Gospel Reading

Matthew 6:25-33

25“Therefore I tell you,

do not worry about your life,

what you will eat or drink; or

about your body,

what you will wear.

Is not life more important than

food, and the body more

important than clothes?

26 Look at the birds of the air; they

do not sow or reap or store away in

barns, and yet your heavenly

Father feeds them. Are you not

much more valuable than they?

27 Who of you by worrying can

add a single hour to his life?

28“And why do you worry about

clothes? See how the lilies of the

field grow. They do not labor

or spin.

29 Yet I tell you that not even

Solomon in all his splendor was

dressed like one of these.

30 If that is how God clothes the grass

of the field, which is here today and

tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will

he not much more clothe you, O you

of little faith?

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What

shall we eat? or ‘What shall we

drink? or ‘What shall we wear?

32 For the pagans run after all

these things, and your heavenly

Father knows that you need them.

33 But seek first his kingdom and

his righteousness, and all these

things will be given to you as well.

Don’t Worry, Be Thankful

Matthew 6:25-33

November 24, 2013Immanuel Baptist ChurchRev. John W. Landis, DMIn

We are a worrying nation

• 27% of Americans worry on a daily basis• Worry causes people to be sick• It causes stress which causes physical damage – It causes most back and muscle pain– Heart trouble– insomnia

What do we worry about?

• Money– Jobs• With a 19% real unemployment rate in Michigan, it is

not unfounded• Marriage• Children• Health• Grades• Friends

What we really worry about is what we can lose!

Maybe that is the thing to be most thankful for!

Maybe what we worry about losing are reason’s to be thankful

• Job - be thankful we are working• Money– There are things we want that are available– We have experienced what it is like to have it

• Marriage– Because we have been lucky enough to be married

• Children– Because we have experienced both the joys and the pain

Maybe what we worry about losing are reason’s to be thankful

• Health– Because we have been healthy

• Grades– Good reason to worry! LOL

• Friends– Because we know what it is like to have friends that care

Maybe we should be happy that we have these things to lose!

Why Worry Anyway?

Jesus tells us

Matt 6:2727 Who of you by worrying can add a

single hour to his life?

He has a point!

90% of what we worry about never happens

If what you are worrying about does happen, what good has it

done to worry about it?

All it has done is prolong the suffering!

Plan for contingencies,

Do the best you can with what you have

There is nothing you can do

beyond that!

If you can fix it fix it.

If you can’t, minimize the damage,

but don’t worry about it

Is what we worry about really worth worrying about?

Jesus didn’t think so!

Matt 6:25-3125 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body

more important than clothes?26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and

yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What

shall we wear?'32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that

you need them.

Maybe instead of worrying we should do some thanksfiguring (the

first part of Thanksgiving)

Thanksfiguring

• Identifying things we have to be thankful for

• Look for God in the ordinary and in the things you take for granted

What are three things that you have to be thankful for?

When you are done thanksfiguring,

then we can figure out how to do Thanks giving

Thanksgiving is a verb!

• Not thanks “saying”, Thanks “giving”!

• What are three things that you are willing to commit to doing to say thank you to God?

• Don’t worry about what people will say or think about it

The thing we worry about most is what other people will think!

Maybe what we should worry about most

is what GOD will think!

At the end of the day,

what God thinks

is that

we are worth dying for . . .

. . .and has shown that

by doing it!

Maybe it is that for which we should be most

thankful!

Maybe that is enough reason to stop worrying and start

giving and serving,

maybe even giving and serving

without worrying!

That would be a real celebration of Thanksgiving!