Beware

Matthew 6:25-27

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 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? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?

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Watch out now, take care
Beware of the thoughts that linger
Winding up inside your head
The hopelessness around you
In the dead of night

Beware of sadness
It can hit you
It can hurt you
Make you sore and what is more
That is not what you are here for

"Beware of Darkness" by George Harrison. This video is from George Harrison's "Concert for Bangladesh."

It would seem right to connect this passage with Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy" except that the sentiment and the song are both vapid. Scripture and the work of the Christ are opposite.

"Do not worry" sounds easy enough, but turning on the news or picking up the paper gives ample worries. Tsunami, earthquakes, flooding, tornadoes-there's a lot to worry about and this is just the "natural disaster" category. Pile nuclear meltdowns, terrorism, economic woe, drugs, crime, and the like makes "don't worry" sounds like "put your head in the sand." It makes "don't worry" sounds like "don't be concerned," but I disagree.

When "Don't worry" sounds like "disengage from life" we've missed the boat. Disengaging is the last thing Jesus wants.

Jesus points out that the Father provides for the birds of the air. What Jesus doesn't say is that while God provides the birds have to go collect. They don't sow nor do they reap, but they still have to dig up worms. They still have to peck bark to find insects in trees. They still have to collect twigs to make shelter and then they have to build it. It's a two part process: God provides, and the birds use what God provides. God provides, but God doesn't provide pre-fab.

God has provided us with what we need to be concerned and with what we need to take care of those concerns.

George Harrison tells us that we need to watch out for are the worries linger, thoughts that wind up bringing hopelessness inside our head. He knows that this comes at the dead of night. He warns us that sadness hits and hurts. Sadness makes us sore, but that is not what we are here for. George had concerns, but he did more than rent his clothes and shake his fist at God.

The video footage is from "The Concert for Bangladesh." George Harrison and friends in connection with UNICEF presented this concert in August 1971 to benefit victims of the 1970 Bhola cyclone and victims of atrocities suffered during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. George was worried, but he did not put his head in the sand. He did what he does best, play music, and through ticket, record, and movie sales collected nearly $250,000 (in today's dollars that's almost $1.5 million) to help relieve suffering. Doing so, George Harrison invented the first modern benefit concert.

Worry is a waste, but disengaging from life is inexcusable. Being concerned is another matter, but only when we do something about it. God leaves what we need all around us to do His work. We are called to do it.

Best of the Best

John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

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I'm going, I'm going where the water tastes like wine
Well I'm going where the water tastes like wine

"Going Up the Country" by Canned Heat

The wedding at Cana was the site of Jesus' first miracle. This is where Jesus performed the miracle more people may know than any other, turning water into wine.

First century weddings are the same sort of production numbers we see today. There are wedding planners and banquet masters and pit masters and all manner of servers and clean up crews. What isn't like today is that it was harder to organize a wedding in Jesus' time than it is today. Yes, this is a message to anyone who has ever dealt with a bridezilla, it was tougher 2,000 years ago to put together a wedding.

A part of what was more difficult is that it was impossible to tell everyone "the service starts at 4:30." Yes, not having clocks made that impossible, but more than that, it was nearly impossible to predict when everything would be ready. So in the first century the wedding didn't start until everything was ready. That was the starting time, not some scheduled hour.

As embarrassing as it is today, in the day it was even more embarrassing to run out of food and wine. Beyond embarrassing, it would have been an even worse slap to business concerns, family members, and the church. So when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus was very concerned for this new family and their standing in the community. She wanted her son to do something about it.

Jesus objected, but finally took care of this new family. He had the servants draw water into ritual washing jars and told them to take a dipper to the banquet master. There he declared it the best wine.

In his way, the banquet master told a tale of the society. Bring out the good stuff early and when everyone's drunk, bring out the Mad Dog 20/20. So the banquet master was amazed that the wine that was coming out long after everyone was well on their way to three-sheets-to-the-wind, the best wine this catering professional had ever had was being served. He was amazed! He was surprised! He also probably thought it was a waste to give such good wine to a bunch of folks who wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

That's what Jesus does. He gives the best to the best to us, even though because of sin we can never really appreciate it. Even though because of sin we can never really appreciate it he gives us himself. What a gloriously generous gift he gives of himself, only the best of the best.

Money for Nothing

Mark 12:41-44

He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

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That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Money for nothin' and your chicks for free
Now that ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Lemme tell ya them guys ain't dumb

"Money for Nothing" by Dire Straights

It's easy for rich people to make a splash. Press conferences and over-sized checks and loads of appreciation for largess. Now, these are pretty splashy. The folks who benefit from these donations certainly appreciate that someone somewhere cares enough to help out.

The video above is from Live Aid in 1985. It was estimated that around £150m has been raised for famine relief as a direct result of the concerts.

The Pharisees were always happy to see the rich men come in and make a grand spectacle of their offerings. It is always a grand and wonderful sound to hear the sound of coin falling into the treasury. That ain't working, that's the way you do it. They loved the benefits of this too. They loved sitting around the courtyards of the rich drinking good wine and living well. The benefits of being friends with the rich are much better than the benefits of hanging with the widows--if you're only interested in life you hold in your hand and put in your belly that is. If that's all you're interested in then these guys ain't dumb.

Jesus is interested in more though. He wants disciples who are willing to give all they have. The rich guys give from their riches, the widow gives everything. In this she gives more in two mites than the wealthy in their riches. “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Give thanks to those who give much, but more should be shown to those who give all. Life in Christ never leaves us in dire straights.