Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look 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? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.  Matthew 6:25-34 (NRSV)
***

Nicholas Herman was born in the early 1600’s in France and died at the age of 86. He was born into poverty, had a very humble background, spent many years as a soldier and a servant. He was known as “a great awkward fellow who broke everything.”
At over 50 years of age he entered the Carmelite Order in Paris as a lay brother, was known as Brother Lawrence and served mainly in the kitchen, a job he really didn’t enjoy, but did with his whole heart, reflecting the servant heart of Christ.

After his death his Conversations and Letters were printed together in a little book entitled The Practice of the Presence of God, a Christian classic.
Brother Lawrence was known as human being who experienced the constant companionship of God and is best known for his statement:
“The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.”

Brother Lawrence desired to serve God by serving others. He followed the words of Jesus, “Do not worry about your life….seek first the Kingdom of God.”  
We too can know the profound inner transformation of LIVING in the NOW… living in the present moment.

“Christ in us” makes it possible for us to live in the positive energy of the Spirit, to be alive in the present moment and to live each day to its fullest.

It is a gift to be able to live in the present moment, to practice the presence of God:

• whether we are sitting in a traffic jam – like I was earlier in the week on I635!
• preparing a meal,
• visiting a sick friend,
• worshiping in a sanctuary,
• walking through a crowded city or hiking a wilderness trail…

Today is the only day we have to love God and love others!
Today is the only day we have to practice the positive presence of Jesus – to focus on the wonderfully positive words of Philippians 4:8:
“…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Many of us live ‘everywhere' except the present moment. We spend a lot of time dwelling on the past and worrying about the future. Think about the following:

• There is a question in the Zen tradition: “If not now, when?”  A very good question!
• I love the book title, Wherever You Are, Be There by Jim Rohn
• "To finish the moment, to find the journey's end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours is wisdom."- Ralph Waldo Emerson
• "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." - Chinese Proverb

I confess - it is difficult for me to live in the present moment!
I am often caught by fears.(You’re a minister, I know you don’t have these problems – HA!)  Jesus’ words always speak to me – do not worry – do not fear…!
Fear is usually tied to focusing on the future and being out of touch with the present moment. (What action steps can I take?)  Live each day….

                                           
This week I discovered some very powerful and meaningful words written by the Reverend Candace Chellew-Hodge, Associate Pastor of the Garden of Grace United Church of Christ in Columbia, South Carolina:
 “Truly being present does not mean that we forsake our past, forget about planning for the future or mouthing some empty platitudes about how wonderful life is at this moment. Often the present moment is terrible, sad, lonely, or tragic. But, the present moment is all we truly own.
Our past is a memory -- though the cumulative force of our experience makes us what we are today.
Our future is unknown, precarious and not promised to any of us.
Only in the present moment can we find our true power as human beings. Only in the present moment can we be really alive.
Only in the present moment will we find our true connection to God -- the source and ground of our very being.”

Jesus lived in the present moment.
Every moment of his life was dedicated to being present with people in their pain, their suffering and their joy.
As we receive the gift of the present moment, we will find vast resources of God’s grace and mercy flowing from us to others.

Amen.