27 February

Oddly, the first thing to pop into my head when I finished reading the gospel passage for this Sunday was a Bobby McFerrin song.  You probably know it; this is how it starts:

Here’s a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don’t worry, be happy
In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don’t worry, be happy…[1]

I fully admit I am a worrier.  I’m the one who can get locked into the “what if” cycles, but Jesus’ message to us is very wise.  Worrying only gets in our way and causes trouble.  If we are to serve God, all we do must be focused on bringing the Kingdom of God to the world right now – in the here and now.  Obsessively worrying about things we cannot control in the future only detracts from what we can do today.

So I invite us to consider what, beyond the necessities, we worry about.  How does that worry get in the way of our lives of Christian witness?  How can we teach each other to stay in the present, and focus on the difference we can make in the world right now?  Maybe we can remind each other by humming the song I’m betting is stuck in your head now! : )

[1] Bobby McFerrin from the album Simple Pleasures, 1988.

Peace,
The Rev. M.E. Eccles, LPC