\nlife, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what
\nyou will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
![\"Other](\"031127-1-e_clip_image002.gif\")
<\/a>26\nLook at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into
\nbarns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value
\nthan they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your
\nspan of life? <\/a>28 And why do you worry about clothing?
\nConsider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor
\nspin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed
\nlike one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which
\nis alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much
\nmore clothe you–you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, \u0093What
\nwill we eat?\u0094 or \u0093What will we drink?\u0094 or \u0093What will we wear?\u0094 32 For
\nit is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly
\nFather knows that you need all these things. 33 But strive first for
\nthe kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be
\ngiven to you as well.
![\"Other](\"031127-1-e_clip_image003.gif\")
<\/a><\/a>34 \u0091So\ndo not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.
\nToday’s trouble is enough for today.<\/p>\n
Thanksgiving Sermon <\/strong><\/p>\n Today the Lord Jesus tells us three times \u0096 \u0093don’t worry!\u0094 God knows I find it interesting how often Jesus finds it necessary to repeat himself The Lord Jesus knows what he is dealing with. When adults worry, we Jesus is not exactly complimenting the disciples when he says that birds After talking about not worrying for nine verses, Jesus closes with If Jesus were just some great teacher offering seemingly unfeeling advice Jesus‘ intent is very clear. He is talking to me and to you right where Why does the church offer up this Gospel lesson for Thanksgiving Day? Notice that Jesus doesn’t suggest passivity. Birds gather food. Lilies So\u0085if you find yourself worrying about whether God is in charge. Stop Do you have an extra coat? Give it away to someone who doesn’t have Why aren’t people generous with God and with their neighbor? They worry
\nwhat we need. God is in charge. God is taking care of things.<\/p>\n
\nwhen talking to grown men and women. He is not a parent setting boundaries
\nwith a toddler. He is not the new owner of a puppy that needs house-training.
\nThis is God’s Son in human flesh talking to adults who say they believe
\nin God. And yet Jesus has to repeat himself three times in 10 verses \u0096 \u0093don’t
\nworry!\u0094<\/p>\n
\nregress to the most childish behavior. I watch this happen about this
\ntime every year in the church when grown people purporting to be wise
\nin the ways of the world act so childishly in the church always worrying
\nabout money. God has more than enough. It just happens to be in the pockets
\nof struggling-to-believe adults that worry far too much. To shaky disciples
\nthe Lord Jesus firmly says, \u0093Don’t worry!\u0094 He says it three times. He
\nalso mentions worrying twice more in the same 10 verses if we’re struggling
\nwith having been given a direct order three times.<\/p>\n
\nand flowers don’t worry. He’s saying that lower life forms with little
\nor no intellectual development don’t worry. To be really foolish it takes
\nan adult human. To be incredibly slow to trust God it takes adult humans
\nwho say we want to believe in God but mostly behave as if we’ve never
\nheard of God \u0096 as if we’ve never experienced God’s goodness.<\/p>\n
\na touch of gallows humor: \u0093You think today’s something to worry about.
\nJust wait until tomorrow. It could get really bad! So\u0085don’t worry! Tomorrow
\nyou could lose all that you really love. You could die!\u0094<\/p>\n
\non how to live, then we could tune him out and follow our own lead. But
\nthis is God’s Son who not only tells us not to worry he shows us what
\nit means not to worry. He goes to the cross for unbelievers like you
\nand me. He trusts his heavenly Father to raise him from the dead. And
\nGod does! If death is the worst that can happen to those we love and
\nto us, Jesus shows us that our heavenly Father can handle the worst.
\nDon’t worry!<\/p>\n
\nwe live and work. Don’t listen to the voices inside your head that constantly
\nworry. Don’t listen to those voices around you \u0096 even in the church\u0097whose
\nmessage is filled with worry, fear, and unbelief. God is in charge. Listen
\nto God’s Son. Seek to do those things that God wants you to do today.
\nAnd let everything else go. God is in charge.<\/p>\n
\nIsn’t it becoming obvious by now? The appropriate response of believers
\nis thanks living. When we trust God to know what we need, we trust the
\nGod for whom not even death is too big a problem to handle. When we trust
\nGod, life is not a shot in the dark. God’s Son has lived the life we
\ncannot live and died the death we don’t want to die, so that we don’t
\nhave to try to figure it all out on our own. With thanks for all that
\nGod has done and is doing and will do, we can simply live today striving
\nto do those things God has given us to do today. It’s good to be alive.
\nSay, \u0093thank you, God,\u0094 and live!<\/p>\n
\ngrow. He doesn’t recommend that we trust God to motivate someone else
\nto take care of things for us. Jesus says, \u0093Strive first for the kingdom
\nof God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you
\nas well.\u0094<\/p>\n
\nit! God has better things for you to do than that. Ask God what God wants
\nyou to do, and you can be sure, says Jesus today, it doesn’t have anything
\nto do with being a voice of worry, fear, or unbelief. If you trust God,
\nif you’re grateful for your life, then be generous just like your gracious
\nGod who spared nothing \u0096 not even his own life!<\/p>\n
\none. Do you have more than enough money? Give it away to those that need
\nhelp. Do you have property that you aren’t going to use? Let someone
\nelse use it. Sell it, and be generous with the proceeds. If you don’t
\nneed it, give it away!<\/p>\n
\ntoo much, says Jesus, and they’re going to die anyway. So don’t worry!
\nDon’t worry! Don’t worry! Trust God. Be thankful. And for God’s sake\u0085be
\ngenerous!<\/p>\n