The gift of faith an antidote for worry, Wengert advises

PHILADELPHIA (November 2001)--In troubling times that challenge us in our work and cause us anxiety our best source of comfort is that God lets nothing interfere or interrupt a relationship with us.

Planners for the November 3 Men in Mission event with keynoter, right, Tim Wengert. Others from left are the Rev. George Keck, who directs the Theological Education for Laity initiative; Steve Dunning of Boyertown, PA; and Ronald G. Girton of Gilbertsville, PA.

The Rev. Dr. Timothy Wengert had that and many other words of consolation for 60 men meeting November 3 at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. The men, from Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, were part of a "Men in Mission" event with the theme "Work and Worry: Questions for Men." During the day-long event, Wengert discussed work and worry. Men listened to his introductory remarks on each and then broke into small groups, planning questions on each theme for Wengert to address. The wide-ranging questions dealt with questions of applying theology to real life.

Here are highlight points from the event:

Wengert on work:

"We tend to think our relationship with God depends on what we do," he said. "If we do something, then God will respond. We put ourselves on a ladder and live a religion based on comparison with what others do.

"The question is who's in control? This if, then approach tries to turn God into our slave. We don't have to climb a ladder to get to God. God comes all the way down to us. Through our baptism we have a guarantee of God's unconditional love. We don't deserve it, but God won't let anything get in the way of a relationship with us."

Wengert said when we think that the relationship depends on "what we do we turn faith into a work. We think we have to make a decision." But no decision is involved. Faith is like falling in love. We get swept off our feet. God's promise to us creates faith in us."

Wengert told the men they are "all good trees. You are doing immeasurable good things. You are God's work of art. God has prepared work for you to do. God is working through each of us. God is the subject, not the object, of work."

At one point Wengert discussed soldiers as an example of good work. "War is a plague," he said. "War may prevent an even greater plague. All we have to do is drive to New York to see evidence of a plague worth trying to prevent. Our politics may differ on how to go about preventing it. God calls us to do things in life. Soldiers, saved by grace, are doing things to help their neighbor. We are called to love our neighbor right where we are, and we are being faithful when we work to help our neighbor. But such a calling carries with it a cross. At times we may have to lay our life on the line. Who are the heroes of September 11? They were people just doing their job, being faithful and committed to their neighbor. Some of them were firefighters or police. Some crashed a plane into a field. One was a Franciscan Chaplain who died on the job at the World Trade Center." At one point he said "all of God's callings are equal. Changing a diaper or responding to a child's cry is a worthy calling."

Wengert on worry:

It can be a "wrenching feeling" when the cross breaks down a person who instinctively wants to be in control and in charge. "One of the rewards of a faithful marriage," he said, "is that one will be there to grieve over the grave of the other when life becomes broken." Wengert's spouse, Barbara, died earlier this year.

One of the challenges of life is for those who have died to sin in their baptism to figure out how to live in the midst of sin. Dealing with a question about conflict, Wengert said it is easy for someone wrestling over conflict, or in the midst of it, to worry oneself to death and play the circumstances over and over again in one's mind.

"God knows what you are dealing with," he said. "Your Lord, Jesus, knows that this is a problem for you, and so take it to God in prayer." He reminded the audience of Martin Luther's advice in times of worry and trouble to pray the Lord's Prayer, which asks for us to be delivered from evil.

Wengert suggested to his audience that we "easily become classic unbelievers. It's about faith, trusting God. When we worry, we are thinking about other things and not trusting God. We set up idols," Wengert said. "What is it that you trust? Money? Property? Power? Prestige? The matter of fear is in God's corner, not yours. In these troubled days we are seeing how close our fears really are, because since September 11 they are being verbalized all over the place."

Wengert said that our worries show us the sin we are dealing with. "We get to feeling we just have to do something about them," he said. "We are in good company. We are all of us 'mini-believers,' a lowly church of hardly believers. 'Peace, be still!'" he advised the audience. "God is taking care of us….God gives us today our daily bread, even to the wicked." And he said those of us broken, worried or starving throughout the world can still go to God with their pain and misgivings and receive comfort.

Worry can do some good once in a while. "Worry works on us and keeps us in line," he said. "It may restrain us from doing things, but it may also flip into becoming an idol that can destroy our faith and lives. Remember, you don't have to die over the sins of the world. Christ has done that. God will get God's will done. Even greed does things and brings about change. When rich people spend money it moves the economy and with such change people become rightly concerned for their neighbors.

"God is bigger than all of our doubts and worries," Wengert said. "You and I are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Faith and trust in God are enough to overcome any fears and worries because God refuses to let go of us."

For additional study resources mentioned during this workshop, see the Theological Education for Laity section.