What do you worry about? Or if I could ask directly, what are you worried about right now? All kinds of surveys have been done over the years asking Americans what their top worries are, and one word consistently, overwhelmingly, tops the list. Can you guess what that one word is? I’ll give you a hint: it is what this sermon series is about: money. We package the concern differently- whether it be concern about unemployment, cost of health care, cost of living, or the #1 concern on all Americans minds right now: inflation.
A poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association this summer found that 87% of Americans were anxious, or very anxious about inflation. And things haven’t changed much since, as we are still at 8.2% inflation as yesterday’s report from the US Burea of Labor Statistics. It is like we all got an almost 10% pay cut over the last year. It hurts. Food costs are up almost 15%, Energy costs are up 20%, and Health insurance is up almost 30%. Everywhere we turn, whether putting food on the plate, going anywhere, or trying to cover those doctor bills, we are faced with prices that are outrageous compared to last year.
Not that any of this is news to you- we all feel it. The question is: what do we do in these economically painful and uncertain times? According to the APA poll, the response of the vast majority of us is to worry. What’s ironic is that we pretty much all know that worrying is useless. As Christians, we also know that it is something we shouldn’t do. But do we know why? Do we even know what worrying is? Or what we should do as a faithful alternative to worrying?
We have good news in that the answers to all these questions are found in Matthew 6:25-34. Worrying about money has been going on for thousands of years- and was a pressing concern for those listening to the sermon on the mount. Jesus directly addressed the issue with words that we can take comfort in today. And even more importantly, He gives us a prescription in what to do when we feel the clutches of worry pressuring our hearts.
I invite you to join with us this weekend as we look at how to win the war against worry. Our socially distanced service is Saturday evening at 5, and our Sunday morning service is at 10:15, where you can join us online if you can’t make it in person. We also have excellent Sunday School classes at 9 for all ages.
Have a great weekend and I look forward to pursuing Christ, Community, and the Great Commission Together with you soon!
-Pastor Nathan Rice