Matthew 6:25-34, Treasure Hunt A few weeks ago the Sunday after VBS we had a treasure hunt during Sunday School. The kids began upstairs with Mary telling them a Bible story. Then they got their first clue. That clue led them to the Preschool rooms where the preschoolers were doing a craft. The preschoolers then joined in the hunt and they ran off to the Bible story room downstairs. After that they went to the Sunday School room upstairs and then down to the library. In the library they got their prize. The prize was a one dollar coin. The kids quickly rejoined their parents in the sanctuary. In a treasure hunt the kids get instructions and go from one place to another until they arrive at their prize, the treasure. Jesus speaks to our lives, with a message, which is reminiscent of a treasure hunt in today s passage. He knows that we get so caught up in the treasure that we miss the journey along the way. It is exciting to go from one destination to another. Without all that wandering we would never get to the prize. It is like the child who on a car trip is continually saying, When are we going to get there? The destination is the only thing that we focus on. How many of us find ourselves caught between the now and the not yet? The first thing we see in this passage is that Jesus calls us to live in the present and not worry about the
future. If we only truly have today then why are we constantly fretting about tomorrow? He addresses this issue of living in the future instead of the present by talking about worrying. He says, 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? Our lives are happening as we sit in these pews today. Although a time of planning may be necessary, we are not to worry: rather we are to enjoy the present. Let s enjoy the present moments we are given. When we spend our time in the midst of anxiety about life s basic needs such as food, drink, and clothing we miss the boat. The future is not what is most important, Jesus says. Worry, anxiety and fear are not worth our time. When we have one foot in the future, planning and orchestrating what we want, we are living in the present and future. Why not just live in the present? In the previous passage it talked about the impossibility of serving two masters. It is impossible to please both of the masters and we are set up to fail when we try to. Living in the future and past keeps us from being truly affective and free
in the here and now no, now no, now see time keeps waltzing on by. We can t ever capture it. It is natural to be excited about the future - ask any graduating High School senior who is headed off to college in a few weeks. A whole new world awaits them: cafeteria food, all-nighters cramming for tests, dorm life, and Starbucks runs. The Bible is telling us that it is possible to have hopes for the future and still live fully in the present. But, worry and anxiety cause us to live shortsighted lives in the present stunting our ability to trust God for the future and our hopes. The solution to this is the second point: We are called to trust God. Trusting God is a key part of the Christian life. A solid trust in God will keep you out of the hospital for many chronic conditions. When we worry we give up the present moment and allow ourselves to get caught up in stomach churning, muscle tightening, and blood pressure rising, fear-based thinking. All of this takes its toll on our bodies and hinders our faith. Jesus continued to illustrate the importance of trust by saying, 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 faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, What will we eat? 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. The Bible is clear that we serve a God that can be trusted with our whole lives. One example of this is my daughter Brooke. In early July she came to me crying. I thought, oh my, what is wrong? Did you hurt yourself? What did you lose? How can I help? Well Brooke said that she was scared about going to third Grade. She said that she was going to miss Mommy. Since it was only early July and knowing that we had just got out of school my heart went out to this precious one of mine. She was already worrying about a separation that would happen two months later and as a result was losing the present. Brooke has come to remind me time and time again with tears about how she doesn t want to go to school in the fall. In writing this sermon we have talked about it a lot. Brooke has given me permission to share this that, God will never let us go!!! We can put all of our lives in His hands! I don t know what you are facing today but God will never let you go! You can face whatever is before you with the Lord, so don t worry, don t fret, don t fall apart, in Jesus name. Preschoolers are a great example of trust. Elliott wakes up in the morning each day with one thing on his mind: Play Play Play. He eats his breakfast, gets dressed, then gets out the race track and goes at it. Preschoolers go from coloring, to reading, to climbing, to playing, to eating, to napping, to swimming, to Sunday School. All of this easily fits into a day.
