The Joy of Worry

How many of you are “worriers”?  

In his book The Joy of Worry, satirist Ellis Weiner tells a story very recognizable to many of us.  “A young woman of high school age was out late one evening.  Her father fell into an untroubled slumber, but her mother sat up fretting and brooding and imagining all kinds of disasters that might have befallen their daughter.  Finally, the mother could stand it no longer.  She looked down, woke up her husband and said, “Hey!  Wake up!  It’s your turn!”  At which point the husband took over worrying, and the wife went to sleep.” 

Yes, all of us have our worries…fears and anxieties.  At times it gets the better of us, and there is always something to worry about.  As Gilda Radner's character Rosana Rosanadana used to say, "If it's not one thing, it's another!"

And so when stressed, depressed, or overly worried or fearful, the psalms can provide much comfort when needed.   There are psalms of complaint & lament, psalms that express joy, psalms of prayer and petition, there are royal psalms, wisdom psalms, and psalms for just about every mood and emotion! 

It seemed this last week was full of weird ju ju.  So when I reviewed the scriptures for today's sermon, it was today's psalm, Psalm 27 that stood out. 

Instead of being a prayer of petition, a complaint, lament or a request, Psalm 27 begins with a bold statement: 

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid? “ 

God is characterized in three strong metaphors; light, salvation and strength. This attitude, or the focus is the cure for fear and worry!  It is all about our state of mind. 

And interestingly, this is very much what Jesus is teaching in today’s gospel.  After calling his first few disciples, Jesus travels around the region of the Galilee proclaiming, “Repent, the kingdom of God has come near!”. 

And what usually comes to mind when we hear the word "repent"?    We tend to think of repent as meaning, to have sincere regret, or to be remorseful for something, but there is a much deeper meaning to this word. 

“Repent” in Greek is “metanoia”, and actually means to ‘change ones’ mind or heart’.  And the “kingdom of God” that Jesus proclaims is also referred to in the gospels as the kingdom of heaven.  The kingdom of God / heaven is not so much a place, or a goal to be attained, it is rather a state of mind.  

Overly worried?  Fearful?  Stressed?  Anxious?  Fatigued?  Depressed?  Oh if it were just as easy as “poof!” changing one’s state of mind! 

But the readings for today do give us a hint on how to do this.  It is what we focus on.   

The Psalmist focuses on God, not his or her fears.  Yes, the Psalmist does acknowledge their fears and worries, but focuses instead on the strength of God, the light of God, and the salvation of God. 

As well, the Psalmist states that she / he hears God’s call to seek God’s face. 

What does this mean?  It means, to see, to feel, to hear God’s presence all around us. The Psalmist is seeking God's presence. 

And coincidentally, here we are in the season of Epiphany, which means “manifestation” in Greek.  This is the season to try and see, hear and feel God’s presence...      

Last June, I remember in Vacation Bible School, the children learned about recognizing "God sightings" throughout their week.  Yes, God sightings.  

In what ways have you seen, or heard, or felt God this past week? 

Focus on that.

When I went thru illness a couple of years ago, it was to the Psalms I turned to, they gave me much comfort, strength, and hope.   

And when I was in the hospital, a visitor came to me, an Anglican lay person whose ministry it was to visit people in the hospital.  She left me with a little prayer card, that I have kept to this day…  It said,  “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”

Oh so very true...

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid? “

Amen.

[Sermon given at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Casa Grande, AZ. 

 Psalm 27:1, 5-13 , Matthew 4:12-23  ]