, "God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him" (1 Peter 5:7).
To those of us, and I dare say that includes everyone here, who have made worrying an art form. Why do we worry so much because we don’t trust God enough to take care of our needs. We worry that we worry too much because we don’t take God at his Promises, that he loves and cares for us and is waiting to use his power in answer to our prayers.
We worry because we either forget to talk to God when we need him the most, or we get ourselves worked up into such a state that our lives and minds are so uptight that we find it hard to pray. He knows that we often got all uptight over things that we should simply place into God’s hands and be at peace. He knows when we don’t eat, don’t sleep, don’t relax because we are worried.
But the Good news is God has given us enough to be thankful. Today we celebrate thanksgiving, and what it means is that we saying Thank you, God for your blessing, the produce of the earth (at the altar), the roof over our heads, the clothes on our backs, the friendship we share, and the gift of baptism where God in his grace makes us his children and partakers of his Kingdom.
God sent his Son into our world for exactly those times when we worry instead of looking to God to help. Jesus came to forgive our worriers and to assure us that even when we lack trust in God, and live a thankless life, God still forgives. Even though we don’t want to be anxious and upset, but as hard as we try not to, when the next low flying worry comes along we find ourselves caught up in it and uptight again. Like Paul we know that we have a Saviour who is ever so patient and always gracious toward his people, especially toward his people who are worriers.
Our text today not only reminds us of the blessing of forgiveness and the peace that comes from Jesus our Saviour, but it also reminds us that when we take to God in prayer all the needs, worries, anxieties and stresses that fill our life, we are assured that "God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep our hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus."
We have come here today to thank God for all the ways he provides for our needs. This Thanksgiving Celebration reminds us that we really have nothing to worry about. God has been generous toward each of us, that he has given us more than we rightly or justly deserve.
He has not only cared for our physical well-being, but has also given us his Son Jesus to remove the guilty stain of sin with his forgiveness and to make us new people who are happy to live as God's people. He has adopted us into his family and calls us his dear children, as we have just witnessed as Nic Domdey’s adoption.
We have come here today with songs of praise on our lips and prayers of thanks in our hearts for the generosity and goodness of our God. We are reminded again and again that all things come from his loving hand. Every person who looks after our health, education, and welfare every person who governs us and keep our community safe every piece of clothing, every piece of bread and drink of water, every dollar we have had in our hands, - all have come to us from the hand of God.
We praise God for seedtime and harvest, for the time and abilities he has given us to carry out our daily tasks. We really have nothing to worry about – he holds us in his hands and lovingly takes care of every need. He lovingly holds those whom we love and worry about so much in his hand and cares for their needs.
God’s attitude toward us doesn’t change. At time God is disappointed in us, but that doesn’t stop his love for us, and holding us close to him, especially those times when we are worried.
Let us praise and thank God that there is no problem too big or too difficult for God to handle. What is there to be anxious about? God is in control. Peace in the face of our problems is just a prayer away. And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.
Amen.
Rev. Samuel King-Kabu
October 10, 2004