Lent Day #4

Matthew 6:25-34 (ESV)
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 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? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."


THOUGHTS:
To me, this passage captures something central to my understanding of what Lent is about: that we spend much of our time and energy trying to live as self-sufficient individuals. We like to be the kind of people who might give to charity, but we don't want to rely on anyone, and this includes God.

Do you feel you have to "do it all yourself"?

It isn't very feasible to live in modern American society and never plan for the future. Most careers require a proper education. There are logistics that simply need to be addressed sometimes. When does this planning go too far?

I sometimes find myself just staring into my closet pondering which of my multitude of shirts I'll put on. Sometimes I'm trying to make sure I'll be adequately warm, but more often it is thinking about what is most appropriate for the social settings I'll be in that day -- answering questions like "Do I want to put on the sharp blue shirt to the crisp tan shirt?" (Yes, I know that nothing will be different tomorrow based on the decision.) If I start to add the time up, I probably spend hours each year staring at the closet. Examining it now, it just feels shallow.

I'm not saying this verse advocates making decisions about food and clothing as "grab what is fastest and go". I'm just suggesting taking a moment to think about the things you agonize over. Is it worth it? Is there some anxiousness that you can turn over to God this Lent? Are there things that you simply have too much of?

Are their ways that our individualism prevents us from really experiencing all the joys of community?


PRAYER FOR LENT:
(From the Lutheran Book of Prayer, 1970)


Lord, bring us close to Your cross that we might know how You loved us and gave Yourself for us.

We would keep Lent, Lord, in a way is pleasing to You. As we follow You from the garden to Calvary, do not let us follow afar off, lest we deny You. Help us watch and pray with You that we may not fall into temptation.


Enlighten us that we may see by faith that You knelt in prayer for us, that You, the Holy One, were judged a criminal by unholy men for us, that You suffered the whiplashes of angry sinners as our sinless Savior, that You stumbled under the cross as our Suffering Servant, that you died as the Lamb of god in our stead and for our sake.


Lord Jesus, through it all help us hear in Your prayer the single purpose for which You endured pain and death: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Amen