Tag Archives: fear

The Meaning of Fear

Living in the Spirit

October 8, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
   He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
   he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
   for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
   I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff—
   they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
   my whole life long.

The noun fear means an unpleasant emotional state characterized by anticipation of pain or great distress and accompanied by heightened autonomic activity especially involving the nervous system, agitated foreboding often of some real or specific peril*

The verb fear means to have a reverential awe of*

Fear, the noun, is often out of our control. A car runs a stoplight in front of us, and we slam on the brakes, barely missing it. We may pull over to the side of the road and shake for a few moments while gathering our wits. Fear, the noun, is a God-created natural phenomenon that heightens our reaction to potential danger.

Fear, the verb, describes being so distressed by something threatening, we give it the reverence reserved for God. The Psalmist used this verb form in the 23rd Psalm. It is also used in admonitions throughout the Bible to “fear not.” God is always with us in any peril we face, and God is mightier than any evil that confronts us.

We often use evil as an adjective describing a bad act. Evil is also a noun meaning the fact of suffering and wickedness, the totality of undesirable, harmful, wicked acts, experiences. It is also described as a cosmic force producing evil actions or states**.

Psalm 23 places God’s loving care as more powerful than evil, both as a cosmic force and all the bad acts it perpetuates. We indeed can take comfort in that.   

Prayer: God who is love and who loves beyond measure, we thank you for your abiding presence with us as we confront evil in our lives. Guide us in our responses that we do not return evil for evil but be conduits of your love to forge a better world. Amen.

*https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/fear
**https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/EVIL

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Fear of Wholeness

Lent

March 29, 2020

Scripture Reading:
John 11:1-45

When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’ –John 11:28-36

What indeed is it that we want? Do we want all that God has to offer and all that money has to offer tied up in a pretty package handed to us on a golden platter? Jesus said, ‘No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Matthew 6:24) It is an interesting conundrum the option to serve God who loves us completely, sustains us in a world designed to meet our needs, and hopes that we fulfill all the possibilities innate in our creation and still we want more. The scripture above ends with the words of those who want more. It reminds me of a scene from Jesus Christ Superstar where the crowds are clawing at Jesus as he walks through their world wanting more and more. He eventually gives his life for all. The real problem is our taking bits and pieces from God and from the world afraid to commit fully to either, hoping to pick and chose only the pieces that fulfill our present desires. Are we afraid of the wholeness God offers?

You can have anything you want
You can drift, you can dream, even walk on water
Anything you want
You can own everything you see
Sell your soul for complete control
Is that really what you need?
You can lose yourself this night
See inside there is nothing to hide
Turn and face the light*

Prayer: Lord, make us whole; make us one. Amen.

Excerpt from Pink Floyd song What do You Want from Me? Written by Dave Gilmour / Polly Samson / Rick Wright see at https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS852US852&sxsrf=ALeKk03WJKzRZXK9wxoqSK18vv606rfD7w%3A1585406974741&ei=_mN_XoXsLIG6sQXT56rgCA&q=what+do+you+want+from+me+lyrics&oq=what+do+you+want+f&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQARgCMgQIIxAnMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAOgQIABBHOgYIABAWEB5QgE1Y7lVgi2xoAHACeACAAVyIAesDkgEBN5gBAKABAaoBB2d3cy13aXo&sclient=psy-ab

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

The Spirit Works

Living in the Spirit
May 25, 2018

Scripture Reading: Romans 8:1-17

But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

 So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. –Romans 8:9-17

What are we afraid of? Are we questioning whether there really is a God, a God of love who longs for the well-being of all? Are we afraid that evil has finally overwhelmed good? Or are we afraid to take the next steps toward making the Kingdom of God a reality in our world today?

The Spirit stirs the water when we become complacent to our call to make disciples of all. It is not a call to see who can baptize the most people in any given year. Making disciples is not the equivalent of selling the most cookies in a fundraiser. Making disciples is living a way of life that wants the best for everyone as established by the life and example of Jesus Christ. We should all cringe in remorse when we hear something like what Gandhi said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Are we afraid to let go of the lesser gods we seem to cling to personal safety, good families, friendly neighbors most who look and act just like us, and value the same things we do? We even extend ourselves to accepting others who are willing to reshape their lives to be like us. Our goal is not for everyone to be like us but for us to be like Christ and for everyone to see the Christ in us.

I have believed for some time now that our governments at all levels are mirror reflections of their citizens. Not a pretty picture wouldn’t you say? What do you think our governments would be like if our lives reflected Christ’s ways?

