February 27th - Reflection

Eighth Sunday After Epiphany
Matthew 6:24-34 (NRSV)
The teaching of Christ: trust in God
"No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.


"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? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

"So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.

Reflection
In the wilderness the Israelites worried about food and God provided manna. Manna means very basically, what is it? A closely spelled and often confused with word is mammon. Mammon is riches or wealth. The two do relate however in a sense. Manna was provided, and when used, only a portion came six days a week. One day's amount was supplied at a time, except on the sixth day and a double portion was gathered. You only had enough for the day at hand. In an attempt to stockpile, the manna would spoil. Manna was bread from heaven.

Mammon on the other hand is riches or wealth. We tend to attempt to build our riches and wealth throughout life. This is not meant to be bad. Sometimes in our attempt to do this we begin to think that we can take care of all of our own needs and are self-sufficient. Suddenly our focus draws to the mammon in our lives and we lose focus on the source of life.

God showed the Israelites that their source of life was himself...I AM. God provided what was needed in the wilderness, bread from heaven. God provided "Daily Bread" --- all that we need to live.

Likewise today God provides to each one of us "Bread from Heaven." God sent Jesus into our world and into our lives. When we place all of our focus, our love, our hope in Jesus we receive all that we need. When we receive Jesus, whom God has freely provided, God has provided for all that we need.

So strive first for the kingdom of God, not mammon, and God freely gives the manna, the Bread from Heaven, that we need. Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Lord may I always strive for your Kingdom, in which you freely give Bread from Heaven. --- Amen