As I was going to bed on Tuesday night, I did not expect my phone to start blaring the Civil Defence alert, nor did I expect that we’d be back in Level 2 with Auckland in Level 3.

We had been told that this could happen – I just didn’t expect it. I didn’t expect it so soon. I didn’t expect to move up a Level so suddenly. I didn’t really expect that my home-made mask would get used.

The reading we’ve just heard tells us not to worry, and there are plenty of reasons why we don’t need to worry. We’ve done this before and we know what to do. Even if we do move further up the levels, we can reflect on what worked last time and make a few adjustments to our routines. We know that we work well together as a nation.

And we don’t have to worry because God knows what we need. Our task is to do the things we are responsible for. To seek to do them well. To seek to do them in a way that honours God. Jesus said it’s not our task to worry. God holds the bigger picture. This situation might have been somewhat unexpected for us, but it’s not unexpected for God.  

Matthew 6:31-34

Don’t worry and ask yourselves, “Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?” Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these. But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.

Don’t worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today.