“Consider the Lillies ”

Matthew 6:24-34

Pastor Deb Troester, STHPC, February 26, 2023

As we were rehearsing that lovely piece, “Consider the Lilies,” our choir director Hugh McDevitt quipped, “Why is it always ‘consider the lilies’? No one ever says, ‘Consider the poison ivy.’” Probably poison ivy doesn’t grow in Palestine, but I’m sure they have other noxious weeds there. Obviously Jesus wanted to call his listeners’ attention to the beautiful wildflowers growing on the hillside – probably the brilliant red anemones which still grow wild near Lake Galilee. Truly even Solomon was never clothed as splendidly as one of these.

When Joe and I lived in Zambia we enjoyed sitting on our terrace drinking our coffee and observing the wildlife in the yard. There were beautiful little birds – with brilliant yellow and blue feathers – that loved to eat some small berries growing on a bush at the edge of our patio. There were also lizards. We observed that at about the same time every morning one particular lizard would cautiously poke its nose out of the rosebushes, then scuttle across the paving stones to climb up the cement wall that bordered our garden. When we moved here to San Jose, we were blessed with a balcony from which we could observe the lives of several squirrels living in the tree just in front of our apartment. We enjoyed seeing them chewing on acorns, napping on a branch, or building a nest. Now we often watch hummingbirds, hawks, and other birds as we sit on our deck and sip our coffee. Watching these wild animals gives us a sense of calm and relaxation, and a connection to nature, even here in the big city.

Jesus also noticed the carefree way of life of the birds, and the beautiful colors of the wildflowers. The people he was speaking to in the Sermon on the Mount were probably all living one bad harvest away from starvation – or maybe even more precariously than that. They would have worried about what they were going to eat or what they were going to wear. They may have had only one or two changes of clothing. Jesus reminded them of God’s care for nature, and how we matter even more to God, who knows our needs. With his illustrations of birds and flowers, Jesus covers everyday tasks for both men and women.  Sowing, reaping, and gathering into barns were primarily, although not exclusively, the work of men, while spinning, weaving, and making clothing was a woman’s job in ancient times. Maybe some of the women there that day listening to Jesus had spindles in their hands, spinning wool or flax as they sat.

I love this scripture, particularly when Jesus says, “Don’t worry.” It makes me think of the “Don’t worry, be happy” song that was popular some years ago, or “Hakuna Matata” in the Lion King, although we used to say, “Hakuna shida” in Tanzania – “No worries.” Yet this scripture is not only about the futility of worry. It is also about the importance of making choices, choices that might be difficult, but ultimately lead to less worry and stress; choices that draw us closer to God.

The first choice Jesus urges his listeners to make is to choose God over “wealth” - μαμωνᾷ in Greek: Mammon, sometimes thought of as an evil spirit of wealth personified. Jesus says we must choose to focus our lives on God rather than on accumulating material goods. A lot of our worries come from trying to serve two masters – money and God. In our culture it’s easy to get caught up in wanting more and more, when what we actually need is very little. As Pastor Barbara Essex writes, “If we are committed solely to obtaining wealth, we will worry: Will we get what we seek? How can we keep what we have? When is enough, enough? These are the questions when we are concerned with material things and fret over them…If we choose God in good times and bad we have no reason to worry.” Of course, unlike the birds, we need to plan for the future. There is nothing wrong with having some material goods, but for the Christian, they can’t be the focus of our lives. Our reason for living is God, not making more money, and we need to be willing to give up anything that keeps us from serving God, including our possessions. Choosing God over money is about where our hearts are fixed. Do we love God or do we love money? After all, Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Love of money also warps our values. We judge people by how much money they make, and not by who they are as a person – our culture tends to admire people simply for being rich, not for being kind, caring, honest, or people of integrity. Instead of rejoicing that low-income housing will be built for families with little means, we worry how it might affect our property values. Instead of being glad that neighborhood children will have a better public school to attend, we complain about property taxes.

This is a truly counter-cultural notion – to trust God instead of money. I read recently that “violence is the religion of our culture,” but I’m not convinced that is true. It is much more likely that accumulating wealth and possessions is our religion; our temples are stores, malls, or Amazon and our devotion is shopping. As Pastor Essex comments, “In our minds we know that money cannot buy us love or happiness, but many have a good time trying.” It’s hard to escape our society’s focus on consumerism and finance. Everything seems to have a price – even human beings. Though we print “In God We Trust” on our dollar bills, (Hold one up), it isn’t at all evident that this is true. Of course, humorist Jean Shepherd said, “Yes, In God we trust; all others pay cash.” If we choose to trust God, we can focus on what is really important in life and stop worrying so much about our day-to-day needs. Remember Jesus’ words, “Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow...” Jesus isn’t saying that we won’t have problems and worries, but we need to leave the future to God.

Here I will give two cautions: by saying “Look at the birds,” Jesus isn’t telling us to just do nothing, and to wait for God to bless us. A job or a business to run can be God’s way of providing for us. The famous reformer, Martin Luther, commented that God provides food for the birds of the air, but does not drop it in their beaks.

Nor is Jesus preaching the prosperity gospel. Jesus never said that being a Christian would make us rich. God will not shower us with wealth if only we have enough faith. Wealth isn’t the point. God is. Sometimes we may have to suffer for the sake of the Gospel, or simply because we live in a fallen world where accidents, sickness, and death are possibilities. Yes, God knows when the sparrow falls, but the sparrow still fell. Paul prayed to God that his thorn in the flesh  – perhaps an illness – be removed from him, but God replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Remember Paul’s advice to the young pastor, Timothy: “There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, [and] we can take nothing out of it, but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these…For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”

“Be content with what you have…” People sometimes commented that we must have sacrificed a lot to go to Africa to do mission work, but we did not. We had running water and indoor plumbing (most of the time). We never went hungry. Maybe we didn’t always have the kind of coffee we wanted, or exactly what we were used to eating, but there was always food. If you are doing what God has called you to do, it is easy to be content with a bit less. And, I have no complaints. God has been very good to us.

If we want to follow Jesus, we must choose God rather than money; and we must trust God to provide our needs. We must also choose to help others with what we have. Sometimes we are the answers to people’s worries or prayers. In the Kingdom of God we share what we have. The early church took this seriously. The Book of Acts tells how they shared with each other, if any lacked food or other necessities. In God’s great smorgasbord of life, it’s OK to take what you need, just be sure to leave some for others. Remember these verses come in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has already urged his listeners to be the light of the world, doing good, so that others will glorify God. He has already said to give to all who ask. God cares for the last and the least. So should we.

No one can serve two masters. You cannot serve God and money. Serving wealth only results in a life of worry and anxiety. Serving God gives us the assurance that we have a heavenly parent who watches over us and cares about us. You may be the answer to someone’s prayers: share what you have with those in need. Don’t worry: seek God’s kingdom first and everything else will fall into place. Consider the lilies… Amen.

Reference:

Essex, Barbara J. “Matthew 6:24-34, Pastoral Perspective,” Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year A, Vol. 1. Eds. David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010.

© Deborah Troester, 2023

Deborah Troester © 2023