You call from tomorrow, you break ancient schemes,
From the bondage of sorrow the captives dream dreams;
Our women see visions, our men clear their eyes,
With bold new decisions your people arise*.

Prayer:
Spirit, Spirit of gentleness
Blow through the wilderness, calling and free.
Spirit, Spirit of restlessness,

*. Amen.

*Fourth verse with the chorus as the Prayer of the hymn Spirit by James K. Manley, as found in the Chalice Hymnal on page 249. Published by Chalice Press, St. Louis Missouri.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved

Fear No Evil

Eastertide
April 18, 2018

Scripture Reading: Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
   He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
   he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
   for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
   I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff—
   they comfort me.


You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
   my whole life long.

My Bible study group has delved into the Hebrew Bible books of Amos, Joel, and Hosea the last two semesters. All full of doom and gloom, these prophets offer a bit of hope at the end of each. The most remarkable thing is they all seem to be describing our world today, although they were describing Israel before its fall. Recently we studied Hosea chapter 10 which talks about raining retribution against an enemy. Our study was the same day USA leaders were announcing a rebuttal strike being prepared against Syria for a recent poison gas attack against Syrian citizens.

While just reading the stories can bring on fear, none of the prophets seem fearful. They are angry at the blindness of their fellow citizens in denial of the consequences of their failure to walk in obedience to God. They are disconcerted at the distractions of other gods they comingle with their Hebrew heritage, but not afraid.

These prophets are intimately acquainted with the God our Psalmist describes in the above scripture.  They fear no evil for God is with them. I am not talking about the normal fears that prepare us for a quick response when safety and security are threatened. I am talking about the fear that stems from hopelessness and alienation from God. One of these prophets’ goals is probably to instill some holy fear in their listeners or readers to help them avoid certain disaster.

Our goal in life is to solidify our relationship with God so that we, too, can be people who fear no evil thus enable to be the Body of Christ in our world today.

Prayer: I take comfort in your constant presence; help me be constantly present with you. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Stepping Out in Faith

Living in the Spirit
August 12, 2017

Scripture Reading: Matthew 14:22-33

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’
–Matthew 14:22-27

Time alone with God is important for everyone including Jesus. There is a scene in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar where the crowds are grasping at him barely allowing him to move. I cannot remember which song the cast was singing, Superstar maybe; but it gave me a moment of understanding his ministry on earth. The gospels often describe him as being in crowds seeking him. I am sure his time spent with his disciples was special, and he still needed to withdraw from them.

Our world is a scary place right now. Not so much from outside forces terrorizing us but from our anemic responses. We shake in our boots because we have forgotten whose we are. We need to withdraw to a quiet place ourselves, give all our fears to God breathing in the words below of the Psalmist and breathing out all that is holding us back from being fully God’s instrument of love.

‘Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.’ (Matthew 46:10)

I never know what to think about supernatural events; even ones I have experienced or witnessed. So, I have no explanation of the story of Jesus walking on water. Apparently, Jesus took for granted Philippians 4:13 before it was even written, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Wise counsel for us today.

Prayer: Lord, strengthen us to do the many things within our grasp to be the Body of Christ in our fractured world stepping out in the faith you will make us conduits of your love in all situations. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Pitching Tents

tent-camping-imageLiving in the Spirit
October 18, 2016

Scripture Reading: Joel 2:23-32

You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,    and praise the name of the Lord your God,    who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,    and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again    be put to shame. –Joel 2:26-27

I confess I do not have an easy working relationship with the Book of Revelation for a lot of reasons, but I learned to glean positive thoughts from it over time from a good teacher. One such idea are words similar to the ones written in Joel. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals, He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself with be with them; .. (Revelation 21:3) The word translated home here is actually the word tabernacle which is a tent. I rather like the thought of God living among us.

Has God become so far removed from us that we lose a sense of God’s presence? What difference would it make in our lives if God were our next door neighbor? It would be great in times of trouble. God most likely would share a storm shelter or allow us to run an extension cord to an outdoor plug if our electricity were off. Is this how we perceive God now?

It occurs to me that God longs to be a part of every aspect of our lives. For that to happen, we must recognize God’s presence continually. A lot of hate speak spews through our airways in the midst of a, particularly ugly election year. How much of that is going to continue after the election? What does a God who is love think of hate speak or actual hate actions? How does God feel about our wasting the talents invested in us on unproductive interactions that result in gridlock or worse? I wonder at times if God has not taken the tent out of the package yet because our growth in love as the source of a better world is not ready for God living next door.

