In the first sermon of our series “He Gets Us” titled “Jesus Gets Our Anxiety,” we dive into the powerful message found in Matthew 6:25-34, where Jesus encourages us not to worry about the essentials of life. He reminds us that God, who cares for the birds and the flowers, will surely provide for our needs. Jesus calls us to trust in Him, to seek first His kingdom, and not let anxiety take control of our hearts and minds.
Anxiety, a natural human response to life’s challenges, can either draw us closer to God or push us away. We’ll explore how anxiety can arise from fear of the future, guilt over past actions, or feeling distant from God's love. We also consider how anxiety can either isolate us or bring us into the support of community, just as Jesus experienced in His own moments of distress.
In the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37-39; Luke 22:44), Jesus experienced deep sorrow and anguish, yet He chose to reach out to His disciples for support, showing us the importance of community in overcoming anxiety. Ultimately, anxiety can either end in surrender to God's will, as seen in Jesus' cry on the cross (Matthew 27:46), or it can lead to struggle and isolation. This sermon challenges us to choose how we respond to our anxieties—will we trust in God’s provision and community, or will we continue in worry?
