In the name of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Just over thirty-six years ago, Bobby McFerrin’s song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” peaked at number one on the Billboard top 100. It went on to win Grammys for song of the year and record of the year. That should come as no surprise. The catchy tune and reggae vibe, to say nothing of the novelty of McFerrin’s using only his voice instead of instruments, continue to make it one of the all-time great earworms. Please feel free thank me later today when you find yourself humming it.
But as memorable as the song may be, it’s woefully disappointing in terms of specifics. It’s long on flash, but short on substance. Mr. McFerrin never exactly lays out a plan for how to choose happiness over worry. He merely melodically prescribes, “Don’t worry, be happy.” The music magazine Blender included it in the “50 Worst Songs Ever”, adding, “it’s difficult to think of a song more likely to plunge you into suicidal despondency than this.” Being told “don’t worry,” is about as effective as telling an anxious person to, “RELAX!” It takes more than that.
The truth is we live in anxious times. There are lots of things to worry about. Not all are of the same magnitude, but no matter the level of severity or importance, if we are going to worry less, we need a plan.
Jesus tells his disciples to stop worrying. At first it may sound like he’s singing a variation of McFerrin’s song: “Don’t worry, look at birds and lilies.” But there’s much more going on in today’s gospel. Jesus provides a plan. It begins by pointing out what we worry about:
- Our lives—what we will eat and drink, how we will survive
- Our bodies—what we will wear, where will we live
Food, clothing, and shelter. The basics.
Then he points out why we can set aside our worries. If Maslow knows the hierarchy of our needs, we can be sure God does too! I picture Jesus gently tousling their hair while almost playfully saying, “Come on…you don’t need to worry, have a little faith…you’re of much more value than birds and grass!” In creation God has decided and proven capable that it’s his delight to provide more than we can ask or imagine.
And finally, Jesus sets out the how part of his anti-worrying plan. He gives us something to replace our tendency to worry: “Strive first for the kingdom of God and [God’s] righteousness, and all [the things we need] will be given to [us] as well.” Striving is different from worrying. Striving means prioritizing God’s kingdom. Striving is not an imperative to go out there and make it happen, or else! Striving is a re-orientation of our lives that focuses us beyond our own needs and aligns us with God’s kingdom and righteousness. It’s no longer about us, we are about it. And then everything else falls into place.
The truth is that in God’s righteous kingdom, in that realm where we are in right relationship with God, with one another, and with all creation, there really isn’t anything to worry about. Striving for God’s kingdom opens our eyes to the abundance of God’s providence, where six jugs of water become six jugs of the finest wine. Striving for God’s kingdom unleashes the possibility of feeding a hungry crowd with five loaves and two fishes. Striving for God’s kingdom and righteousness enables a group of ragtag disciples to spread the Gospel throughout the Roman empire. Why would we ever worry. Why wouldn’t we just enter this world of abundance and trust this promise of sufficiency?
This is the world as experienced by Indigenous scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer. In her recent book The Serviceberry, Kimmerer writes reverently, even euphorically, about her experience harvesting these bountiful, delicious berries, what she calls gifts of nature, with flocks of birds. She writes, “I can’t help but gaze at them, these shiny gems, cupped in my hand—and breathe out my thanks. In the presence of such gifts, gratitude is the intuitive first response.” (p 7). She goes on to say that in her Anishinaabe tribe’s worldview, “When we think of [things–serviceberries for example] not as things or natural resources or commodities, but as gifts, our whole relationship to the natural world changes.” (p 8).
Living in this “gift economy,” is striving for the kingdom of God, and gratitude is the natural first response. Gratitude then develops into a sense of responsibility and a way of living. We notice and name the abundance of gifts and resources all around us and begin to realize and trust the blessed assurance that I have and will have “enough.” We gratefully consume our share of serviceberries (or receive the inestimable other gifts of God’s unmerited favor and blessing), while also happily passing along this good fortune to others. Instead of fearing scarcity, we see more and more abundance. Sufficiency facilitates sharing. Reciprocity replaces accumulation. We have God. We have one another. We have enough. Why worry?
Don’t worry. Be grateful. Strive for the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, where the gifts of love, mercy, acceptance, forgiveness, dignity, peace, and belonging flow in abundance. Strive to live within this economy of God’s generosity, with an ever-widening awareness of it and gratitude for it. Discover the liberating truth that there is enough of everything for all of us. And then join God in actively giving it away. Be grateful. Don’t worry.
Sermon preached Thanksgiving Day, 2024, by Rev. William AJ Heine at Trinity Episcopal Church, Staunton, Virginia.
