Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven

 

 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  

 

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

 

- Matthew 5:11-16 

 

 Yesterday we read that Jesus, seeing the multitudes who now follow Him, went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

 

"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  My study Bible comments that those who suffer persecution for Christ walk the road of the prophets, saints, and martyrs.  The Greek for be exceedingly glad means to "leap exceedingly with joy."  (See Acts 5:40-41.)

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house."  Salt and light are illustrations of the role of disciples in society.  My study Bible explains that because of its preservative powers, its necessity for life, and its ability to give flavor, salt had religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; see also Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).  To eat salt with another meant to be bound together in loyalty.  As the salt of the earth, Christians are therefore preservers of God's covenant, and they thereby give true flavor to the world.   As for light, we know that God is the true and uncreated Light.  My study Bible says that in the Old Testament light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), the divine Law (Psalms 119:105), and Israel in contrast to other nations.  In the New Testament, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9, 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  Light is also necessary for clear vision and also for life itself.  Faith is reliant upon this divine light, and believers become "sons of light" (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5) who shine in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  In many Eastern Orthodox parishes, the Easter Liturgy begins with a candle presented together with the invitation to "come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  My study Bible says that Christian virtues have both a personal and a public function, as our virtue can bring others to glorify the Father.  

What does it mean to let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven?  This could be a confusing question as my study Bible explains it, because in our present time various "virtuous acts" mean different things to different people.  What is popularly called "virtue signaling" is precisely such seeming activity, and yet it is not at all universally seen as a light which leads people to glorify God.  What that might be telling us is that we have the wrong end of the stick, and our usual way of thinking will not really suffice to answer the question.  What would lead people to glorify our Father in heaven in our own good works?  What leads people to God?  If we look at the question this way, it's not just a matter of persuasion or the appearance of good acts that please people.  This is something different.  This is Jesus calling upon us for truly positive acts of living our faith, and that will cause people to glorify God.  How do we let God's light shine through us?  There are surprising ways to look at this question, because in our modern age, we approach such a question, and such a statement by Christ, as if it were merely directed to individuals and individual behavior.  But what if it's not?  What if, as would be much more commonly perceived and understood in Christ's time, Jesus is speaking not to address people as individuals, but as a community?  If we look at Christians as whole communities from the time of the earliest Church, we see a number of social innovations we could really call letting God's light shine through this community.  Following out of Christ's teachings of the kingdom of God, Christian communities built institutions like hospitals.  Following out of the need for literacy to spread the gospel message in the Scriptures, educational institutions evolved out of monasteries, places where literacy could be learned and books copied.  The social changes that came about in societies that became overwhelmingly, and eventually officially, Christian meant that human life was considered to be far more sacred than it was in pagan societies, which did not formerly frown on infanticide, for example.  The widespread practice of baptism in and of itself taught whole peoples the importance of the soul, the salvation of the human person, and over the centuries such teachings made a great deal of difference indeed in the evolution of structures of justice, medical care, and whole fields of science for human welfare.  If we look at such an evolution over time, and what happens when the light of God shines through whole peoples, we begin to focus on the beauty and truth and goodness that is possible to develop as a cultural history and inheritance.  In Churches we find architecture and art that speaks to a whole history of the beauty of that light, even the seeing the truth and goodness of Creator through the goodness and beauty of creation itself.  The art of mosaic and icon depict creation and creatures as windows through which Creator shines, vehicles of God's mercy and light.  These are not things we take lightly, but they may often -- in a modern world -- be things which we take entirely too much for granted.  In the beauty of music and poetry and hymnody we find the light of God shining through human creativity in honor of Creator, and the astonishing creativity that adds beauty to the lives of all who may participate and hear -- not reserved only for elites or the elect but found in Churches and services that were meant to include even the "least of these" in the society.  Taken on such a scale and over such a perspective, we might find that the light of God shining through a faithful community takes on a transfiguring role in the world and in the society, until we take it all for granted and forget where it came from and how it started.  Let us consider how the light of God shining through human communities has contributed to the world, and how it may yet move us forward into new "light" for a future age.  For these aspects of beauty and goodness can only be understood if we remember that we glorify God through them, that to see the beauty of creation is to illumine the glory of the Creator.  When such perception dies, so does the care of society and community, and so plummets the value of human life and the things that make for our real social good.  Have you a way to glorify Creator by strengthening community?  Can you contribute to beauty for the love of the world?  How does the light of Christ lead you to give to others, to community, to do works of great beauty, of compassion?  For in the One who brought us the light, we find the image of One who saves for the sake of all, and who glorifies God. 

