Passage: Luke 12:22-34
Preacher: Rev. Joel Beyer
Series: Lectionary Series C
Category: Worry
Keywords: fear , pets unleashed , vbs , worry
Detail:
This year's VBS theme was “Pets Unleashed: Where Jesus Cares ‘Fur’ You!” It was a sweet theme because we all love our pets. In fact, some of us love our pets a little too much. We’re crazy pet people. If you're not sure if I’m talking about you, here’s a list of ways to know if you’re a crazy pet person:
You own four or more pets.
You dress your pets in daily outfits.
You bring your pet everywhere you go
You pet is a constant staple in your profile picture.
You rack up extravagant vet/salon bills
You celebrate your pets birthday.
You have professional photos done with your pet
You give your pet more room in the bed than you have.
You share meals with your pet.
You refer to your pet as your child.
I’m just teasing. But the reality is that we do love our pets. For most of us, our pets are more than pets. They're family, and they are well taken care of. Here’s what I know about pets — they don’t have any worries. They easily trust us. We provide for their basic needs, we shower them with snuggles and affection. They don’t have any responsibilities or expectations to meet. They instinctually know we’ll love them and care for them regardless of what they do. They know they can depend on us. That’s why the theme of our vacation Bible School this year was so cool, because the kids learned that just like we care for our pets, and they can trust us with everything, in some way we’re kind of like God’s special pets. We can trust God for everything we need in this life. We can depend on him in every situation and know that He knows what’s good for us, even when we can’t see it. We don’t have to worry about anything.
This is what Jesus was trying to explain to His disciples in Luke 12. Luke 12:22-23 — “And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.” Jesus is saying that we shouldn’t have to worry about the things in our life that we worry about. In the scope of eternity, as children of God, the things we tend to worry about don’t matter as much as we think they do.
Maybe in our society, we aren’t so worried about having enough food or enough clothing, but we do worry about our lives. We are constantly looking to the future and worrying about our lives. We fear not having enough money to live comfortable lives now and in retirement. We worry about our relationships with others, whether we’re going always going to be loved or accepted by our spouses when difficult situations arise, we worry about our job security when perceived expectations aren’t being met. We worry about our children, and whether or not they are going to experience all they need to experience in order to grow up healthy and strong and successful. And on top of that, our culture gives us a lot more to worry about. Cancer strikes indiscriminately to both young and old. Terrorism and hatred seems to be ramping up with each week that passes. There’s a lot to be afraid of in this world. Darkness and Death are all around us. And though we’re usually good at pushing it off, those fears never truly disappear. I truly believe our worries dictate how we live and what decisions we make. And like a leash, we are tethered by them. There’s no freedom when we worry. Our worries keep us from truly being present and enjoying our families and our life. They keep us from truly loving and serving others because we’re consumed by taking care of and preserving ourselves.
The good news is that our God UNLEASHES us from worry. Have you ever taken a dog to the dog park or the dog beach? My wife, Kristen, and I took our dog to the dog beach when we first got married, and I remember how he was a little anxious in the car. He didn’t know where we were going. But then as we got out, and he began to smell the smells, and hear the barking, and see the tennis balls flying through the air, he began pulling to get off his leash as well. I looked into his eyes and there was nothing but pure joy, and maybe a little adrenaline. All anxiety quickly disappeared. When we trust God with our worries, we too are unleashed to enjoy and live the the life God has given us. Jesus gives his disciples the reminder in Luke 12:24 — Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!” In other words, Jesus is saying, Look, you know how much you love your little “FluffBall?” God loves all of his pets too. The birds of the air don’t have to worry about a thing! You, as a child of God, created in His image, the crown of His creation, how much more does He care about you! So don’t worry about your life, when things get hard, God is not uninterested, He is very much with you, and working things for your good, even if it doesn’t always look like it.
Jesus could promise this because He knew what he was about to do. You see, God proved that he cares deeply for you and me and all people by entering our world, taking on human flesh and experiencing all the fears and worries that we do. Jesus saw and experienced first hand the same effects of sin and greed, of evil and injustice in this world that you and I do, and He knew what He had to do to eliminate them. He had to defeat the source of our greatest worry: death. And so he did. The perfect son of God sacrificed himself so that He could follow through on His promise to defeat death, and in three short days, Jesus came out of the tomb, declaring victory over death and promising all who believe in him victory over death as well. He knew all this was going to happen and so He could confidently say to His disciples: Luke 12:32 — “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom!”
What is the kingdom? It’s FREEDOM! Because Jesus died and rose for you, there’s freedom from the guilt of your sins. God remembers them no more. You’re forgiven. There’s freedom in knowing that God is your Father and He is bigger than all the things that are wrong in your life and this world, and that He cares to show you His love in the middle of them. There’s freedom from the worry about how your life will end, you know the ending - you’ll be with God forever in eternal bliss. When you worry about things in your life, you forget the love and mercy of God through Christ. You forget that God cares so deeply for you that He sent His son to die for you. But as you return to God, you see His love and devotion for you, and your worries about the things of this life become a lot more manageable.
Now this doesn’t mean they will suddenly vanish, but because God does care, those things don’t have to be what dominate our hearts and minds. Jesus closes his sermon on worry with a command to his disciples. In Luke 12:34 — Sell your possessions, and give to the needy…” I don’t think Jesus just threw this in there casually. I think Jesus knew that one of the best ways to combat worry about your own life, is to give it away! Jesus knows that true, lasting joy, and freedom from worry comes when you have nothing to lose, when your life isn't focused on your own stuff and circumstances, but instead when you give your life to love and serve others.
This weekend at VBS, we had two fantastic examples of this. On Friday night, one of the most selfless and happy people that I know, Brittani Durban brought some of the kitties that she has rescued to show the kids. Brittni has pretty much dedicated her life to caring for God's creation and at the same time blessing people with awesome cats! I always wonder why Brittni is always so pleasant and happy, and I’m pretty sure its because when you constantly have 20+ animals to take care of, there’s no time to worry about anything.
On Saturday morning, Cindy Pruitt , a new member here at Community, brought her service dog, Fen, with her to share with the kids. Cindy is raising Fen to be a Pet Therapy dog for veterans with PTSD. And what’s beautiful about Cindy’s service is that she suffers from anxiety as well, and though she didn’t qualify for a dog herself, she saw an opportunity to step outside herself and have compassion on others like her by raising service dogs to give them away. And in the meantime, she is incredibly blessed by Fen and by her serving of others.
Maybe you're not an animal person, but you have something to give away, whether it's your time, your treasure, or a special gift or passion that you have that might bless other people. God has given you opportunity to give your life away as well. Look around you, see the people and passions God has placed in your life and find ways to serve them and bring joy, and as you do, you will find that the things you worry about don’t matter as much as you thought they did. It’s not easy to not worry. It’s part of who we are as sinful human beings. But we don’t have to be leashed by our worries. God cares about you and your life and is working all things for your good, whether you can see that now or not. So trust Him, give him your worries. Receive His reassurance that you are His child, your sins are forgiven, and heaven is your home. Whether you’re a crazy pet person or not, God is crazy about you. He died to prove it to you. Give Him your worries, trust in Him to provide as He always has, and let him unleash you to serve others and enjoy this crazy dog beach called life. Amen.
