Why do you come to worship? What do you expect from worship? Worship today means different things to different people. For some it’s inspiration. For some, instruction. An opportunity to pray, to praise, to give thanks. For some it’s a fact; for others it’s a feeling. Some people expect to feel closer to God. Some expect God to speak directly to them in some manner. But what about you? Why do you come here to worship? And what do you expect to find?

Last week, we heard that life is more than the abundance of possessions. Today we hear that life is more than the essentials - food and clothing. Jesus zeros in on our basic, core anxiety - our everyday needs. And He says, “Don’t be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.

It’s all about money this morning. And stuff. And how you can’t take it with you, and how foolish it is to try. And how you’ll never enjoy whatever riches you have if you make a religion out of wealth and an idol out of riches.

When it comes to wealth, the Preacher of Ecclesiastes, is an expert. Most people think he’s Solomon, the Son of David, the richest king in the history of Israel. He had it all. To put it in modern terms - cars, houses, women, personal chefs, a wine cellar, horses, gardens. You name it. He was the middle eastern version of excess. Over the top consumption.

The topic on the table this morning is prayer. Abraham prays for Sodom and Gomorrah. Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, giving them the words for prayer, a parable about prayer, and some encouragement to pray.

Prayer is one of those least common denominator religious activity. Whenever people get religious, prayer is involved. People who are “spiritual without being religious” usually pray, or at least meditate, or thing “God-ward” thoughts.

What do you do when you have important company coming over to your house? What would you do if you knew that Jesus was coming over to your house? Maybe bringing a few of His friends along with Him? Of course, you’d clean, scrub, polish, plan a nice menu, go shopping, maybe bake something for a special dessert. You probably be busy for days before preparing for the big day when Jesus showed up. And when He did, you’d be just as busy as before, stirring pots, making sauces, dressing the salad, warming the bread.