Ours is an age of anxiety. As the twentieth century physician, Lewis Tomas, wrote in his book The Medusa and the Snail, 1979:

“We are, perhaps, uniquely among the earth’s creatures, the worrying animal. We worry away our lives.”

Notwithstanding the technological breakthroughs of our age and the benefits they bring, we continue to worry, even though we know that 90% of the things we worry about won’t actually come about. As Mark Twain said:

“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”

Worry, can, as most of us know, become addictive, a habitual way of thinking. The American author Arthur Somers Roche said famously:

“Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.”

What are we to do with our predisposition for anxiety? Hopefully we can do more that Charlie Brown, the comic character invented by Charles Schulz who said:

“I’ve developed a new philosophy… I only dread one day at a time.”

Let’s see if we can do better and learn from what Jesus taught.

Jesus tells us in Luke 12:22-34, not to worry.

We are tempted to say, “It’s all very well for you, Jesus, you’re in heaven and we are down here where there is persecution, injustice, droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes and violence.

Jesus, of course, says, “I know, I was there. I was born a suspected illegitimate child in an occupied land. I had to flee as a refugee when a young child from the murderous designs of Herod. I had no home of my own, was misunderstood by my family, was betrayed by someone close to me, was shown no justice in a kangaroo court, and was put to death in the most humiliating and painful way devised by humankind.”

The first thing Jesus teaches us is how to think. Whilst our consumerist society defines life in terms of clothes and possessions, Jesus says that Christians are to have an altogether more radical, holistic and truthful way of thinking. In the simple words of verse 23, he teaches this profound truth: Life is more than stuff.

In teaching this, Jesus is saying, “Don’t you dare reduce the miracle of life to mindless obsession with getting stuff. Please don’t define yourself by this. It is a travesty of your true meaning. Your purpose is so much more. Yours is a greater dignity than scrambling around to see who can collect the most pleasurable experiences and possessions.”

Some of the deep-seated questions behind our anxieties concern our identity, value and purpose. They are questions such as: “Am I significant?” “Does God care?” “Does God have a plan for me?”

Jesus crashes against these anxieties by making a very significant statement. It is this:

“God is pleased to give you his kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)

This statement by Jesus changes everything. In the face of all the dangers of this world, we can now say there is a significance that lies beyond this world. It is a kingdom… and you were designed to be part of it. In other words, God is up to something big and wants you to be part of what he’s doing.

This truth introduces us to our value, our identity and our purpose. It introduces us to a whole new way of living — one that has an eternal dimension. It is a way of living we are invited to share in.