 

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you."

- Luke 12:22-31

Yesterday we read that it came to pass, as Jesus was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."  So He said to them, "When you pray, say:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us day by day our daily bread.  And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.  And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."  And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'?  I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.  So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will be give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

 Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing."   My study bible notes here that Jesus is warning against anxiety, and not against thoughtful planning.  It notes that our physical well-being is directly dependent upon God, and indirectly on food and clothing.  It says that great anxiety over earthly things demonstrates a lack of faith in God's care.  This statement, life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing, is a statement about the true reality of our natures as creatures of God.  We are something more, and His emphasis is on the more that we truly need.

"Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?"  God's love and care extends to all of nature.  Ravens are an interesting bird for Jesus to mention.  As animals they are known in cultures worldwide for their intelligence.  In Scripture, it is said that a raven fed Elijah in the wilderness (see 1 Kings 17:2-16, a story in itself about dependence upon God).  If we think about it, that God endows a bird with such intelligence teaches us Jesus' point about the value of human beings.  The lilies are themselves gorgeous, arrayed in great beauty by God -- even the purple reserved only for kings in Christ's time.  All of nature, therefore receives the abundance of God's gifts; therefore how much more will we receive?

"And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things."  Today, as ever, we know the truth of these statements.  The nations of the world fight wars over resources they wish to claim.  But Christ is saying that there is something else that comes first.  My study bible says that in Christ's time, the Gentiles (the nations of the world) served pagan idols, and therefore remained consumed by dependence upon earthly things.  To follow God is to be dependent first upon God, for "your Father knows that you need these things."

"But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you."  Here is the central theme of Christ's teachings, and also of our faith.  We put first God's kingdom and God's righteousness.  My study bible says that in calling us to be free from anxiety about earthly things, Jesus directs us to look to heaven -- secure in the faith that God will provide what God knows are needed earthly blessings.

Jesus' admonition here is falsely read to mean that we have no need of things mentioned here (as if we live upon air, and matter or material needs are somehow sinful), or it is misunderstood to suggest that in fact God promises us tremendous material bounty and riches in reward for our faith.  Neither of those two interpretations is worthy of Christ nor worthy of the God whom we worship, and neither is worthy of the beauty of our faith, for both reduce our faith to a kind of extreme materialism, one without balance.  But it is precisely of the balance of the world in which we are created to live that Jesus speaks here:  we are creatures who live in both realms; human beings with body and soul, corporeal beings who need spirit to live.  In John 6:63, Jesus says, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."  Here, Christ teaches us one single formula for how we are to live even as beings who have needs in this world:  "But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you."   The formula is simple:  we put one thing first.  This one thing, the kingdom of God, is worthy of all other sacrifice.  Moreover, there is nothing else worthy of such sacrifice but this kingdom.  To lose our lives in excess anxiety is throwing away the life we're given by God, a waste of our time.  Jesus asks, "And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?"   All the anxiety, time, effort, thinking, and ruminating in the world will not gain us what we truly seek.  Our mission is plain:  we put the kingdom first, we put all things in the hands of God, and our dependency there first.  This is not to say that we won't have jobs, lives, resources to plan wisely for, families to take care of, and all kinds of worldly things to consider in our lives.   Scriptures, again, are full of the stories of those who have lived fully human and worldly lives while seeking first the kingdom of God.  But our command, and our wisdom, is for one thing first of all in our hearts, and that is the one thing that leads to all the rest.  Let us note that what precisely all the rest contains isn't up to us, and it's not a promise engraved in stone like some cash jackpot guaranteed by the lottery this week!  But it is a promise that God knows what we need, and that our work is to understand our dependence upon God and to seek God's kingdom for ourselves as the place where we truly dwell.  Psalm 91 echoes the promises of Christ:  "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.  With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation" (Psalm 91:14-16).  Let us remember that living the life of the Kingdom is a day-by-day and hour-by-hour practice.  We don't swear allegiance one moment and presume we are then set up for life; neither do we take it upon ourselves to understand what this means in terms of what our lives should look like.  The saints of every age are unique, and their unique missions testify to the idea that each one takes up his or her own cross daily to dwell in this place and to practice one's faith.   In prayer, we seek to cement the relationship in which we put God's kingdom first, and then we seek to meet each challenge of life in that faith, asking for guidance, good choices, as well as insight and especially growth.  Life offers us an infinite variety of moments in which we can choose to seek that Kingdom first, and allow ourselves to dwell in God's righteousness -- and remember that it is all a great, long learning curve.  This is where we are as disciples; we are "learners" as the Greek word for disciple truly means.  Let us set our hearts where they need to be, and follow where that learning leads us in each of our lives.  The great beauty of the kingdom of God rivals that of any worldly glory, but we need to be able to see.

Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!

 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"Behold!  My Servant whom I have chosen,
My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!
I will put My Spirit upon Him,
And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.
He will not quarrel nor cry out,
Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench,
Till He sends forth justice to victory;
And in His name Gentiles will trust."

 - Matthew 12:15-21

Yesterday we read that Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath.  And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"  But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?  Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?  Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.  But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.  For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."  Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue.  And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand.  And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" -- that they might accuse Him.  Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?  Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."  Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. 

 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "Behold!  My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!  I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.  He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory; And in His name Gentiles will trust."  Christ's refusal to fully disclose His identity as Messiah is foreseen by Isaiah, my study bible says (Isaiah 42:1-4).  Among His reasons for secrecy are:  the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders; the people's misunderstanding of the Messiah as an earthly, political leader; and Jesus' desire to evoke genuine faith not based only on marvelous signs.  The Servant of Isaiah refers first to Christ, and by extension to all those who follow Him.  In Isaiah's prophecy is also foreseen the mission to the Gentiles after Pentecost.

In a worldly sense, we tend to view appearances or images as full manifestations of a concrete reality.  But in God's sight, we get quite a different perspective, particularly when it comes to Godly attributes, like power or beauty or goodness, and even truth.  Isaiah's prophecy makes it clear in any number of places that the Holy One, the Messiah, does not come to us in a form that makes it clear to common sight that He is divine.  He has, instead, the appearance of a servant.  He does not come as a conquering warrior or one who declares his achievements in an earthly sense, nor a fearsome warlord such as people understand of history, but rather "He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench."  This is the paradoxical way of God.  True to the word of my study bible, it is the way the holy has come to work in the world as well, and among those who follow Him.   When St. Paul prayed about an infirmity that plagued him, he was told, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  St. Paul adds, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Beauty is also seen as the grace which accompanies a form that the world might not recognize.  In Isaiah 53:2, we read of the mystery of the self-emptying beauty of the Servant of God:  "without beauty, without majesty (we saw him), no looks to attract our eyes."  Paul Evdokimov calls this a type of kenotic veil thrown over His splendor.  St. Peter writes, "Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God" (1 Peter 3:3).  In other words, notions of external beauty may be instead within, and imperishable.  Evdokimov writes that "in this case, the very infirmity becomes ineffably 'beautiful' for in going beyond its infirmity in a veritable trans-figuration, the obstacle is made to serve the spirit in a mysterious bending to the secret destiny of a being."  He compares the tradition of the "fools for Christ," saints who intentionally appeared to be crazy or in some way outside the norms of society, as those who went to the depths of shame as part of their vocation in order to sow light -- a "show," he writes, which was often seen only by the angels.   This paradoxical beauty is only found in humility, with our example set by Christ.  There is no more powerful example of this than Christ on the Cross, a veil of shame hiding the hour of His glory from those who could not truly see.  It is something so seemingly alien to our world that is bathed in increasing power and reliance upon images, which are blasted upon us in every form and at ever-increasing speeds and intensity through the power of media and technology.  One wonders where humility may be valued in the cultures of technology, or where a search for genuine beauty will be found or even attempted in generations who can rely on a kind of internal loop of feedback only they increasingly select for themselves.  Perhaps this lack of value of humility or understanding of inner worth and beauty that does not rely upon images in the eyes of others is responsible to some extent for problems of violence and inexplicable crimes of rage among the young.  It may give us a choice as a successful way for the vulnerable to deal with bullying, as opposed to the images of violence and absolute victory or vindication in popular media and fiction.  In this sense, Christ as healer is a key to what we are missing, and when the Church fails to uphold this paradox and gives us instead only models of worldly "success," then we are failing our children and its subsequent generations.  The entire "model" of Isaiah is one of humility, even suffering, and servitude as that which characterizes the most beautiful One of all, the One who will "send forth justice to victory" and in whose "name Gentiles will trust."  This is a far cry from those who make sure to project the image of morality to the world in their charitable deeds (Matthew 6:1-2), or who constantly seek only to shame others.  In the Gospels we have plenty of examples of the latter in those who seek to shame Christ or John the  Baptist, and do not recognize their holiness or the work of God in their ministries (see Wednesday's reading).  Let us consider, then, Isaiah's Suffering Servant, and the beauty of God at work in those whom perhaps only the angels see in truth.  It is all about the soul, the truth of a person, the heart and the inner life, the sacrifices we may make in service, in the love of God that is genuine and flows to others even in ways not seen by the rest of us.

Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things

 "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?  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?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

"So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  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?

"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for to tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

- Matthew 6:25-34

 We are reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  We began with the Beatitudes, then we read You are the salt of the earth, Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill, Whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment, Let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No," Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven, Pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly and Our Father in heaven.  On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!  No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."

 "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?  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?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?"  My study bible says that this is a warning against anxiety, not against thoughtful planning.  We are dependent upon God for our well-being, and indirectly on food, drink, and clothing.  Great anxiety over earthly things, it says, demonstrates a lack of faith in God's care.  An excessive anxiety means that concerns about all of these things crowd out everything else, depleting our capacity for life in its fullness and robbing us of joy.

"So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  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?"  Jesus calls our attention to the natural beauty of the world.  In some sense, this is a remedy to excessive worrying, which doesn't really solve problems in and of itself.  Beauty is a kind of antidote to the worry, uplifting us and reminding us that God's hand is in all things.

"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."  My study bible says that Jesus' emphasis is on the idols of the Gentiles -- in serving pagan idols they remained consumed by dependence on earthly things.  To follow God gives us a freedom from that kind of dependence.   This is the second time in the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus reminds us that the Father knows what we have need of.  In Friday's reading, in which Jesus gave us the Our Father or the Lord's Prayer, He said, "For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for to tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."   Here is the central theme of Jesus teaching, the kingdom of God.  And the righteousness of God is the subject of the Sermon on the Mount.  My study bible says that Jesus seeks to set us free from anxiety about earthly things so that we may look to heaven, secure in the faith that God will provide needed earthly blessings.  This is all about what we put first, what our real aims and goals are, and our deepest needs.

In Saturday's reading, Jesus taught us that you cannot serve God and mammon.   Here, He's building upon that teaching, and showing us an essential truth about ourselves.  Everything depends on what we put first, what is our goal or focus, and what we choose to serve.  If our first and highest concern is really what we'll wear, and what we'll eat and drink, how we'll do this or that, then what winds up happening is a life filled with anxiety first over these things.  But what Jesus really asks of us is putting one consideration first before all these things, seeking the kingdom of God.  It's not that we're to live such ascetic lives that we think we don't need anything of these things.  No, it's quite the opposite, in fact.  He assures us that God knows we have need of all these things.  What He's asking is that we put everything in perspective by having our priorities straight, and by understanding what we really want to serve in life.  This is all about what comes first as priority and goal in the heart.  How do we live our lives every day, and what do we keep our mind on?  What's the goal?  What do we really want to serve?  Is it just all about the material stuff, and that's it -- an end in itself?  This kind of life is a prescription for anxiety, excessive worrying.  And there's wise advice here:  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.   We really don't need to add up things to worry about -- today's troubles are enough.  Sometimes the shift in focus to the things of God is the one remedy that really helps to put it all in perspective, and to get us to take the time to focus on something beautiful, uplifting, that fills us with a much bigger sense of purpose than just what we're going to eat and drink or what we're going to wear.  Those things may be ends in themselves, but they're not going to fill up the soul with what it needs.  For that kind of depth, we need more, and that's where Jesus is trying to get us to focus.  So think about it.  What do you really want to serve with your life?  What makes life good, and adds blessings of joy to everything else?  Sometimes, forgetting about anxieties and losing oneself in what is more beautiful is just the thing we need to be able to solve a problem!  Anxiety and worry, on the other hand, tend to just get us stuck, staying in the same old loop over and over again.  Let us "seek first the kingdom of God," and remember all the beauty that might hold for us in so many ways, and the creativity that goes with it -- and the God who knows that we have need of all these things.  Ironically, this is often a key to finding a solution to a problem that's been worrying us.  The patience that comes with such a focus, and the detachment it helps us with, the rest we take in this place, always seems to come with its own blessings -- not least of all for our health and well-being!

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you

"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? 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? Which if you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 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? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

- Matthew 6:25-34

Since Thursday before last, the Lectionary has taken us through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's gospel. We began with The Beatitudes (Part 1), and then to You are the salt of the earth - You are the light of the world, Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift, You have heard that it was said to those of old . . . , Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect, Your Father who sees in secret, who is in the secret place and Our Father in heaven - The Lord's Prayer. In Saturday's reading, Jesus taught us about exchanging, if you will, one kingdom for another. He asked us to store treasures in heaven for ourselves, rather than on earth. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." It all depends on what we love and put first. How do we look at things? We need our "eye" to be full of light in order to see, rather than to be lost in the darkness. He gave us a stark choice, in our hearts: "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

"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?" Jesus continues from the reading we had on Saturday, with its emphasis on the kingdom and on the "treasures stored up in heaven." And we continue to understand this emphasis He is asking us to make in this life. What do we focus and dwell upon? What's most important? His question is a poignant one: "Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" It's one we should ask ourselves every day, to remind ourselves of the substance we seek in life, or what makes us truly of the kingdom. My study bible says, "Physical growth and length of life is dependent upon the providence of God more than upon food, drink and clothing." It adds that this is not a provision against thoughtful planning and care, but against severe anxiety. I think it's a clear continuation of His focus on what comes first -- on the importance of this choice within us, in our hearts.

"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? Which if you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing?" Jesus shifts His emphasis to an example from the world around us, from nature, and it is an example of the workings of the world, clearly couched in the hands of God the Father. Our own efforts can't necessarily create everything we need, our own growth, the functioning of our bodies. Again it's a question of where our heart and our focus is: God who created us and created the world knows what we have need of. Our focus is there, first, not on clothing!

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 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?" I love that this example focuses so much on the beauty of the the world, the natural beauty created by God. We can just look around ourselves and see that beauty everywhere in nature. Should we not be comforted that this has been provided for us as something of importance to God already? But Jesus takes it further and emphasizes our importance to Our Father as His children by adoption. He arrays even the lilies of the field in such beauty and glory -- how do we think God would like us to be? Again, the emphasis is consistent on what we put first -- where our eye is focused, and the light of God with which He asks us to be filled first.

"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Here, He makes it perfectly plain. What do we put first? Where is our faith? My study bible reminds us that the Gentiles in this case are those who seek after pagan gods -- gods that are not real. But again, Jesus takes it further and instead focuses on our faith, and the difference it makes in our lives. What do we put our faith in first; in what do we rest and remain through all things? We "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." Those treasures in heaven we put first will include for us what we need in our worldly lives, but that's up to God. My study bible says, "The kingdom of God is the central theme of the teachings of Jesus, and His righteousness is the subject of the Sermon on the Mount. Calling us to be set free from anxiety about earthly things, Jesus directs us to look to heaven, to this greater 'country' which will be received at the Day of the Lord, secure in the faith that God will provide needed earthly blessings."

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Here is the great wisdom of Christ. The word here for worry means to be distracted -- in a sense, "pulled apart." It's the same word He uses when He tells Martha that she is "worried about many things" but that her sister has chosen the better part. When we lose our focus, we lose our true wholeness, our true center. And faith is that center -- faith on the right things, treasuring what it is we truly need first. The "trouble" of the day in the Greek implies what "the evil one" will send to give us worry and toil. Enough is enough for the day, we don't need to add to our worries and anxieties by dreaming up more for the future. It is better to focus on our daily faith, to do what we must in faith today and leave our focus there.

All in all, Jesus teaches that there is one real focus we need, one stark choice we need to make. And that is to keep our heart firmly in the soil of faith and in the Kingdom. This is what we seek first: We seek first the Kingdom and its righteousness. That is, all the things He has been teaching us that God wants from us in our lives. And God knows what else we need. So, what's in our heart? What do we put first? Where do we put our fondness? What's our treasure? It's reassuring here that when we place God first, and the righteousness of that kingdom of God, of love, that God knows what we really need. The Creator of all things, of the beauty of the world, loves and values us. We therefore store up treasures in heaven and build that value and worth. So we look to the birds who thrive without worry, anxiety and toil. We look to the beauty of the lilies of the field as clothed by God. But first we are clothed in God's love and righteousness, we are fed in faith and God's love. Speaking for myself, I can say that God has blessed me in ways beyond my expectations when first I put this kingdom in my faith. I can't speak for any others. But every day, we need a reminder: put this kingdom first and its righteousness. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. Let God teach us about the rest, and what we really need for our lives. Let the Lord show us the Way.