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Sermon On Worry - David Bebo -22nd October 2017- Matthew 6:25-34

Lord,

Help us to hear your teachings and to live a worry free life in the full knowledge that you are the answer to the problems we face. May others hear your word to bring about a more peaceful world where mankind lives in harmony with one another.

Amen

 When I started thinking about the passage from Matthew I thought it would be relatively simple to construct a sermon for today. A few illustrations about the futility of spending your time worrying. The odd joke about worrying.  A passing cultural reference to worry. It didn’t quite work out that way.  As I contemplated on what I wanted to say, a deeper truth about this reading and the bible in general kept pushing itself to the fore front of my mind.

So today you are getting a two for one offer. A reinforcement of Christ’s message on worry which was part of his Sermon on the Mount giving comprehensive advice to his followers on how to live a more productive spiritual life.   And a broader message relating to the influence this reading as well as the other chapters and verses from the bible has had on the world. And why it is so important to us today. But don’t worry I won’t take double the time for the sermon so your plans for Sunday will not be disrupted.

 That is the funny thing about worrying.  Before you came to church today your plans for Sunday were well under control. Now you have someone in the pulpit telling you not to worry his sermon won’t be that long.  But what if it is?  You planned to meet some friends in the New Forest at a popular pub for an early lunch and a bike ride afterwards. If you’re late out of church it will be a rush to get the bikes loaded. Then the traffic which is always a pain might hold you up.  Of course the pub always fills up quickly on Sunday. The kids like to play in the pub playground so it is helpful to get a table outside so you can keep an eye on the kids. Those get taken first. Will the kids be unruly if they have to sit inside? Last time we met these friends we were late.  Will we end up with a reputation for being late to everything? Will people stop inviting us out?

 Maybe we should just leave now, forget about this sermon on worrying and get home to be sure the bikes are loaded and we can get to the pub on time.  But if we do that will it upset anyone in church? Will leaving be seen as not being committed to the church? Will Charlie be upset with us? Will the trauma caused by leaving now shatter my faith in Christ? Oh what to do, the worry of it all. See the problems worry brings us? One little comment about the length of a sermon sets off a chain reaction of worry that just grows and grows.

Mr Worry from the Mr Men series of books illustrates the life of a natural born worrier. He worried about everything.  If it rained he worried his roof would leak. If it didn’t he worried the plants in his garden were going to die. When he went shopping he worried the store would be shut. If they weren’t shut he worried about how much money he spent. He orried when he got home he had left something behind in the shop or that something dropped out of his shopping bag. He worried Mr Bump would hurt himself, that Mr Noisy would lose his voice, that Mr Greedy would eat too much.  Life was just one long worry for poor Mr Worry.

 Until one day he met a Wizard who suggested Mr Worry write down every worry he had. So he did. It was a very very long list. Mr Worry gave it to the Wizard who said he would ensure all the worries on the list would be taken care of. Mr Worry didn’t need to worry about any of them. Mr Worry was very happy. Now he didn’t have a care in the world. This lasted for a week or so until he went back to the Wizard because he was worried again. “Why”, asked the Wizard. Because I don’t have anything to worry about said Mr Worry.

Silly story isn’t it, but like all great children’s stories it has an underlying message.  If you write your worries on a list somehow they seem more manageable. Certainly you can deal with them better if they are a list rather than thinking about your worries in the middle of the night when you can’t do anything about them. In fact, in my research on the topic of worry it is suggested that you write your worries on a slip of paper and put them in a worry box. Some web sites refer to this as a God Box. The beauty of the God Box is the physical component of writing your concern down and placing it in the box. The mind enjoys the finality of that gesture and isn’t so tempted to keep revisiting the concern because it is physically safely tucked away in the box and handed over to a higher intelligence to sort out.  If your child is worried you can buy them a pink or purple Worry Monster on Amazon. The child writes out their worries and feeds them to the monster. Worry over.

Alternatively you can put your worries is some sort of perspective. Think about it like this. You really have only two worries in life.

You are either well or sick. If you are well you have nothing to worry about. If you are sick you only have two things to worry about.

You will either live or die.  If you live you have nothing to worry about. If you die you only have two things to worry about.  You will either go to heaven or to hell.

If you go to heaven you have nothing to worry about.  If you go to hell you will be so busy meeting old friends that you won’t have time to worry.

