Antidote for Anxiety

Dear Friends in Christ -
Following is an excerpt of the outline from my sermon yesterday. May it nourish and encourage you throughout the coming week.
Faithfully,
Janet+

SCRIPTURES FOR THE DAY: Philippians 4:4-9 and Matthew 22:1-14
Joy is the serious business of heaven – C. S. Lewis

How to we put on this wedding robe of JOY that God is asking us to put on? The apostle Paul gives us specific instruction, in the reading we have today from his letter to the church in Phillipi.

Four steps to finding and keeping joy in our lives. Not a Pollyanna perspective, but grounding in the reality of God’s kingdom.

REJOICE
In anything and everything? Yes. In anything and everything. No matter what our troubles are, Paul speaks to us here. This is a man who knew what it was to suffer - he was beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, you name it. And it is this man who bears witness to us that we can be unafraid and gentle because the God of the universe is near to us, is on our side.

PRAY
Tempted to worry? Talk to God. Tell him what you’re scared of. Tell him what you need. As you do this, God’s peace becomes yours – in ways you don’t expect, couldn’t anticipate, might not even understand.

THINK ON THESE THINGS
Choose to focus on the good, the beautiful, things that are pleasing. This isn’t a “nice” idea, anesthesia for what’s going on all around us, it’s connection with the deepest realities.
And, as it turns out, this is also sound financial advice. Suze Orman, the financial guru who shows up on Oprah and on the morning talk shows was giving advice this past week on dealing with the financial crisis on the stock market. Her advice was this: turn off the TV. Stop looking at the little line going down down down. Watching that stuff only gives you agita. Go for a walk, she said, take some deep breaths. Enjoy the beauty around you. Sounds a lot like the wisdom we’re hearing straight from Scripture, doesn’t it?

REJOICE. PRAY. THINK ON THESE THINGS.

And finally KEEP ON DOING.
Don’t let worry or depression become an excuse to stay in bed and pull the covers up over your head. Do what God has put in front of you, what God is calling you to do each day. Do it even if it’s difficult. Remember the Dolly Parton song . . . “I stumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen, pour myself a cup of ambition . . .” One step leads to another, leads to another. Just take the next step.

As you REJOICE, PRAY, THINK on these things, and KEEP ON DOING, the God of peace will be with you. That's God's promise.

Even in the midst of difficult, tumultuous times, as we do these things, we will know God's peace. Amen.