This sermon was first preached 8th February 2026 at St Joseph the Worker Northolt
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How you can tell when it's going to be a rotten day:
You wake up face down on the pavement.
Your car horn goes off accidentally and remains stuck as you follow a group of Hell's Angels on the motorway.
Your birthday cake collapses from the weight of the candles.
You turn on the news and they're showing emergency routes out of the city.
Your twin forgets your birthday.
Your boss tells you not to bother to take off your coat.
The bird singing outside your window is …a vulture.
[1]
Question = What makes people anxious? What things cause people to worry? It may be things that make you anxious. It may be things that you see people around you getting worried about?
I’d like you to turn to your neighbour and share – In 2026 in England what sort of things leave people feeling worried?
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[take feedback]
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We live in a time of mental health crisis.
The government tell us that the country is going bankrupt because of the huge number of people unable to work because of mental health issues. In July 2025, 633,000 people unable to work and claiming PIP for anxiety or related conditions.
The bible society commissioned You Gov to do research into the attitudes of people ages 18 to 34 year olds – and found 56% of them reported “I frequently feel anxious or depressed.” [2]
And we are clearly not the first generation where people have felt anxious – It was enough of an issue in 30 AD for Jesus to his disciples and say -
“ ‘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? 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? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 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 trust? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
‘So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.’” [Matthew 6:25-34]
Anxiety can be crippling – but in his word and in the Christian tradition – God has given us wisdom to get us through that if we are suffering from it. The same Bible Society survey that showed that 56% percent of under 34s in general were anxious or depressed showed that only 44% of church goers were.
Now I have to be very careful in saying that. Because you may hear that and think I'm saying “Christians are never anxious”
On Friday – I went to see the Book of Mormon musical – don’t go to it if you don’t like “fruity” language. But even though it is about Mormons rather than Christians, there is a lot in it that is worthy of theological reflection.
There is one bit where there are a group of young Mormon missionaries and one of them is feeling uncomfortable thoughts – and his comrade sings a response
“You say you got a problem
Well that's no problem
It's super easy not to feel that way
When you start to get confused
Because of thoughts in your head
Don't feel those feelings!
Hold them in instead
Turn it off, like a light switch
Just go click!
It's a cool little Mormon trick!
We do it all the time
When you're feeling certain feelings
That just don't seem right
Treat those pesky feelings
Like a reading light
And turn 'em off
Like a light switch, just go bap!
Really, what's so hard about that?
Turn it off!
Turn it off!” [3]
Its easy to mock the Mormons for that – but we Christians can be in danger of doing the same things. Pretending rather than dealing with it.
So when I say that 56% percent of under 34s in general were anxious or depressed showed that only 44% of church goers were. I am NOT saying that Christians never go through dark times
44% of young Christians suffer from anxiety or depression! But that figure is considerably lower than the level for the population as a whole. Because the wisdom of God HELPS us through the dark times.
Life can be very dark
Paul in our Romans reading says “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.” [romans 8:18]
I consider the what? [take answer – the sufferings]
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Last week Father Dean preached to us about Candlemas – describing when Our Lady and Joseph bring the baby Jesus to the Temple and encounter Simeon and Anna- and how the occasion was both happy and sad.
joy celebrating the birth of the baby – but “destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel” “ a sword shall pierce your heart also”
Think about Our Lady’s life
The whole thing is a mixture joy and sadness
Ostracism for having a child out of wedlock – vs singing God’s praises in the Magnificat and the welcome she receives from her cousin Elizabeth.
The amazing visitors from the East with their Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh vs having to flee to Egypt to escape Herod.
Seeing the miracle at the Wedding at Cana [John 2] – vs everybody saying your son is mad “he casts out demons by the prince of demons” [Mark 3:22]
Standing at the foot of the cross watching her son die -vs experiencing the resurrected Jesus – we don’t know for sure Our Lady was with the 11 when Jesus appeared to them – but we do know she was there on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down.
And then what happens?
Roman Catholics and Anglo Catholics – make a lot about Mary being taken up into Heaven at the end of her life as per Revelation 12 – former vicar of this parish Fr Denis Bradshaw used to say“If we can’t be sure Jesus’s mum is in heaven, what hope is there for the rest of us”
If we make the focus of Mary being in heaven as about her being different from us – That isproblematic.
