My Heart Shall Not Fear
Psalm 27
Matthew 4:12-23
I am generally afraid of just a handful of things. Things like dark alleys, and skin cancer, plane crashes and sharks. But lately I have noticed that I am supposed to have a long list of things to fear. Recently I learned that I am supposed to fear the cups in hotel rooms, it seems that they aren’t always cleaned properly after being used by guests. I am supposed to fear falling out of bed-apparently this kills 600 Americans each year. I am supposed to fear a stroke, even at my age because the signs are often ignored. I am supposed to fear being trapped under water in my car. For Christmas, I received a car hammer made especially for the purpose of knocking out a window on such an occasion. And I am supposed to fear being hurt by my driver’s side air bag. In addition to these more personal fears, in the past years, as a country, we are made to fear collective tragedies like terrorist attacks on our own soil, biochemical invasions, group security breeches and on and on. As Americans, we are made to be fearful when traveling abroad. And when it comes to particular governments our fear is to be significant, fear of nations like Pakistan, Iran and North Korea. We are made to fear because all of this threatens how we live. And regardless of our political stripes, whether we perceive these fears as a real threat to our daily living and genuine or part of a larger campaign of politically induced fear, the fact is that the result is the same. We live in a time rooted in fear. Fear it seems is here to stay.
Fear, according to Webster, is "an unpleasant and often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.” And as far as the brain is concerned, fear induces a kind of chain reaction that begins with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that cause a variety of symptoms like a racing heart, fast breathing and energized muscles. In a moment of extreme crisis, these symptoms of fear are also known as “fight or flight.” Most of us have experienced this at one time or another. It happens so quickly. And in life or death situations, fear is one of many resources available to us as a means of survival. It is an emotion that drives us to life, keeping us vigilant and safe- inviting us to protect the ones we love.
But there is another kind of fear- a kind far more insidious and invisible. It has a similar reaction to intense immediate fear, but it moves silently, like a stealth robber in the night. It is hard to be bold when we are guided by fear. Have you noticed that? I experienced this when I was searching for a call last year. I told myself that I trusted in God- that I trusted God to lead me to the church where God wanted me to be and yet, I was afraid. And fear told me that the process would take too long, that I should take the first church that called me. Fear told me that I could be without a job and health insurance. Fear told me that if I didn’t proceed with caution, it would all fall apart. Fear tempted me, beckoning me to follow, to give in. And I almost fell for it; I almost denied God the chance to be faithful. God needed some time with me. God needed some time to lead me to you. It is hard to be bold- to be wildly faithful when we are guided by fear. Fear creeps in and starts to take over. Fear begins to prevent us from walking with our heads up. Fear shapes our decisions, often without us knowing. It makes plans for us and limits our future. And this is the kind of fear in which we currently live. It is an emotional fear so deep that it permeates our conversations and political ethos. It is a force so powerful that it often leads us without our knowledge or permission. It tells us how we should live and interact with others. It tells us what not to say or what to say and how to say it. We live in a time of fear, a fear so powerful that I can’t help but to wonder if it is starting to get to us. I wonder if it is beginning to have power over how we follow God right here as a church. I wonder if fear is starting to crawl in our ears to whisper that we shouldn’t dare believe that with God all will be well. We say “Here we are Lord!” and fear says, “Who you are to be so bold?” “Who are you to live so openly, when there is so much to fear?” And I wonder if fear is sneaking into the sanctuary and under the table in meetings. I wonder if fear is trying to take hold here. I wonder if fear is starting to get to us.
Of course fear wasn’t born just a few years ago. Fear has tried to reign for centuries. In Jesus’ time fear ruled too. Jesus encountered fear on many occasions. He lived under an oppressive government, in a time of intense fear- especially for those without power. The story of Jesus’ birth tells us of his family’s fears of the government and their fear for the life of their newborn son. Throughout Jesus’ ministry we learn of him following God even while looking fear right in the face as if to conquer it with just a glance. So while Jesus also lived in a time rooted in fear, he doesn’t seem to have made decisions rooted in fear. Jesus refused to let fear tie him up. Jesus refused to let fear lead him or guide him. Jesus lived in a time of fear and followed God faithfully anyway.
In the Gospel of Matthew we read of the arrest of Jesus’ cousin John. When Jesus hears this he goes home to Galilee- probably to have some time to himself, time with family and with God. And we hear Jesus proclaiming, “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” And “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Even when the government was closing in and his world was beginning to crumble, Jesus continues his proclamation and preaching, he continues to follow God boldly into the future. He continues recruiting disciples and followers telling them to let go of what they had known and follow him. “Follow me,” he says, “And I will make you fishers of men.” Can you imagine such a question? There is not even a tiny space for fear. It is a request so big, so bold, and so wild that there is no space for fear. It is something that can only be done with God- becoming fishers of men, changing hearts, and believing deeply. There is only space for faith.
And Jesus knew that. He knew that the only way to slay fear, the only way to follow God was to refuse to make any room for fear. Jesus was a faithful Jew, he knew the Psalms as intimately as his own breathing. And he probably knew Psalm 27, our scripture for today. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh— my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear…” My heart shall not fear. Jesus lived in a time of fear, but he did not live in fear. He knew to the depths of his soul that nourishing faith leaves no room for fear. As a wise person tells us, “Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death.”
And I wonder what it might look like if we left no room for fear. What would it look like if we told fear that he was not welcome in worship? What would it look like if we told fear that he was not welcome in committee meetings or small groups or in prayer? What would it look like if we told fear that he was no longer welcome to be a part of our visioning and dreaming that fear was no longer welcome in our budget process or planning? What would it look like to feed our faith so much that fear cannot even get through our doors? Harry Emerson Fosdick, a prominent Baptist minister of the early 20th Century, wrote, “Fear imprisons, faith liberates; fear paralyzes, faith empowers; fear disheartens, faith encourages; fear sickens, faith heals; fear makes useless, faith makes serviceable.” Faith of the kind to which God calls us leaves no room for fear. As we follow God beautifully together, I wonder all that is possible, when we proclaim together, “Here We Are Lord!” My heart shall not fear! Amen.
“How Americans Are Living Dangerously” Time Magazine online Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006 By JEFFREY KLUGER
“How Fear Works” by Julia Layton http://people.howstuffworks.com/fear.htm