Matthew 6:24-34
Trinity 15
â In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit â
   In todayâs Gospel Jesus says that you are worth more than the birds of the air. He says, âAre you not of more value than they?â And the implied answer is âYes, you are!â But why is that exactly? Why are you of more value than the sparrow or the raven or the eagle? The fact is that some today would say that youâre not. A growing number in our climate change culture would say that human beings have no more value than any other animal, or even plants and trees. Itâs more important to protect unhatched eagle eggs than it is to protect unborn children. An animal has just as much of a right to make its home in a particular habitat as we do to make our home there. Now of course, itâs true that we do have the responsibility to be good caretakers and stewards of Godâs creation. But the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) message that is communicated is that youâre actually not more valuable than the birds, especially since there are so many of you humans. Youâre no more valuable than a dog or a dolphin or an ancient tree. Youâre just an incredibly minor blip on the evolutionary timeline.
   Where is that we are to find our value and our worth? With all our concern about teaching self-esteem, kids realize as they grow up that being told that theyâre wonderful and awesome and special all the time doesnât really mean much unless itâs based on something real. What is it that makes you worth something? We often try to find the answer by looking to our own qualitiesâour intelligence or our good looks or our creativity and talents. Or we define our worth by our value to othersâIâm needed at my job, or I have an important role in my family, or my friends and neighbors depend on me. And thatâs all fine and good. But what happens if you begin to lose your mental acuity or your money or your looks? What happens if youâre no longer needed at your job, and your family and friends donât depend on you as much as they once did? Have you suddenly lost your worth? Certainly not!
   The one who defines your true worth is not you or others, but God Himself. Your value comes from the Holy Trinity and is grounded in Him. The fact that He loves you makes you lovely. The fact that He treasures you makes you a treasure. Jesus says to each of you here, from the unborn to the aged, âYou are of more value and worth than you can fully know.â
   You who are gathered here are children of the heavenly Father, as we just sang. And donât discount that phrase or make it into some generic platitude. You get to address the God of all creation, the Almighty Maker of the universe, as Father, Dad. You are His children. You have the key to the house. You have the code to the garage door. You have a spot at the table. Â
   Here are three reasons why you get to call yourselves children of God. First, He created you. He knit you together in your motherâs womb. And when He hand-made you like that, He did so in His own image. Thatâs one of the key things that distinguishes you from the animals. No animal was created in Godâs image; but you were. Youâre not just a highly developed animal; youâre a reflection of God Himself. Â
   Now it is true that this image has been broken in you because of your sin; and thatâs no small thing. Like a shattered mirror, the image we reflect is disjointed and distorted and all out of place. Weâre all bent and turned in ourselves, like something from a fun house mirror in a horror movie. But that brings us, then, to the second reason why we are children of the heavenly Father: Jesus has restored the image of God to our humanity. This, too, is what distinguishes us from every other creature. The Son of God did not become any of the animals, or even an angel. The only Son of the Father, through whom all things were created, entered into His creation and took our humanity into Himself, becoming a true flesh and blood man. And in that way humanity was restored. Colossians 1 says that Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Jesus wasnât just born in the image of God; He is the image of God. And so that image has been imprinted again on our humanity in Him. Â
   If that doesnât give you a sense of value and worth, I donât know what will. The Son of God has made Himself to be your flesh and blood, your blood brother. He died in the flesh for you as your substitute to break sinâs curse; He shed His blood on the cross to cleanse you and reconcile you to the Father. He rose again with His truly human body to restore your humanity to the fullness of life with God forever. No other creature in the universe can say that! Only human beings, only you can say that God shares in your nature in the person of Jesus. Â
   And it gets even better. Hereâs the third thing, the clincher: this crucified and risen Jesus, who is the image of Godâyou have been baptized into Him. You are literally in the image of God, in Jesus, Godâs Son, and so you truly are children of God through Him. Thereâs only one child of God, one Son of God. But through your baptismal union with Him, you are all brothers and sisters of Christ, and therefore you are children of the heavenly Father. Here is something that gives you the greatest value: God Himself chose you personally and adopted you at the font. He put His name on you by water and the Word. Think of it in terms of an auction. If no oneâs bidding, the item is worth little or nothing. But when the billionaire steps in and shows interest, the itemâs value skyrockets. God has stepped in and shown more than just an interest in you. He has bought you and claimed you as His own and brought you into the household through Christ. The family name is yours. You are royalty in the house of the King of kings.
   So, the question Jesus asks in todayâs Gospel, then, is pointed: âWhy do you worry. . .?â The only way that you can worry is if you forget who you are in Christ and whom you belong to and start living as if mammon is your lord rather than God, as if the things of creation determine your identity and your worth rather than your Creator and Redeemer. Your heavenly Father knows what you need. Romans 8 says, âIf God did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?â Â
   To live in the way of worry is to live like the pagans, who believe it all depends on their planning and efforts and manipulation and control of the powers that be. Their focus is on this world, so full of change and decay, rather than on Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday and today and forever and trusting in Him. Jesus Himself exhorts us, âDo not worry about tomorrow. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.â
   We seek first the things of God, because He sought us first. He seeks first your salvation. Through Christâs death and resurrection, the old perishable order of things has passed away and all things have become new. You who are in Christ are righteous in Godâs sight, a new creation.
   In this new creation our Lord clothes and feeds you marvelously and abundantly. Jesus says, âDo not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink.â Donât be anxious about such things, because Christ faithfully gives you to eat of His body and drink of His blood for the forgiveness of your sins. Your life is forever safeguarded by His own life which He puts into you under the bread and wine. How can you worry about daily bread when you are given to partake of the Living Bread which came down from heaven? Any anxiety you may have about your life must fade into the background as you hear Christ's words, âWhoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.â
   Likewise , our Lord also says, â(Do not worry) about your body, what you will put on.â You need not be anxious about clothing, either, for it is written, âAs many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.â You were robed in Christâs righteousness at the font, the garments of the Savior that will never wear out or fade in glory as worldly fashions do. How can you fret about clothes when youâve been given such divine, royal apparel?
   In fact, we eagerly await the day when we can be rid of our mortal clothingâthis perishable flesh and bloodâand put on our new and everlasting clothing in the resurrection of the body. It is written in 1 Corinthians 15, âThe perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. . . Then the saying that is written will come true: âDeath has been swallowed up in victory.â . . . Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.â
   This is your true identity. This is where your value and worth come from, from the work of the Blessed Holy Trinity for you. The Father Himself made you and formed you in your motherâs womb; youâre His handiwork. The Son redeemed you by sharing fully in your humanity, sacrificing His flesh and blood on your behalf. And the Holy Spirit has sanctified you, clothing you with Christ, bringing you to faith and into the family of God. You are of the greatest value and worth to Him. And that means that the life He has given you in this world has real purpose and value as you live in faith toward Him and in fervent love toward one another. Even your ordinary daily vocations are rich with meaning, because God Himself is at work in and through you for the good of your neighbor.
   Therefore, brothers and sisters of Christ, do not worry. Let your fears be turned to faith. Let your anxiety be turned to confidence in the Fatherâs loving care. Cast all your care on Him, for He cares for you. The One who even looks after the sparrow says in Matthew 10, âDo not be afraid, you are of more value than many sparrows.â
â In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit â