In Sunday's Gospel (Matthew 6:24-34), we heard, "Do not worry about your life, . . . but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides."
In his newly-released book, No Irrelevant Jesus, German theologian Gerhard Lohfink invites us to go beyond the surface of this difficult teaching of Jesus and to remember what this meant for his disciples at the time -- that is, the creation of a community of mutuality: "Can [a preacher] really tell the audience that they should not worry? Obviously, they have to worry and take care. . . . Anyone who has any kind of responsibility has to be careful to keep control of the bank balance, fill the refrigerator, order heating oil before the prices go up, plan ahead and follow up, budget rationally -- and all that takes wisdom, prudence and careful planning. . . . Some preachers find a way out of this situation by saying that . . . a Christian must indeed be prudent and look to the future but should do it with confidence. That may be true, but it does not get at the heart of the saying of Jesus. Its addressees were not simply the crowds of people around Jesus; they were the disciples who traveled with him throughout Israel. . . .
"Jesus and his disciples needed people who would prepare a meal for them in the evening and offer them shelter for the night. In turn, the localized followers needed vital contact with Jesus and his disciples so that the new thing, the silent revolution of the reign of God could enter into their families. So there was a profound relationship between the two groups, a mutuality and community.
"I am convinced that precisely here we are challenged by the Gospel of non-anxiety: do we want community in this sense -- as a being-together of many who support one another, a communion of many brothers and sisters who are present for one another so that engagement on behalf of the Gospel will be possible? This would be a change from solitary parishes staffed by single persons and self-sacrificing individuals to communities in which there are mutual aid, mutual claims and commitments, mutual advice, mutual consolation, mutual correction, continually renewed and common repentance -- and precisely, therefore, no anxiety.
" . . . [The reign of God] calls for a people, a renewed people of God, a new society -- and this eschatological renewal of the people of God has as its indispensable precondition disciples, or more precisely, a community of disciples" (pp. 8-10).
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