“It’s a
problem-free phil-o-so-phy …”! Disney
fans know this! “Hakuna Matata” from The
Lion King. It’s a wonderful song,
and it may even help me remember the spiritual discipline to which I have
committed. ‘Hakuna Matata’ can work as a
mnemonic as long as I also remember that I am not actually committing to a
“worry-free philosophy.” Such a way of
seeing isn’t really possible, I don’t believe.
When I talk about seeing without being
anxious and living worry-free, I am talking about a spiritual discipline rooted
in the way of Jesus. “Do not worry about
your life. Do not worry about tomorrow”
(Matthew 6:25a, 34a). Rather, “strive
first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (v.33). In His commentary on Matthew, theologian
Stanley Hauerwas insists that these instructions from Jesus only make sense
when they remain connected to who Jesus is.
In other words, I commit to these
words of Jesus and to refuting worry not as an act of my will, but instead as
an expression of my dependence on him.
All spiritual disciplines lead to the disciple reiterating her or his
dependence on Jesus. Why can I actually
be free of worry? Because of who Jesus
is and because I remain in close connection with him.
Thus, refuting worry as a
spiritual discipline will always include prayer; it will always include study;
it always includes worship; it will always include evangelistic conversations. Why? I
remain in close connection to Jesus through prayer, study, worship, and
evangelistic endeavors. Refuting worry is
not a philosophy. It is a declaration
that Jesus Christ is Lord in the New Age.
And furthermore, with his coming in human flesh, with his death and
resurrection, the new age has started.
We live in the days when the old
age, the age of sin and death, and the new age, the age of the eternal kingdom
of God overlap. Following Jesus, we lean
in to the new age.
Wednesday, February 26, Lent
begins. That night we will have an Ash Wednesday
worship service to begin our church’s journey to the cross. I pray that my personal life will be define
by this theme: “Fear not! Jesus is Lord.” During Lent, I encourage all Jesus-followers
to prayerfully examine their lives and to commit to spiritual disciplines will
draw each one’s life into alignment with the way of Jesus.
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