Session 2 - The Peace of Jesus
Spring Retreat 2022
Session 2
Speaker: Rev. Abe Cho
Retreat Theme: The Way of Jesus
Matthew 6:25-34
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Discussion Questions
The sermon quoted the New York Times as saying that anxiety, not depression, is now the most common mental health challenge people are facing in our society today. Does that ring true to you? Does that describe your own experience in some ways? In what ways have you struggled with anxiety?
In v. 25-26 Jesus claims that an antidote to anxiety is to know how much you are valued in the sight of God. Do you believe that God values you in that way? If so, what helps you to believe that day to day? If not, what makes it hard for you to trust that God sees you in that way?
In v. 27, when Jesus says you can't add a single hour to your life by worrying, he is pointing out our limitations as creatures. Do you see your creaturely limitations as an unfortunate reality you have to put up with, or as a gift from God to embrace? Why? What would change in your life if you saw your limits as gifts from God?
Ultimately, Jesus says in v.33-34, that the deepest antidote to anxiety is found in giving your life to a purpose that cannot fail. What are some purposes that you expend a lot of energy and "worry" on rather than seeking first the Kingdom of God?
What is one practical takeaway from this passage that you can use on your heart this week when you find yourself feeling anxious or struggling with anxiety? Share it with each other and pray for that takeaway for one another.