“And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying…”

-Luke 12:29

“Don’t worry?!” Much of the economy is grinding to a halt, the stock market has gone down, our own financial futures might seem at least a little more uncertain and even more, the economic conditions have slammed even further many of our neighbors who are wondering where the next source of material livelihood might be coming from. And Jesus says…..“Don’t worry??”

In this moment when folks like you and me might be carrying around a bit of the weight of worry, this extended teaching of Jesus in Luke’s 12th chapter about not worrying is a bit puzzling on its face. After all, as those of us who might do some worrying know, it’s not simply a matter of “snapping out of it” or “bucking up” or “looking on the brighter side” that absolves worry within our hearts or in the heart of our communities.

Jesus doesn’t think it’s just a matter of these things, either. As much as it may be anything else, Jesus’ counsel not to worry is an invitation to us to remember the ultimate things: We belong to God and are gifted by God. We are all loved more than we can ever imagine. That love binds us together in the human family, and those bonds find their strength in how we respond generously to it and to one one another. When we remember these ultimate things and when we practice living generously in love toward one another, Jesus might be telling us that the worry takes care of itself because we know we are in God together and we can lift each other up, too.

In what can be a worrisome time, I know God is at work; bringing up lights of generous living in each of our hearts and the hearts of our communities and neighborhoods -- local and global. As you find those lights, may they be beacons for your journey through these days.