BUT if we make the focus of Mary being in heaven as about her being like us – Her story of joy and sorrow ends with the joy of heaven because OUR stories of joy and sorrow end with the joy of heaven.
As St Paul puts it “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us”
Lets consider another example – St Peter. He was terrified and ran away when Jesus is taken to the cross – yet having seen the risen Lord he becomes bold and full of confidence – preaching a sermon on the day of Pentecost that causes 2000 people to give their lives to Jesus.
And he goes on to do amazing work – some recorded in the Bible, some continuing after the book of Acts finished.
There is a legend – that during Nero’s persecution of 66 AD Peter fled from the city of Rome to escape– but as he was fleeing he had a vision of Jesus coming down the road towards him. He says to Jesus (in Latin” “Quo Vardis” – which means “where are you going” Jesus replied “I am going to Rome to die in your place once again. Peter was so shocked that he turned round and went back to Rome.
We don’t know for sure that vision happened – but we do know that Peter had confidence to stand firm for his faith and die in the Neronian persecution of 67AD. Having seen Jesus come back from the dead he did not fear death. “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us”
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So if we (or someone we love) is suffering from Anxiety, what can help us?
Things from a Christian perspective that can help
1. Honesty .
There are loads of bible verses about honesty. For example "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another". [Ephesians 4:25] Honesty.
Eleven years ago I went through a really tough time and began to suffer from both anxiety and depression – and with the help of CBT based counselling and the support of Christian friends, God brought me through it.
Looking around at this congregation – its quite a big congregation – there will be a lot of people here who may be in good place today. But in the past had a time when they were in a really dark place. And Through maybe counselling or medication or some of the things I am going to talk about now – God got them through it. In a congregation this size, there will be some people here who are going through a dark time at the moment.
Honesty is really important. One of the lies the devil wants to tell us is “You are on your own! Every other Christian is happy because they trust God. You are the only one who is anxious or depressed and you only anxious or depressed because you don’t trust God enough and you’re a failure as a Christian”
The devil loves to tell us lies like that. He is the father of lies.
Consider this: Why would Jesus give this teaching “Look at the birds of the air;” “ Consider the lilies of the field” – if it wasn’t something that people needed to hear, if anxiety wasn’t a common issue that many people face.
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2. Psychotherapy and Medicines
Father Dean taught me a saying – from St Augustine.? Gallileo? - The saying was - “I refuse to believe that the same God who gave us sense, reason and intellect also intended us to forgo their use.” “I refuse to believe that the same God who gave us sense, reason and intellect also intended us to forgo their use.”
All the people who invented Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and all the other sorts of therapies together with the doctors who developed Sertraline and other anti anxiety medications – why would God have given them the skill to develop those treatments if he did not intent us to benefit from them.
If you suffering in anxiety or depression – see your GP. It won’t be the only thing that helps. But it will be the first things
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3. Perspective
Monetary wise we are way better off than people in many parts of the world are. If we are struggling to pay our bills (and it can be struggle) – we are still thirty times or more richer than people are in Mozambique. We have running water. We have electricity. No one is dropping bombs on us.
And yes – as I said a few moments ago – at the end of it all – whatever we go through (and it can be really tough) but whatever we go through “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us”
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4. Practising Gratititude
I have a friend who struggles with alcoholism. He is on the 12 step program with Alcoholics Anonymous. And one of their principles is about gratitude. We can get so bogged down in the bad stuff that we fail to notice the good stuff. People on the program are encouraged to write down three good things each day that they want to give thanks for. St Paul gives us similar advice “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known to God” [Philipians 4:6]
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5. Experiencing the Presence of God –
Knowing you being loved helps you through it. “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?” God loves us! We come to church – and he touches with is love in the bread and wine of communion. We feel his spirit upon us as we sing and pray – It is (as one of the songs we will sing later puts it) – “a house for …the hungry, a well for …the thirsty”[4]
And when we attend bible studies or pray with our family or pray on our own, we can experience that presence too. “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you are with me, your rod and your staff to comfort me” [Psalm 23] we are loved.
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6. Knowing we have a Purpose
It’s a well known fact in battle fields – that morale is way better on the front line than it is a few miles behind the front line. Because the soldiers on the front line have a purpose!
In that survey done by the bible society only 52% of people thought their life had meaning, but 80% of Church goers did. And I am convinced that is part of what helps Christians to have better mental health
In the Book of Mormon musical, one of the young men, Elder Price is convinced God will send him to be a Mormon missionary to Orlando and Disney land and be the most famous Mormon ever – and discovers instead that God sends him to an HIV infested civil war torn part of Northern Uganda, partnered up with a guy he thinks is an idiot – yet by the end of the story he has found his sense of purpose where is – and is more genuinely happy than he ever was at the start of the story. At the start of the story it is all about him, by the end of the story he is much happier genuinely helping others – even if God’s plan for him involves him being kicked out of the official Mormon Church and becoming sidekick to the one he thought of as an idiot. But now he has a purpose.
There is a great book by Pastor Rick Warren who did the prayers at President Obama’s inaugeration, called the Purpose Driven Life – if you have never read it – I do encourage it.
But it’s message in one sentence is – God has a purpose for you!
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7. Prayer to calm us.
As St Augustine put it St Augustine “My heart is restless until it finds its rest in you”
There are a whole of host of prayer practices that are not just praying but can also calm us, lower our blood pressure – and pray when we are struggling to pray – “Rosary, The Jesus Prayer, taize chants, praying in tongues” As St Paul put in Romans 8:26 “The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.”
We come away not just having prayed – but feeling more at peace.
Another thing that can actually help is singing in church – Not just listening, but joining in as loudly as we can –– Like many of God’s gifts to us it has been shown to have actual medical effects – lowering your blood pressure. God has given that opportunity to you, and you will feel better afterwards.
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8. Prayer to make it someone else’s problem
“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” Phil. 4:6
If there are specific things that you are feeling anxious about – take it to God in prayer. Come up for prayer ministry after you have had communion. The one who clothes the lillys and feeds the birds can look after you. You don’t have to carry it all yourself.
Dump it on God – make it his problem. He loves you.
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9. Being Part of a community – It’s important to come to mass each week – not because God is going to hit you over the head with a cudgel – “You missed mass last week – you wicked child”. That’s not what God is like. But God has given us church, not just as a way to encounter his presence (though that is cool) but also as a place where we can be surrounded by the love of his people. When I was going through a really tough time, one of the things that got me through was the Christian friends that God provided me with.
Going to mass is a bit like going to the gym – if you go once a year its not going to help you that much, each time you go you’ll be lifting less weights than the time before. If you go once a month it will help – but not nearly as much as if you go once a week or more.
And it’s not JUST about the sermon or the singing or feeding on Jesus in the sacrament. The coffee afterwards when you can get to know your sisters and brothers. I know some of you have to dash off, but if you do dash off – you are missing out. And if you have family members who won’t come to church, and you are worried about being away from them for too long - tell them to come and join you for the coffee and cake. So you don’t miss out. And neither will they.
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Ok – well because Anxiety is such a big issue our society in 2026 – I have shared a LOT of things that might help – from getting counselling to coming to church each week. Don’t worry if they didn’t all go in – you can always come back to this online later.
But to finish – a story
When Napoleon was blitz krieging across Europe, Genral George Muller Massena, one of his top Generals suddenly appeared with 18,000 soldiers before an Austrian town which had no means of defending itself. The town council met, certain that capitulation was the only answer. The old dean of the church reminded the council that it was Easter, and begged them to hold services as usual and to leave the trouble in God's hands at least until till after mass was over. They followed his advice. The dean went to the church and rang the bells to announce the service. The French soldiers heard the church bells ring and concluded that the Austrian army had come to rescue the town. They broke camp, and before the bells had ceased ringing, vanished.
Now I don’t know if God will help you in that way – but I do know that God loves you – and that too who feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field – you are of way more value
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[1] Joke from a sermon by Baptist minister Roger Roak on this site
[2] https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/research/quiet-revival/
[3] Light switch song from Book of Mormon the Musical
[4] Bigger Table by Matt Maher
[5] From a sermon by Baptist minister Roger Roak on this site
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