The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Anderson sermon
St. Matthew 6:24-34 “Your Value is Great in the Sight of God”
September 13, 2026 | Christ Lutheran Church
In Nomine Iesu
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Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank You for all Your benefits. that You have given us life and graciously sustained us to this day: We beseech You, do not take Your blessing from us; preserve us from covetousness, that we may serve You only, love and abide in You, and not defile ourselves by idolatrous love of wealth, but hope and trust only in Your grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, by Veit Dietrich, p. 162)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Rom. 1:7, etc.)
The sermon text for today is taken from the 6th chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew. We read selected verses in Jesus’ name:
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 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?
“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
These are Your words, heavenly Father. Sanctify us by Your truth, Your Word is truth. Amen. (Joh. 17:17)
In Christ Jesus, who has created you to be His most prized possession, paying for you with His own blood, dear fellow redeemed:
Are we ready for what is coming in the future? Since we don’t know what the future brings, we do our best to try and be prepared for it. Now there are some life events we are able to prepare for. Maybe we have heard ahead of time that our job was coming to an end. Maybe a diagnosis has come our way so there is a way we are able to prepare ourselves for the treatment we will need to take care of the problem. While there are a few future events we can expect, there are many we know that we will never be prepared for. Since we can’t be prepared, there are only two options, we are either going to put our trust somewhere or we are going to worry about what is going to happen. We continue to see people worried about what is going to happen. From politics and AI, even in worry we are reminded by our Lord who we can serve. For, “no one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” We don’t have to be full of pride or covetousness for this to happen. Even in worry we can fall back into what we know instead of who we are to trust in. We have no reason to put our trust into the second master, for in this world of worry, we are worth more than even money. Your value is the price of the Master’s blood that keeps you safe in His kingdom forever.
This is what many are asking for. They want people to see that they have value and yet, they do not understand how much value they have. And we can only have value if the One who gives us a value actually cares about our well-being. One way for anyone to see God caring for their well-being is to simply look at the world around them. Look at creation and all it has to offer. It is beautiful and even in the most extreme places on earth, there is evidence of life. And, if there is evidence of life, then there is evidence of the Lord, the giver of life. The Lord reveals this view, and yet for those who don’t believe in Him, instead of life, you can only see death. Looking at the gods of the gentiles, and they believe in powerful gods, except many of their gods were angry and the death that they saw was because the gods were mad at the populous or didn’t care about the populous. Since this is their worldview, this is the only thought one can have about the world. “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things” Worry can only seek the basics of life.
To handle worry when it comes into the lives of those who follow the will of God, there is a solution. The people heard the way in which they get rid of their worry, not once, but twice. First, they immediately heard from John the Baptist when he exclaimed, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). Then after His baptism to mark the beginning of His public ministry, from that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Two times they heard this message in rapid succession because it is this message that acknowledges the Giver of life. For the safety that is desired in this life, Jesus teaches it is only found in His kingdom and because of the previous worrying which does not give the Creator of life trust that He will give life, then the people are revealed to be unworthy of it. Even in this unworthy state, the Lord reveals His great love for His creation in His kingdom. “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?”
The answer to this question is found in the very book of Scripture that is about the beginning and creation. Man was supposed to be the master of the field, and after sin, it is now the reverse. Nature is the master of man as man has to toil for his very survival. We are beneath nature as it continues to try and kill us. While we try to master the very thing we were supposed to take care of, it is material that is created with human hands that we can find ourselves confiding in. Some even believe that these handmade materials will get us out of our mess. Can we divorce ourselves from the man-made material? It’s not the made material that is inherently the problem. The material is only the master because we are putting our trust in it. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” With trust also comes action, for the ground isn’t going to work itself. The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing (Proverbs 20:4).
With work being hard work at that, our struggles and overall motivation can at times sap our energy. When we have no energy and begin to doubt our abilities, that’s where worry seeps in. Our worry, whether it is because of our work or because of the unknown in the world and what is to come in the future, comes from weak or little faith which is essentially a lack of trust in God. Worrying does not change things. Until the end comes, which we should not be worried about even that, we continue to live in a sinful world filled with daily problems. We have no reason to add unfounded and senseless worry to the list of issues, and Jesus tells us why. “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 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?” And as it can sting to hear this, it can be hard when we see faith found can be found in an unlikely place. Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly (Matthew 15:28). Here was great faith found outside of Jesus’ people.
Yet, this woman reveals the true value of God’s people. It’s not found in their possessions. It’s not found in the small will of man to try and have hope in his own actions. The value of man is to be a witness of the life God has given to his creation. Life He continues to sustain and if He truly sustains it, for if even His creation can find life in the most difficult of places, then He most certainly will sustain what He finds the worthiest. And what He finds worthiest is a people whose trust is in God’s plan of salvation which is a plan to sustain you forever. If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe (1 Timothy 4:6-10).
And where there is hope and belief, then there is also joy in a world that only wants you to worry. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). This is how your survival is brought to you. It isn’t worked for. And you can treasure it because of its great value as you don’t “live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God'” (Matthew 4:4). As the power of the Word of God sent Jesus’ enemies running, it continues to do so as you confess, God’s will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil counsel and will, which would not let us hallow His name nor let His kingdom come, such as the will of the devil, the world and our own flesh; but strengthens and keeps us steadfast in His Word and in faith until our end. This is His good and gracious will (Third Petition of the Lord’s Prayer). This is His will. Strengthening and keeping you in His Word and in faith until your end.
And this will be a glorious end. Not an end that is fit for those who are worried about the future. This end witnesses how God cares for His creation, and as He is the God of judgment and looks about to strike you down because of your lack of trust, He strikes the One who trusted Him the most. He strikes the One who didn’t worry about the plan of salvation. The God of the living sees the Son willingly give up His life on the cross taking on the world’s lack of trust in the God of life. He gives you a value as one worth saving. The value of loving you as His dear child as St. Paul writes, “I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:18). This is your beautiful relationship with your loving God to confess that He is your Father. For we are His true children and we can go to Him with all boldness and confidence as children ask their dear father (Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer). Boldness and confidence only found in the Author of life who has given you life through the cross, your eternal protection and salvation from this life. You can continue to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” For in His kingdom, you see a care that reveals your value.
Your value is great in the sight of God because He could have decided to let you have your worry dictate how you would live. Instead, He reveals His love. Love you can see in His very creation as it continues to eat, drink, be watered and grow. Love heard in His Word that has made you His forever. Forever loved, as He has loved you as a father loves his children. Forever loved, as He has loved you through the sending of His One and only Son to the cross to pay for your sins. He wasn’t worried about the plan and still isn’t worried. And if He isn’t worried about your salvation because He has given you your salvation, then why should you worry? “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Jesus is saying “take one day at a time.” You seek God’s plan and His salvation for you. You find it in His cross through the Means of Grace. And finding it here beautifully planted, you commit your daily lives into the caring hands of your heavenly Father. A Father who values you has His most prized possession. A value that has covered over you with His precious blood. A value that He says is worth keeping you forever. Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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