Who is your God? That’s an interesting question to ask since we literally just answered it in the words of Nicene Creed. But this isn’t as silly of a question as you may think. Who is your God?  The First Commandment teaches us that we should fear, love and trust in God above all things.  So what do you fear the most? What do you love the most? What do you trust the most?  These are pretty important questions, the answers of which tell a lot about a person. If you want to see what is most important to someone, if you want to see which god a person truly worships, it is most telling to look at where that person spends most of His wealth, not just money, but resources, time, attention-in other words his fear, love, and trust.

And Jesus said, “For where you treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Our hearts are gullible and fickle.  The heart follows what we value and where we place our treasures. Where’s your heart today? Where are your thoughts this morning? I’m sure we would all like to say that we are completely focused on God and what is going on during the Service this morning, but you aren’t fooling anyone. You’re distracted. You’re distracted by your life. Some of you are already planning lunch and when you can get out of here. Some of you are thinking about what you’re going to be doing this afternoon.  Some of you are carrying so much baggage, have such a burden, that your thoughts are consumed by it all.  So is your treasure, your heart, your god, laid up in the things of this world, or hidden with Christ and consumed by His kingdom?

Here’s a hint: by virtue of your baptism, God has brought you into His kingdom.  You are His child, heir to His riches.  All that the Lord has He seeks to give to you by means of His Word and Sacraments. We pray in the fourth petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. It is the Father’s good pleasure to give you His eternal kingdom and all the riches therein. God’s faithfulness exceeds all our needs. He provides as He sees fit, teaching us to rely on Him for every good and gracious gift.

In order to address worry we need to assess what we fear, love, and trust.  When we trust in things that grow old and rot there is a lot to worry about. We end up being anxious about what we will eat and what we will wear. For many people this misplaced trust causes worry, anxiety, sleepless nights, panic, and even physical discomfort. This is why Jesus said, “O you of little faith” (Lk 12:28). When we fail to trust in God, we end up trusting in things that should cause us to worry. Worry shows us which god we pray to. It shows us where our heart is, where our treasure is. That is the point Jesus is making with the rich man from the parable last week. The rich man built up new barns to store all his crops only to have his soul required of him that night. He should have been very worried because he trusted in himself, but the ravens trust in their creator and do not worry.

But when we trust in God for our daily bread there is no need to worry. “Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds” (Lk 12:24). When we place our trust in God there is no need to worry because God does not grow old and does not rot. Because God provides all this needed, not only for our soul and eternity, but for this body and life.

And yet doubt creeps in so easily to our fickle hearts.  We think to ourselves that if God really cares, if God really supplies our needs, then why are we having a hard time. Why is so there so much to worry about?  Worry about the presidential race. Worry about the direction some of our public schools are going. Worry about our children and grandchildren having a good life, supporting their families. Worry about having enough money to put groceries on the table this week. There is so much to worry about in this sin-stricken world.

When doubt arises, when you wonder whether or not God really does provide, when you question if God really cares, look the cross.  There, Jesus hung so that we have the best treasure of all –  forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. No matter how many barns the rich man had, no matter how much he trusted in himself to maintain the level of his wealth, it does not compare to the treasure we have in the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You are more valuable than the birds of the air and the flowers of the fields to Jesus. Fear not! Do not worry! Be not anxious! God has sacrificed His Son to give you the treasure of salvation that does not grow old and does not rot.

Jesus says, “seek His kingdom and these things will be added to you.” So what are you worried about? For the worst that the world can throw at you is suffering and death. And Jesus already took care of those things upon the cross and the resurrection. Leave your baggage here. Throw your worries on Jesus. Trust in the Father who would give more than the world to His children, but gives them an eternal kingdom.  Believe His words, they are for you. He who was rich became poor for your sake, that you might enjoy His eternal treasure in the heavens.  There is your treasure, and there your heart will be, for there is your God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.