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Sermons:
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Don't Worry--Be Happy!
by Frank Schaefer
Mat. 6:25-34
Isn't it strange that despite the tremendous achievements of modern civilization we are
more worried about our lives than ever before? Take the advances in the medical sciences
for instance: problems with appendices, gall bladders, heart, infectious diseases, and
even cancer can be treated more successfully today than ever before. Or think about all
the security devices: fire-alarms, insurance against all sorts of catastrophes and
eventualities, inspections to make transportation safe, air and water clean, hospitals
antiseptic, restaurant food healthy and, my personal favored: checking account
overdraft-protection. All of these things are designed to allow us to breathe easier, be
less worried about life.
Yet, the late 20th century has been dubbed the "age of anxiety" because
people in the Western hemisphere, including you and I, tend to worry about our lives and
future more than ever before.
Perhaps that's why Bobbie McFerrin's song entitled "Don't worry, be happy!"
became such a hit. Remember the song? I figure it must have been the words, certainly
couldn't have been the music that made it successful. People just realize that they need
some remedy, some way to deal with their worries. But does this message really bring a
remedy? "Don't worry--be happy." That sounds easy, but how exactly do we do
that? Try to shout after the guy who just fell out the window of the 87th story of the
Empire State building: "Hey, don't worry, be happyyyyyyyy.............." It
seems to me that the cure for our worries need to come at a deeper level.
Today, we express our thanks, our gratitude to God for the harvest, for providing for
us, for caring for us, for getting us through another year. We can tell the story of God’s
faithfulness, of God’s love, of God’s care, and we can tell it exactly because
we are here--alive and well! We who are present are evidence of the goodness of God.
Allow me to ask you a personal question. Did you at any time during the last year
worry? Did you at some point feel that you may not make it? We all know that life can be
living hell on earth. There are marital problems, problems at the workplace, the death of
a loved one, the loss of a job, an illness, situations which seem impossible.
And yet, we are here today to give thanks to our loving and caring God! Some of us have
gone through tremendous struggles, and you are here; others may go through difficult times
right now, but all of us agree that thanking God is important on this Thanksgiving Day.
It almost seems when we say "thank you" to God--even in the midst of a
storm--our worries subside. Perhaps this is so because we may remember how God has helped
us in times past as our Psalmist does in Verse 3: "The LORD has done great things for
us, and we rejoiced." Or maybe thanking God allows us to focus away from ourselves
and to open our eyes to what is going on around us. This is what Jesus is doing when he
looks about and sees a couple of birds in a nearby tree. Jesus says: don’t worry.
Nothing has ever been gained by worrying. Instead, "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?"
As we soak in Jesus’s words, we start to feel safer, the voice of fear is
squelched, instead a feeling of gratitude is gradually swelling in our soul. And soon we
are saying: "Yes, if God takes such good care of a bird and a flower, he will take
care of me too. After all, I am one of God’s creatures too!"
St. Paul speaks of the benefits of the attitude of gratitude in the following manner:
(Verse 2:1) "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so
that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity."
Have you ever met someone who is a truly grateful person, someone who takes nothing for
granted and is thankful for anything you do for them. Well, I do know a number of those
grateful folks. They are people I like to hang around. They are peaceable people, people
that have many friends. Well that’s the kind of attitude I want to have. [continue]
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