Somebody Forgot to Tell the Birds
A Sermon in the Midst of Uncertain Times – 3/22/20 – Pastor John Bright
Matthew 6:25-34
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
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So, I was staring out the window of my kitchen door, watching the bird feeders. I have 2 suet feeders and a feeder with seed I got at Christmas. There were about 4 different kinds of birds on the feeders and on the carport getting what was falling down. For a few minutes, I was lost in watching the birds come and go. Then my mind came back to times in which we live. The world of a global pandemic that affects us right here in Pittsylvania County, VA. Yes – once I realized where and when I was standing my kitchen, the Lord brought to my mind a scripture about birds… His care for them with or without my bird feeders. They don’t worry!
I guess somebody forgot to tell the birds. Tell them about a virus that has closed colleges and local schools. Somebody forgot to tell them that churches and restaurants attract more than 10 people at a time. Somebody forgot to tell them everyone is supposed to stay 6 feet apart.
For us who live in a world of “New Alerts” on the TV and notifications on our smart phones, what’s the message of this scripture? Jesus spoke these words in His “Sermon on the Mount,” This passage, like so many of His teachings, follows a Jewish patter of teaching – tell folks the point and then explain it to them. That’s very different than today.
Verse 25 gets right to the point – “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”
DON’T WORRY! That’s the point Jesus is making here – do not worry… about your life. Your life – your whole life – that’s a looooong time. If you have been around me for very long you have heard me quote the first half of Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “To everything there is a season.” In other words, what we are facing is a season, it won’t last forever. I can’t count the number of times I’ve said that or thought that since I got a letter from Bishop Lewis to cancel all church activities for 2 weeks. It’s just a season. That’s not really the source of our fear.
Eternity is forever and we react strongly when our mortality is threatened or our loved ones. Within each of us is a powerful reaction – fight or flight – and It’s helpful (usually). What if we can’t do either one? What is the threat is global? Some have chosen to buy all the toilet paper they could find. ALL OF IT! We need to pray for those folks.
Jesus’ teaching moves on to the birds and flowers – v. 26 “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” v. 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;”
Here’s the next message – You don’t HAVE TO worry.
Look – I’m not saying you can’t worry – of course you can, if you want to, but you don’t have to worry. Believe me, I understand that many folks have put in lots of time and lots of practice into becoming an excellent worrier. (Call it whatever you want – fretting, stressing, “I’m just concerned” – it’s all worry) Hey, I’m not fussing at you. Just hear me… you don’t have to worry. Why? God cares for each of you.
We read this over and over in the Bible:
Deuteronomy 31:8 “And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Isaiah 41
“10 Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
11 “Behold, all those who were incensed against you
Shall be ashamed and disgraced;
They shall be as nothing,
And those who strive with you shall perish.
12 You shall seek them and not find them—
Those who contended with you.
Those who war against you
Shall be as nothing,
As a nonexistent thing.
13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’”
Matthew 10 “29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
Psalm 23:4
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
Psalm 23:4 contains an easy message of God’s care that anyone can remember – “for thou art with me.” It’s just 5 little words but a BIG REMINDER in the midst of uncertain times. Right now, if you can be absolutely convinced of God’s care for you, it will be easier for you to show care for others: at the grocery store, online, and in your homes.
Does it matter what we look like to the world? SURE! Next message - v. 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”
So, what is the world going to think when we run around like Chicken Little yelling, “what shall we eat and what shall we drink?” We look like everybody else. God would have us be a non-anxious presence in times of great worry. If we look like the world, why would the world look to us for help? We really need to think about that one!
Another message – v. 33 ”But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
I’ve heard that verse my whole life but let’s think about what it means. Everyday you have a choice. On good days and bad days, on normal days and pandemic days, on everyone of those days… you wake up. What’s first? (not that! We all have to get up and do that!) What’s your first thought? “O God – it’s time to get up – I don’t want to!” What if we started every day with “Praise the Lord!” Then, start counting your blessings (I’m alive) and in times like this focus on how God has cared for you in the past. Remember those verses that promise God’s blessings of care and presence. After that, make God your priority the rest of the day – each day – day after day.
Last message for today - this day – every day – v.34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Here Jesus is leading us to one of the greatest tools to get through any problem – a pandemic, a bad relationship or even addiction – “ONE DAY AT A TIME.” Praise God, next month, in April 2020, I will celebrate 35 years clean and sober. How did I get here? One day at a time. I never worried about how I was going to make it to 2020 – just taking it one day at a time.
How will we get through this? One day at a time. Can you make it through today? Sure – with God’s never-ending care. Remember those 5 little words? FOR…THOU…ART…WITH…ME!
I want to close with some instruction that comes from the “Freedom in Christ” course. If you are struggling with worry and anxiety, let’s say over the current situation, try this: Start with praying – we are Christians so we should pray about everything. Next, state the problem. Then, separate the facts from the assumptions. At this point – it’s time to separate out what is your responsibility and everything else needs to be given to God.
As you go about doing the tasks on your list – social distancing, hand washing, not touching your eyes and nose – please let God do His part. Remember, GOD’S GOT THIS! If you need a reminder, just go look out your window and watch the birds. They take care of today. They are fed by God. It’s not that somebody forgot to tell them… it makes no difference to them because God cares for each of them… and us. Amen.
