Lent 2020 (2nd Sunday Before)

Well, I’m a lot better now than I used to be.  What on earth is he talking about, I hear you ask.  Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I am one of the world’s worst worriers.  It has been said of me more than once that I am never happy unless I have something to worry about.

I would never go to the GP unless it was absolutely desperate because I was too afraid to hear what they had found, when in reality they were there to help.

Yes folks, I am better off than before,  or at least I would like to think so. I have made some changes in my life which are so much for the better.  As I have got older, I think about things a little more and use a bit more common sense.

Part of that has been growing up, recognising that you have to face reality from time to time. A reality check of where you really are in life is not always the nicest thing, because it sometimes makes you face things you would rather not. Often though, once you have done it, you feel better for it.

The other part has been learning to recognise what is really important in life, compared with things which perhaps are not as important to me as I once thought.

In this morning’s Gospel reading, we are reminded of exactly this scenario. We are told: “Do not worry about your life, or what you will eat, or what you will wear.”  We are even asked if we think that, by worrying about so many things, we can add anything to the length or quality of our lives.

These are some of the things which potentially could be less important because one way or another, these things will be put in place for us anyway.

We are given the birds of the air as an illustration.  They do not sow or reap every day, yet they are still fed by God our Father.

The same is true for us. Sometimes we need to take stock, perhaps not think so much about the more material things in life and instead concentrate on those things which really matter. 

If we are true disciples, one of the things that we would hope to be of greatest importance to us is our faith.

For us that means that, whenever we can, we should stop for a moment and listen to and for God in our everyday life.  The more material things will be looked after, and by His grace, given to us by God because He knows we need them.

This should then free us up to think about other things.  The sort of things you think about when you are one of our Lord’s disciples.

To do that, we not only need to look at the needs of our community on a local level, but also at the needs of the wider world.  There are so many examples of places of struggle, of injustice, of hunger and unrest. 

It’s true to say that for many of us, it is a cause of great frustration and distress that when we see these examples of injustice and struggle, we feel helpless and powerless. We feel unable to help owing to distance, our personal circumstances and so many other factors.

It’s also evident at a more local level, and we have no finer example of it than here in our local community. Everyday living is a struggle for many people and yes, the material things in life certainly do matter.

Sometimes it’s obvious that we will not be able to make an immediate physical difference. But the truth is that our response does not necessarily have to be a physical one.

We can raise awareness. We can bring the difficulties faced in so many ways by our brothers and sisters in so many places to the forefront of our minds and the minds of others around us.

We can harness the power of prayer to make a difference.  We can be assured that whilst the results of our prayers may not necessarily manifest themselves in the manner we expect, our prayers are always heard. Hopefully, we have all experienced at some point how it makes us feel when we know that other people have been praying for us.

It can be uplifting and a source of hope and comfort to us.

Our hope must be that those prayers make a positive difference for those in need, and that in some way they feel the benefit and comfort of our prayers for them.

Where we have an opportunity, it would perhaps be good for us to think about our life, our journey with God and to think about what that really means for us.

Every journey, every relationship, every gift from God is unique to us, but it is how we use those gifts that can make such a positive difference, not only for ourselves but also for others.

So just what is my main message for us all here this morning? Well, thankfully I can definitely say that it has been inspired by this morning’s Gospel.

Wherever possible, may our first thought not always be on the material things of the world. Our faith should help us to realise that our God knows what we need in everyday life and we should trust that He will provide for us.

May our thoughts be on greater things.  The needs of the world around us for example and how we can make a difference through our words and through our actions. How can we raise awareness of the situations of so many?

We may not think greatly about every action we take or every word we say.  We may not necessarily think that the words of what we deem to be a relatively simple prayer would make such a difference, but at the right time and in the right place, they can be life changing to so many.

AMEN