From "Night Prayers" in The New Zealand Prayer Book, let us pray:

"Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, Source of all that is and that shall be, Father and Mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is heaven: The hallowing of your name echo through the universe! The way of your justice be followed by the people of the world! Your heavenly will be done by all crated beings! Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth. With the bread we need for today, feed us. In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us. In times of temptation and test, strengthen us. From the trials too great to endure, spare us. From the grip of all that is evil, free us. For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever, AMEN.

Our Gospel from Matthew today comes to us from the Sermon on the Mount. It follows Jesus' admonition not to store up treasures on earth that are ephemeral, that can pass away, but to store up treasure in heaven. There is not a one of us who, particularly in this nation, cannot relate to this passage. The people of the first century had many of the same concerns that we have. In this case, Jesus is speaking to the disciples, those loyal followers who had given up everything to follow Jesus. Further, they have absolutely no idea of the challenges that will follow when Jesus leaves and the Holy Spirit comes to send them on their various missions. They lived in a time of oppression, a time when Rome ruled much of the world. They worried, as do we, and Jesus takes this time to address that very fact.

In the Gospel Jesus says: "And, can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?" (Mt. 6:29) Actually, a study was made of worry and life span with the results published in the 2006 issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings medical journal. According to Homiletics, "…the study's conclusion suggests that Jesus was right…that not being a chronic worrier can add not only an hour, but perhaps even years to your lifespan. ((Homiletics/May 2008).

I suspect that this doesn't surprise you any more than it does me. However, the reality of most of our lives has worry woven in. Homiletics goes on to say that "Worry is a mental and emotional response of concern or even fear to vague or unspecified threats." We can certainly understand that in light of 9/11 and the many acts of terrorism around the world. On this Memorial Day weekend we remember all those who have died as a result of terrorism, war, and other ghastly events in this nation's history.

Worry is not confined, however, to vague or unspecified threats. There is a story of "A man was seen fleeing down the hall of the hospital just before his operation. A security guard stopped him before he could leave the hospital and asked, "What's the matter?" The man said, "I heard the nurse say, 'It's a very simple operation, don't worry, I'm sure it will be all right.'" "She was just trying to comfort you," said the security guard. "What's so frightening about that?" "She wasn't talking to me," exclaimed the man. "She was talking to the doctor!" (Copied)

As a person who has had two surgeries since January I can well appreciate the man's running, gown flapping, in abject terror. There is absolutely nothing vague or unspecified about it!

Each of us, depending upon our circumstances, worries about material things. Food, clothing, education costs, retirement all seem insurmountable at times. However, if they loom to prominence in our lives, we are serving two masters, God and wealth. Jesus warns of this in the passage today and challenges us to set appropriate priorities as Christians. We are charged to seek first God's kingdom and righteousness and all else will follow. This does not mean that if we do the right thing "we will be healthy, wealthy and wise" as more simplistic Christian theology promises. We know that that is absolutely not true!

However, if we put God at the center of our lives, if we truly trust that God is within and without us in all that we do, we will be given what we need. AS Roger Shinn has said, "…we will be given all else that we need – not immunity to hunger and pain and death, but confidence in spite of them. (Ultimately)…it is trust that overcomes anxiety." The God who gave up all power to become human, incarnate among us, subject to all the problems of humanity, knows where we live and what we fear. God, in Jesus Christ, experienced all that we have and will experience.

Martin Luther was once "…challenged by a Cardinal who threatened him with all the power of the pope, whose little finger was stronger than all of Germany. "Where then," thundered the Cardinal, "will a wretched worm like you be?" "Then as now," said Luther, "in the hands of the Almighty God."

I don't know about you this morning, but I needed to hear Jesus' words this morning. As much as I try to stay focused with God as center, the things of the world intrude and old patterns persist. I zigzag from anxiety to trust on a daily and sometimes on an hourly basis.

There is a story told of "A man riding in a taxi who wanted to speak to the driver. He leaned forward and tapped him on the shoulder. The driver screamed, jumped up in his seat, hit his head, and jerked the wheel in the process. The car ran up over a curb, demolished a lamppost, and came to a stop inches from a shop window. The startled passenger said: 'I didn't mean to frighten you. I just wanted to ask you something.' The driver replied: "It's not your fault, sir. It's my first day as a cab driver…I've been driving a hearse for the past 25 years.'" (Synthesis, May 25, 2008)

Ultimately we are called to simply trust, not to be over-concerned for tomorrow, and to deal with what we must for today. We cannot predict the events of tomorrow, next year or ten years from now. But we can, with God's help and prayer, address our concerns for today.

This Memorial Day weekend let us rejoice in the beautiful weather God has given us. Let us rejoice in the weddings of Deirdre and Guilianna that are celebrated this weekend. Let our senses become more acute to the needs and pain of those around us, and let us joyfully remember that God is within and around us, loving us beyond all imagining. AMEN