This past week, I was in Chicago as part of a preaching workshop. One of the wonderful things I love about a big city is the amount of walking you do. You can simply walk everywhere; walk to the store, to the restaurant, to the train station, and the bar. Packed between the tall buildings, local coffee shops, and one-way streets, the sidewalks are always full of people. Here, you pass people in cars zipping around town, but in the city, you pass them on foot. Now, if you are a friendly person and like small interactions with strangers, as I do, you might think this would be a situation where you could have endless little conversations or at least be greeted with a, “Good Morning,” as you head out to start the day, but this is not the case… not at all. The people you pass may not be in cars, but they might as well be. Most people are wearing headphones and staring at their phones. All those you see walking around seem caught up in their own little world, seemingly oblivious to the larger world around them.

Now, you may not know this about me, but I have grown to love the art of photography, and while I enjoy good landscapes and portraits, my favorite form is street photography. Street photography captures moments in time out on the street, not people posing for a photo, but people going about their lives. Some street photography focuses on the interplay of light and shadow and some on clever and intriguing composition that catches the imagination of the viewer. But my favorite style is the one which captures moments of emotion and beauty that most people would walk by without noticing. Such photos invite the viewer into a story that is unfolding in the image, which breaks us out of our routine to see something outside of our own world.

Last year, the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt wrote his bestselling book, The Anxious Generation. It is a data-backed examination of how our phone culture has rewired childhood, leading to the current mental health crisis among young people. We are all too familiar with the anxiety and depression that grip so many people, and certainly not just the young. Something has gone awry in the constant dopamine-fueled world found as we interact through screens with a never-ending supply of distractions. Sleep deprivation, loneliness, and addiction are all on the rise. The Greek word for anxious means to be pulled in two different directions. It can even mean to be suspended in mid-air with no firm footing beneath you.

So, we all lean in a little when we hear our Lord say, “I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.” Do not be anxious. It seems easier said than done, especially in our day. But what He does next is play the role of the street photographer. He calls us to see the things all around us, the things God takes care of, the things we pass by without even noticing. He says, “Notice them, consider them. Consider the ravens, consider the lilies,” for there is a lesson here, a lesson found right in the world all around you.

The ravens do not sow or reap, they do not have storehouses or barns, yet God feeds them. God cares for them. And if He does that, if He feeds the birds, He will take care of you, for you are made in His image. You are His own child. Consider the lilies, consider their beauty. Solomon, in all his glory, was never clothed like one of these. But God clothes them. God makes them beautiful. If He does this for a flower that is here today and withers and dies tomorrow, how much more will He clothe you? You are His people. You are the object of His love. He sends His Son to die for you, to bear your sins, to restore you to the promises of eternal life. Do you think He would do all that and not make sure you were fed and clothed? All around us are examples of God’s care and provision, but we pass them by. We get consumed by what we have and what we long to have. With a stream of bad news flooding into our lives and covetousness in our hearts, we forget to see the great working of God all around us.

Now, we may all think this is a bit overly simplistic. After all, the disciples were not living in an age of social media and twenty-four-hour news cycles, but the Lord’s solution still applies. You see, considering the birds and the flowers only serves as a reminder of His care of Creation. After laying it all out, Jesus then says, instead of this anxious living, “Seek His Kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” Well, what does that mean? What does it look like to seek the Kingdom of God? His Kingdom is found where His gifts are given, where His promises are made. His Kingdom is found in the Word and Sacraments, in your baptism and the reception of the Lord’s Supper. His Kingdom comes in the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Seek these things, and all the other necessities of life will be added to you.

And this is not a mystical or magical occurrence. No, when you seek the Kingdom, what you find is a community of God’s people. The Kingdom which comes to you comes through the care and provision of those sitting around you on Sunday morning. These, here, are your brothers and sisters in Christ. They are your treasure and assurance. They are the means for your confidence to live, give, and rejoice in the blessings of God. In seeking the Kingdom, you are called to see one another, to not pass each other by. All around you are stories of blessings and trials, of joy and sadness, and you are invited to share your story, to let your brother in, and to be there for your sister when she is struggling. The promises of your God are found in our life together. This is the treasure of the Kingdom as we await our Lord’s return. It is our strength and confidence in the midst of a world driven by anxiety and fear.

Jesus captures a picture of the fellowship He has created. He turns you toward one another and says, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” He opens your eyes to this treasure, the treasure of forgiveness, the treasure of grace and mercy, the treasure of the people of God who will add to your life as you add to theirs. In the Church we see the provision of our God, here in our life together, a life built upon the gifts of Christ that promises a hope which stretches beyond this age into life eternal.