In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

A little over a year ago we were out in Hollywood, California visiting my wife's brother and sister-in-law. One of the things we did while we were there was to visit that place where all the big movie stars have their handprints and footprints enshrined in the cement. It was interesting to see all this, though when you're actually there, it doesn't seem so much larger than life. But there was one thing in particular that I noticed. As you look at the imprints of the stars from decades and decades ago, earlier in the 1900's, you'll notice that their handprints and footprints are much shallower than the more recent ones. They've been worn away by the weather and by people walking on them. In another couple hundred years, those marks in the cement will be nearly if not completely gone. And so I found myself not excited that I was standing where celebrities had stood but rather reflecting on the useless vanity of it all, that even the great fame and glory these people had achieved, even these monuments etched in stone to their honor was all just a passing, temporary thing that fades away.

And indeed, isn't that how it is with everything that is of this fallen world? The things that we build, the possessions we own, even the good works that we do sooner or later fall or fail or fade. That is why, in the verses just before today's Gospel, Jesus says: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Jesus tells us that the focus of our lives can either be on what is temporary or on what is eternal. Either our hearts will look to and be set on earthly things which pass away, or they will look to and be set on heavenly things which do not pass away. And we will end up going the way of whatever our hearts seek after. If we trust in and treasure above all else that which will eventually be destroyed, so it will be with us forever. But if we trust in and treasure above all else that which endures, namely, Christ and His everlasting words, so it will be with us forever. Therefore, it is very important that our hearts cling to the right treasure. For we can't have it both ways, as Jesus says, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

Mammon is the earthly goods and money we possess. "You cannot serve God and mammon." So let me ask: Would you be willing to sacrifice your retirement or benefits or your salary or financial standing if that's what was necessary to remain faithful to God? That's a decision I may have to make some day if the Missouri Synod strays from its adherence to Scriptural teaching. That's a decision Christians are faced with on a weekly basis when it comes to choosing between divine service or work or pleasure or sleep. That's a decision a lot of couples face as they consider how long to wait before getting married or whether or not to live together first. Does God's gift of sexual chasteness take precedence or does financial stability? This is even an issue sometimes with older couples who choose to live together without marriage so that the social security or other benefits aren't reduced. "You cannot serve God and mammon. . . Either you will hate the one and love the other, or else you will be loyal to the one and despise the other."

What does your heart cling to? What is your real treasure? The fact of the matter is that it can only be one of two things. It will either be some aspect of the creation, or it will be the Creator. By your life and the trust of your heart, you will either be "worshiping" the false god of things or people or worldly philosophy, or you will be worshiping the true God, the Maker of all things visible and invisible, the blessed Holy Trinity. He calls you to look past what is seen to Him who is unseen. You are to focus not on what is made but through what is made to Him who is the Maker and the Giver of all good and perfect gifts.

In today's Gospel Jesus shows us that, when we worry, we are focusing not on the eternal Creator but on the temporary, fallen creation. And if that's the case, then we're bound to be uneasy; for the things of this world are uncertain and are constantly changing. When we worry and are anxious, we are misdirecting our faith away from the infinite and changeless Lord to that which is transitory and unsure.

And so our Lord says, "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on." Now, when Jesus says this, He doesn't mean that we should be lazy or apathetic or ignore reality. What Jesus means is that we shouldn't be all anxious and worked up and wrapped up in such things. Rather, we are to trust that God will provide for us and take care of us. He told us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" precisely so that we will acknowledge His promise to support and sustain us in all our physical needs.

And in order that we might be made sure of this, Jesus gives us two very simple things to consider. First of all He says, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" If God provides for and feeds ordinary birds, won't He also provide for and feed you who are of much greater worth?

Second of all the Lord says, "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" In Jesus' day the grass of the field would often be cut down and used to fuel the ovens to make bread. Now if God "dresses" the wildflowers and the fields so marvelously, which eventually are burned up, will He not even more dress you and provide for your bodily needs? Therefore, do not be anxious about such things, but trust in the Lord. Like the birds and the flowers, simply look to Him and receive the gifts which come from His gracious hand.

And besides, Jesus says, "Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" Indeed, there's more to life than wearing the nicest clothes or being able to go out to eat whenever you want. There's more to our existence than health and success and prosperity. For sooner or later, they will all be gone. There are things which transcend us and which have unending value and significance for us. Let the pagans run after what passes away; for their destiny is the same as the grass in the oven. But you, cling to what endures. Set your heart on the heavenly Father, who knows all your needs. "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

And to seek the kingdom of God is very simply to seek the things of Jesus. For He is the King of this kingdom. He is the Righteous One who freely gives you true righteousness. In order that we might be delivered from our bondage to decay, the eternal Son of God entered into this passing world; the Creator became a part of His fallen creation. Jesus took upon Himself all the temporariness that our sin brings, all the deterioration and the degeneration and the death. And He Himself passed away on the cross for us. The moths and rust of evil ate through Him. However, in so doing, Jesus caused death itself to die. He made all that is passing pass away. Jesus destroyed the sin that makes everything only momentary and impermanent. For in Christ it is written, "The old order of things has passed away . . . Behold, I make all things new." Jesus came forth from the grave in power, bringing with Him mercy without limit and life without end. From the empty tomb flows a new creation that will never deteriorate or fall or perish, for death no longer has dominion over Jesus. The risen Lord is the center and substance of a new and everlasting creation, one which we are made partakers of through faith in Him. In Christ all of the false loves of your old self are forgiven and done away with, and you are given a new love toward Him, as it is written "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

Trusting in Jesus, knowing all that He has done and prepared for us, our worries and fears are calmed. For if God has provided so bountifully for our eternal needs, certainly He will care for us in all the necessities of this temporal life. Our hearts are set at ease as we reflect on the words of Romans 8, "(If God) did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will He not also along with Him graciously give us all things?" You see, if we have Christ, then we have everything; for all things belong to Him, and in Him all things hold together. Through Christ we are made able not to be anxious about our lives. In Jesus we are made confident that our heavenly knows what we need, and that He will care for us and provide for us.

Listen again, then, with new ears to what Jesus says, "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink." Don't be anxious about such things, because Christ faithfully gives you to eat of His body and drink of His blood for the forgiveness of your sins. Your life is forever safeguarded by His own life which He puts into you under the bread and wine. How can you worry about daily bread when you are given to partake of the Living Bread which came down from heaven? Any anxiety you may have about your life must fade into the background as you hear Christ's words, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

Likewise, listen again to these words of the Lord, "(Do not worry) about your body, what you will put on." You need not be anxious about clothing, either, for it is written, "As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." You have been wrapped in the righteousness of Jesus. At the font you were dressed in the apparel of the Savior that will never wear out or fade in its glory. How can you fret about being fashionable when you've been given such royal garments to wear? Your value and worth come not from your earthly clothes, but from the fact that Christ became your brother in the water, making you eternal children of the heavenly Father. The members of this baptismal family concern themselves with a different sort of clothing. Colossians 3 says, "As the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering . . . But above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection." Such garments are from the wardrobe of Christ, who performs these works in you and through you.

Indeed, we await the day when we can be rid of our mortal clothing-this perishable flesh and blood-and put on our new and everlasting clothing in the resurrection of the body, as it is written, "The perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. . . Then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' . . . Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." It is because of this certainty that we now heed the words of St. Paul, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit