Matthew 6:25-33

Thanksgiving | November 25, 2021 | A sermon on Matthew 6:25-33 | by The Rev. Dr. Judson F Merrell, STS |

²⁵ „Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

²⁷ And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?

²⁸ And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin,

²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.

³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you– you of little faith?

³¹ Therefore do not worry, saying, ‚What will we eat?‘ or ‚What will we drink?‘ or ‚What will we wear?‘

³² For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

³³ But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

(Mat 6:25-33 NRSV)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to sitting around a table with my family and eating a thanksgiving meal together.  I will probably watch a little football, eat entirely too much, and hopefully take a nap.  And yet, there are places in this world where celebrating this day will not be possible.  For us, it is easy to get lost in the holiday festivals.  But these holiday festivals bring about a lot of worry. Come Friday many people will be searching for the latest and greatest deals as they shop for Christmas.  Some may even begin before that as pre-Black Friday Sales have been going for a few weeks now.  Our focus is not so much on the religious side of the calendar as is it on questions such as “Did I find the right deals?” or  “Does my family have enough food?”  Pretty simple questions, yet questions that are often taken for granted.

In our Gospel lesson for this evening, Jesus tells his followers not to worry about the simple parts of life.  That is because life indeed is way more precious.  As you sit around your table for thanksgiving, you will either give thanks yourself or listen as someone else says the blessing.  But what are you truly thankful for?  Is it the turkey?  Is it time with family?  Is it the clothes on your back or the football game on TV?  Or is it simply life itself?  Our text for this evening left off verse 34, which concludes chapter 6 and at least for me is a really good reminder of living a life devoted to Christ:  Jesus says: ³⁴ “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”  Living a life that strives for the kingdom of God is a life that takes things day by day.  It is a life that has to leave worries behind, and put all faith and trust in God.  It sounds a lot easier than it actually is.  We all know that.  But that is what we strive for because of who we are.  And who are we?  We are called and claimed Children of God, born in the waters of the font and nourished at the table with the very body and blood of the Christ.  Forgetting all about the consumer side of this season gives us a perspective, and a new goal to strive always for the kingdom.

When we strive for the kingdom, we die to sin daily, and we rise to newness of life daily. That is kingdom living at its finest, because it is the daily work of God in you and in me.  As you sit around the table this week, as you gather with family and friends, remember that our thanks to God is all about the precious gift of life.  It’s not about turkey and dressing, or clothing, or food, or football.  Those things may be important to us, but there is something way better.  For it is his Son, Jesus, who has gone on the journey from death to life, to lead our way, so that one day we may live as well.  So let us put all worry behind that this season brings, and strive for the kingdom in all we do, to the glory of  the Father, and the + Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.