They are care free in the moment, knowing that their needs will be met. The other week our family headed off for a short trip to Lake Coeur d Alene in northern Idaho. Elliott, our little guy, did not wake up that morning with thoughts of the organizational task of getting 6 people out the door, the driving, the food, the packing, and the connections along the way. Rather, Elliott sat in his chair at the Breakfast table and ate his cheerios, like he does most mornings. He then changed his clothes and headed out to play. He rode his bike and scooter up and down the street with a big smile on his face. Elliott got into the car and sat in the back. He didn t like all of the sitting across the state of Washington, so he got fussy and began to cry. All he wanted to do was play and he had to sit, sit, sit; all the way to the lake. Elliott was not worrying about which road to take to get there. How much gas do we need? What if our car breaks down? On the way there he just wanted to enjoy the moment having more space for his little legs to run and play. He enjoyed games with his siblings, Ritz crackers, and drank a Capri Sun. Even a crowded car, which is less than ideal for a little one, shows us what it is to live life like a preschooler without all the worries of the world, and living in the moment. Hebrews 4:16 says, We will find grace to help us when we need it. We do not get grace today for future events. Grace for our impending lay-off, examination, or speech to the
board does not come months before the event; rather, God helps us in our time of need. He meets us. Our God is a God that provides for us and enables us to reside in His peace, which leads us to His green pastures and leads us beside still waters. I love Psalm 23. It speaks of a Shepherd guiding us to green pastures and leading us beside still waters - restoring our soul. What a picture of peace and tranquility. We are led there and when we get there the pastures are green, not under watered (like our yard!), and the still waters are gentle so gentle that our souls are renewed and refreshed. When our God guides us by the hand to such tranquil places of rest, why do we so quickly drop that hand and go off on our own directions of worry and fret? On the treasure hunt of our lives why do we fuss about all that is not easy, all of our obstacles, all of our fears? Why do we get sidetracked on worry? Clearly, church, we lack that trust that we need. We would rather be concerned about the future and run after our own solutions and our own answers than lean of God, our loving Shepherd. God is 100% trustable. Let me say that again, God is 100% trustable!. Yet, we seem only to give him a fraction of our lives. Max Lucado, in his book Traveling Light reframes Psalm 23 for us (page 25-26). He says, I am my own shepherd. I am always in need. I stumble from mall to mall and shrink to shrink, seeking relief but never finding it.
I creep through the valley of the shadow of death and fall apart. I fear everything from pesticides to power lines, and I m starting to act like my mother. I go down to the weekly staff meeting and am surrounded by enemies. I go home, and even my goldfish scowls at me. I anoint my headache with extra-strength Tylenol. My Jack Daniel s runneth over. Surely misery and misfortune will follow me, and I will live in self-doubt for the rest of my lonely life. Does this sound like the life that you want to lead? Faith is actively accepting the love and mercy of God. It is an act of trust. Trusting in one s self only leads to self-reliance and in turn we divert the peace that we have coming our way through our life with the Shepherd. You may say, Gwen, you have no idea what I am going through! I cannot trust God in this time. Please hear me that God is more capable at ordering and running your life than you are. He will provide just as the Scripture says. Your God cares! You cannot be the Shepherd, no matter how hard you try! The best thing that we can do is submit ourselves to, and wholly trust in, our gracious Redeemer and allow Him to watch over us. If you are fraught with fear and unbearable anxiety all the time it will be worth seeking healing in Christ
through prayer and potentially even a Christian counselor to restore your heart and mind to a place of trust. Don t let early childhood or other trauma rob you of your Shepherd who leads you beside still waters and restores your soul. If you can t reframe or redirect your worries and seek first the kingdom today then find help today to reclaim your tomorrow. Jesus goes on to say in verses 33 and 34, 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 it s own. Today s trouble is enough for today. We have seen how we lose our present when we spend it fretting over the future and discontentment today. When our trust in God is lacking, we see that we are not able to reside in green pastures that God has designed for us. Jesus further encourages us to live for today. This is my third point: Live in the present with faith about tomorrow! We are given the grace to meet today s problems with today s strength. We only can muster today s strength for today. Living for today and living today is our daily challenge. That means taking life one-step at a time. We cannot have access to tomorrow s strength. We cannot access tomorrow s outcomes or opportunities. Tomorrow will come and God will give us enough strength to face that day. Today s trouble is enough for today.
Living each day to the fullest is a challenge for many of us. The world throws so many curve balls our way and we can imagine the worst things happening if we allow our minds to go there. The future is a project in progress. Although third grade is looming, we have to enjoy the summer! It will be gone before we know it. Trusting God for the future and living each day to the fullest, as God directs us, is the message that Jesus is speaking to the crowds and is whispering into our ears today. We are to be concerned with the Kingdom of God and seek his righteousness and the other things in life will be supplied. This is the first priority of the Christian. God knows our ongoing needs and will supply them as we live in Christ. Anxiety is incompatible with a lifestyle focused on faith. Worry does not enhance the future. In fact, it does nothing but rob us of our present. Worry skews the present, robs us of our present, it steals from the quality of living that God has for us! Summary: So, first, let s remember that we are divided between the present and the future when we live in both. This divided life stunts our abilities to trust God and to live full lives which we are presently given. Living in tomorrow today robs us of today. Focusing on the person that we are today is of utmost value. Second, trusting God is an essential part of our walk with God. He will take us to the green pastures and still waters. We need to keep hold of that heavenly hand of God and trust
Him. Like preschoolers, let s live one day at a time with the knowledge that all of our needs are going to be met. Trust liberates us to embrace the powerful love and mercy of God. Third, living in the present, trusting God for tomorrow, is the call of the disciple. Seeking the Kingdom and His righteousness is what we are called to do, today. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Allowing our lives to take the form of a treasure hunt where we only know one step at a time and where we focus only on the step that is before us in the kingdom of God and His Holy Righteousness is what Jesus is requesting. The journey of faith in Christ is what is important for today, not the destination. One day at a time. Let s pray