It’s an old joke but it makes the point that there really is no point in getting worried about the trivial things in our lives

Or maybe music is your thing.  I defy anyone to have a serious bout of worrying while you are listening intently to your favourite happy song.  How can you be anxious when you hear Bob Marley sing, “ the landlord says the rent is late, so he might have to litigate. Don’t worry be happy”. Or Pherre l Williams when he sings, “Clap along if you know what happiness is to you”. Dancing Queen by Abba. Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles. Wouldn’t it be Nice by the Beach Boys are all great worry crushers. Maybe you prefer the songs we hear in church. Give Me Joy in My Heart, Oh Happy Day, All Things Bright and Beautiful help dispel your worries. You name it there is a song out there that will drive out your biggest worries.

Sometimes I think God specifically created a love of music in our hearts to lift our souls when life grinds us down.  

So in summary emulate Mr Worry and put all your worries on a list. Or stuff them into a Worry Box. Get some perspective on your worries so that you can deal with the big ones. Find the right song to drive out your worries from your mind.  Share your worries with a friend over the proverbial British cup of tea. Watch your favourite TV drama. Take a long walk. Buy yourself some Worry Beads to reduce your anxiety.  Help others since this takes your mind off your own troubles. Come to church. Pray for understanding of what is really troubling you.  

 Do whatever it takes to stop worrying.  As Christ said in the reading loud and clear do not worry about your life….do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”. You owe it to yourself, your family and your friends to not worry and to be happy. Your physical and spiritual life will be all the better if you are able to follow Christ’s teaching on this subject.

 But what about the second part of this two for one sermon. What about the greater truth I mentioned at the start of this talk? While I was looking at the passage from Matthew  I looked at the next chapter, Judging Others, I immediately thought of Mr Uppity. He lived in an enormous house in big town.  He was very rich. He was rude to everybody and looked down his nose at everybody. The first line of Matthew Chapter 7, is “Do not judge or you too will be judged”. A good bit of advice for Mr Uppity.

Then I noticed Mr Rush and immediately thought of a line from the bible, “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.” No need to rush at anything because its time will come in due course.

It began to dawn on me that even in the simplest of children’s stories Christian values are at the core of the message. When we look at more serious matters this principle is even more self-evident.  The law of this land is based on the teachings from the bible. The Ten Commandments. do unto others as you wish that others would do unto you,  turn the other cheek. Wherever you look in the vast legal doctrines that govern our lives you will find at their root Christian teachings.

Our family relationships sit on the foundation of family that Christ spoke so often about. The wedding at Canaan, the prodigal son,  Christ’s guidance to deal with the brother who sins against you, divorce, old age  you name it these issues are not only contained in the bible but plays out in one form or another on our televisions every night.

 Music?  Every generation has its favourite musicians.  And their favourite lyrics throughout the ages?  Christ’s summary of the Law,  the first is that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength the second is this, Love your neighbour as yourself.

“Love is all you need.” to quote a Beatle lyric from my generation.  If I had a penny for every love song sung though out the ages I would be the richest man in the world.    

Generally wherever you turn in our modern day secular society you will find the teachings of Christ.  Not everywhere, of course I struggled to find a biblical reference that was suitable for Mr Tickle. I don’t think I would be able to construct an entire gospel of Christ’s teachings according to Mr Men but there was sufficient for me to make the point that the foundations of how we lead our daily lives are built on Christ.

The legacy of Christ’s teaching is woven throughout our culture. It is like a spiritual DNA that permeates our daily lives. We live and breathe Christian values. Even those who are not Christian are effected by what Christ said and did over two thousand years ago.    

Christ’s mission on earth was to change the behaviour of man. To bring about a kingdom on earth where all of mankind lives in peace and harmony loving their neighbours and living according to God’s holy word. Are we there yet? Probably not but don’t worry we are still a work in progress. I think Christ can be proud of how much he pushed the arch of history so that we are all striving to live by his teachings.  

So there you have it.  A two for one sermon.  A simple message to remind you of our reading today. As Christ said, “therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, drink, or about your body, what you will wear.” A message that Mr Worry took on board so I expect you to be able to do the same.

And the more profound realization that Christ’s influence on our culture is all encompassing. His word reaches us not just through our religious observances but through every aspect of our lives.

May each of us hear his word as we live our lives.  

Now how’s the time?  Will you be able to get home, load the bikes and get to the pub in time to get a good table just as you planned? At least that is one less worry for this Sunday.

I’ll leave you with the serenity prayer which always helps dispel the most persistent of worries.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;  courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time;  accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. 

Amen.