Anne Lamott gets right to the point. Are we going to constantly be anxious about our life or are we going to taste life, enjoy life, and be who God has created us to be. During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus also gets right to the point, “Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life?” 

It sounds so easy, yet we do worry. Anxiety has become the new baseline to the journey of life. We receive multiple messages every day encouraging us to have anxiety. The other day on television I saw back to back to back ads for home security systems, identity theft protection, and the need to buy gold in case the stock market collapses.

Jesus tells us not to worry because it is wholly unproductive, yet we do worry. He tells us not to worry about what we wear, yet we do worry. Studies suggest that 90 percent of teenager girls experience anxiety over what they will wear to school the next day.

In the face of our anxious spirits, Jesus’ words sound more like pithy advice that should be on a refrigerator magnet than words upon which we build our lives. But here’s the thing; Jesus is serious. Very serious. Our level of anxiety affects our capability to seek first the kingdom of God. Steeping ourselves in a life of anxiety affects how we steep ourselves in the reality of God.

You are invited to church on Sunday so that we might wrestle with our habit of giving anxiety power over our lives and over our world. We will worship together at 9 and 11:15 AM. I hope you will also extend an invitation to someone to join you for church.

I am grateful to be your pastor and I look forward to seeing you this weekend.

Grace and peace,

Danny