| A father passed by his son's bedroom and was | | | | overtaking you, let God take over. Trust God to |
| astonished to see the bed nicely made up and | | | | supply our needs and take care of our future. Let |
| everything neat and tidy. Then he saw an envelope | | | | faith provide you with a healthy and balanced |
| propped up on the pillow. It was addressed, "Dad". | | | | perspective about life and its demands. Instead of |
| With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope | | | | nursing wounds of self-pity, pray for the grace to |
| and read the letter with trembling hands: | | | | forgive. Instead of worrying about those for whom |
| Dear Dad, | | | | we are responsible, ask God to intervene and lift the |
| It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing | | | | burden from our shoulders. Instead of thinking |
| you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I | | | | creatively about how to bring someone else down, |
| wanted to avoid a scene with you and Mom. I've | | | | pray creatively how to build them up. We find peace |
| been finding real passion with Joan, and she is so nice. | | | | of mind and heart only when we wrap ourselves in |
| I knew you would not approve of her because of all | | | | something bigger than ourselves. Peace is a |
| her piercings, tattoos, tight motorcycle clothes, and | | | | by-product of being committed to the Kingdom of |
| the fact that she is so much older than I am. It's not | | | | God and the resources God gives us for the journey |
| just her passion, Dad. She really gets me. | | | | we call life. |
| Joan says we are going to be very happy. She owns | | | | We serve only that which we love supremely. We |
| a trailer in the woods and has a stack of | | | | can't serve both God and man. In other words, a |
| firewood-just enough for the whole winter. We share | | | | man of the world can't truly be a religious character. |
| a dream of having many children. Please don't worry, | | | | We can be in the world but not of the world only if |
| Dad. I'm 15 and I know how to take care of myself. | | | | we trust and serve the Lord. Our existence depends |
| I'm sure we'll be back to visit someday so you can | | | | solely on God. We must trust on his wisdom that |
| get to know your grandchildren. | | | | what he provides for us is truly what we need. |
| Your son, Chad | | | | Grace is the way to glory, holiness the way to |
| P.S. Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at | | | | happiness. God has conferred the greatest blessings |
| Tommy's house. I just wanted to remind you that | | | | (Life and the body) so he will be willing to confer the |
| there are worse things in life than the report card | | | | lesser blessings of food, clothing, shelter and other |
| that's in my desk drawer. I love you! Call when it's | | | | necessities. Those who ask receive, and those who |
| safe for me to come home. | | | | seek find, but not always in the way they expect |
| I'm going to take you on a walk down memory lane | | | | because God answers prayer in his own time and in |
| for a moment. In September of 1988 a gentleman | | | | his own way. |
| named Bobby McFerrin recorded a song that became | | | | Man has three basic, insatiable needs: |
| a hit for him. That song was titled, "Don't Worry, Be | | | | 1. To feel significant |
| Happy", and it sums up what Jesus is telling us in this | | | | 2. To feel secure |
| morning's Gospel reading. Part of the song goes | | | | 3. To be loved |
| something like this: | | | | The best way to meet these needs is to make God |
| Here's a little song I wrote | | | | number one in our lives. Everything we do and say, |
| You might want to sing it note for note | | | | day by day, is of importance to him. Only as we love |
| Don't worry | | | | God can we love our spouse, children, neighbours, |
| Be Happy | | | | siblings and friends in a complete way. Man is formed |
| In every life we have some trouble | | | | for nobler pursuits than the desire to be rich. He lives |
| When you worry you make it double | | | | for eternity. Those who do not know God WILL be |
| Don't worry | | | | anxious about the future, but those who do know |
| Be Happy | | | | him may surely trust him for the supply of their |
| When you worry your face will frown | | | | wants. If our minds are directed to both earthly and |
| That will bring everybody down | | | | heavenly things, we become distracted, confused |
| Don't worry | | | | and darkened. We can't serve both God and man. |
| Be happy | | | | Trusting and serving God will prevent worldly |
| What Jesus is saying in our Gospel reading is that we | | | | anxieties. |
| must put first things first. In other words, we are to | | | | In order to trust God to provide for our daily needs, |
| seek first the Kingdom of God, and we must do this | | | | we must value ourselves and forget ourselves and |
| every day. To seek the Kingdom, we must first seek | | | | focus on God. God does not tell us not to work. IN |
| the King. | | | | fact, he tells us in the Ten Commandments to work |
| We must first seek his righteousness. In other | | | | six days and rest on the seventh. Those who do not |
| words, we are to be seeking God's character within | | | | trust God to provide for their needs will not rest in |
| us, not God's control over us. It is our job to serve | | | | that seventh day. By not worrying about our needs, |
| God and God's job is to supply us with what we | | | | we are free to serve him, love him and help our |
| need-not the other way around. God will supply us | | | | fellow man. We have a power stronger than |
| with what we really need is we put our trust in him. | | | | anxiety-the power of God and prayer. We have a |
| We don't need everything we want, and we don't | | | | peace that outlasts our anxiety and difficulties-the |
| want everything we need. God doesn't give us | | | | peace of God, which passes all understanding. |
| everything we need. | | | | God is committed to the gospel of Jesus and to |
| People must see the Kingdom in us as we see the | | | | anyone who makes it their first priority. Other than |
| Kingdom of God. That is the real mark of a Christian. | | | | that, we're on our own. We'll have to "Fish or cut |
| When ordinary people begin to talk about their faith | | | | bait". God is not obligated to fund our dreams and |
| in Christ, long-lasting results are achieved. God uses | | | | projects-only his and the ones planted within us |
| ordinary people to do extraordinary things. We are all | | | | through spiritual gifts and divine calling. To strip |
| called to be a witness for Christ in our lives. It opens | | | | Christian faith of its unpredictability and risk in order |
| the door, even slightly, for God to do something in | | | | to turn it into a warm velvet limo ride to a perfect |
| the life of the person who hears the story. In order | | | | world is to destroy it. |
| for the message to have integrity, it must first be | | | | Those of you who watch the reality program Fear |
| embodied in our lives. In other words, God must be | | | | Factor may be disgusted by some of the stunts, but |
| number one in our lives. | | | | at some lever we all know that getting the rewards |
| The message of the Gospel about the power of | | | | of life is dependent on conquering and facing our |
| Christ to change a human life is by its very nature | | | | fears, and that is nowhere more true than in our |
| controversial, because people just naturally resist | | | | relationship with Jesus Christ and the kingdom he is |
| change and agents of change. Most of us would | | | | intent on bringing to this world. He knows how large |
| rather settle for our old familiar second-best lifestyle | | | | our fears are and how puny our faith is. It honours |
| than venture with Christ into a far more excellent | | | | him when we trust him. Nothing about us surprises |
| way of life. We simply don't like for people to make | | | | him or makes him loves us any less. To always be |
| waves. | | | | seeking the kingdom is to live near the outer edge of |
| But whenever the Spirit of Christ is released in a | | | | predictability, where needs are always greater than |
| person's life or let loose on a congregation, things | | | | resources. Empty hands are not hard to fill, especially |
| begin to happen. Broken relationships are healed as | | | | when they are lifted to heaven. |
| reconciliation takes the place of alienation. The fruits | | | | We must always ask ourselves the question, "Is my |
| of the Spirit such as love, peace, patience and | | | | life a gift from God, and if so can I trust God to |
| kindness begin to emerge. And people catch fire for | | | | sustain it?" There is no more basic question, and our |
| the Lord! No one can deny that something is going | | | | lives each give an answer. Once the basic needs are |
| on. The earth may not quake, a sound like a mighty | | | | met, is there anything more? Life without an appetite |
| wind might not be heard, tongues of fire may not | | | | for God is flat and stale. Our good deeds must not |
| appear, and people may not speak in strange | | | | loom high in our own minds. They are to be hidden |
| languages, but it could be described as a "second | | | | from us. With one's goodness looming before one's |
| Pentecost". And at times like these you can either | | | | eyes, one soon comes to feel that they deserve the |
| respond favourably or negatively to Christ, but you | | | | recognition and admiration of the people. Jesus tells |
| will find it hard to ignore him. There is something | | | | us not to seek this transient reward. |
| about the activity of Christ that causes us to choose | | | | This does not mean that we have no interest in |
| sides. | | | | what others think of us. Sometimes we need to hear |
| Jesus' parable of the rich fool is a good example of | | | | what those around us are saying, even if we find it |
| what he is trying to tell us in today's Gospel reading. | | | | unpleasant. Profiting from this praise is not the same |
| The rich man kept building bigger and bigger barns, | | | | as counting such praise as the supreme good. Jesus |
| and then he died. He was foolish because he spent all | | | | invites us to seek the true and lasting reward, not |
| of his time preparing for a future that never came. | | | | the transient and perishable one. That reward is the |
| The future is not God's creation-it is our imagination. | | | | companionship of God himself. As Jesus said, "Seek |
| We dream about the future, but God creates today. | | | | the kingdom of God and his righteousness". It is not |
| God is not saying that we should not prepare for the | | | | in satisfying our craving to have more and more that |
| future at all. On the contrary, he is telling us to | | | | we have abundant life. No, it is in serving God and |
| prepare for a future with him by putting our trust | | | | loving others as we love ourselves that abundant life |
| and faith in him, and by letting him work through us | | | | is gained and lived. Possessions on earth are not for |
| to do his work in the world. | | | | accumulating, they are for distributing in ways that |
| The main problem in society today is worry about | | | | Christ is honoured and our joy in heaven is increased. |
| the future. The problem with worrying is that it is | | | | When we give (especially when we give so |
| easy to do but so hard to lose. It is a power that | | | | generously that we have to sell something to have |
| controls our lives. Many of the problems we can't | | | | anything to give), we show that Christ is our |
| solve instantly can be moved one piece at a time, | | | | treasure and that we love others more than we love |
| one day at a time. When worries seem to be | | | | our own security and comfort. |