Prayer: Lord, if ever we have needed you we need you now*. Forgive us for getting caught up in fear of change, fear of strangers, fear of loving the other. Embolden us to pitch our tents among all your children so that we can find you. Amen.

*See Hymn I Need Thee Every Hour lyrics by Annie Sherwood Hawks with chorus by Robert Lowry see at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/371

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Letting Fear Lead to Knowledge

mosesbush_gifLiving in the Spirit
October 8, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 17:11-19

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean. –Luke 17:11-14

Leprosy was a very scary disease in the first century. Considered contagious, leprosy drove people to be leery of loved ones even to the point of shunning them. People avoided strangers with leprosy altogether. Thus in our scripture today, the lepers kept their distance even from the one they hoped would cure them. The lepers recognized the perception that they were a danger to others. We know a lot more about leprosy today and even have ways of treating it. We have not yet defeated the disease of fear.

Fear is a natural response in most animals. It heightens our sense of self-preservation, which is not a bad thing. The problem with fear arises when those natural instincts make us irrational in our reactions. Proverbs 9:10 states that The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. When fear pushes us to take off our shoes and approach the burning bushes* that await us, our knowledge of God increases and our irrational fears, drawn from the world, decrease.

Identifying all humans in our world as neighbors leads us to take the steps necessary to move from fear of the unknown to understanding and knowing. Community policing is an excellent example of this idea. We cannot limit the scope of understanding and knowing to the police. We must each take off our shoes and approach the burning bushes illuminating our prejudices so that God can cleanse us and free us from the irrational fears that are deterring the realizations of God’s love ruling the earth.

Prayer: God of Justice and Mercy, enable us to confront our prejudices opening the door to the healing of our nation, world. Amen.

*See Exodus 3

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Knowing the God of Love

child-in-hands-of-godLiving in the Spirit
September 30, 2016

Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 1:1-14

For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us. –2 Timothy 1:11-14

As I look back on my life, I must admit I probably was a weird kid. Way too serious; my dad described me as three going on 103. My two favorites songs as a child were Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone and I Know Whom I Have Believed. Obviously, I got my social justice creds early in life and I also learned early that I am never alone even when the world seems to be going crazy. While neither song is sung much today, neither are in our contemporary hymnal; I believe they have much to say about being a follower of Christ in a world living in fear, strangled by greed.

I do not remember knowing at the time that 2 Timothy was the source of I Know Whom I have Believed. Apparently, such assurance was as necessary for the first century as it is now. We become disillusioned because with put our faith in lesser gods promising magic wands to make all things right again. If I just had enough money, if we just had the right person in power, if we just drop a bomb and kill all the bad people, everything will be OK. We dig ourselves deeper and deeper into futility.

There was a man who lived in that first century who proposed a different way: the way of love. When applied with all due humility, Jesus’ way works.

 But I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I’ve committed
unto him against that day. *

Prayer: Lord, save us from ourselves. Give us the courage to love as you love and to spread that love throughout the lands. Amen.

*Chorus of hymn I Know Whom I Have Believed, Lyrics by Daniel W. Whittle, see at http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh714.sht

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Love vs. Fear

perfect-loveLiving in the Spirit
September 21, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16

You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
   who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress;
   my God, in whom I trust.’
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
   and from the deadly pestilence;
he will cover you with his pinions,
   and under his wings you will find refuge;
   his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
   or the arrow that flies by day,
or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
   or the destruction that wastes at noonday. –Psalm 91:1-6

Truth cries out in our scripture today. We do serve an awesome God who loves us and thus wants the very best for us. We do live in a scary world where bullies try to bring us to our knees. The bullies do not realize that the best place for God-lovers in times of stress is literally or figuratively on our knees humbling ourselves before God. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1) This truth particularly resonates in our lives when evil seems to be all about us.

Our world is complex. Hate and fear beget hate and fear. What we must remember and grasp is love overcomes hate and fear. God never promised it would be easy. God does promise that our love exponentially increases as it joins with God’s love. The love of God combined with the love of all God-lovers far exceeds the power manifested by hate and fear. The question, the challenge is when will we ever have the faith to let love do its work through us as God seems to will?

Prayer: Strengthen us to humble ourselves enough to be your conduit of love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Fear, Faith, Love

woven-together-in-loveLiving in the Spirit
September 20, 2016

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15

Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.’ Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. –Jeremiah 6-8

The history of the church I attend stunned me when I first heard it. Located in Oklahoma City, the church was founded in 1931. Who would start a new church in the midst of the Great Depression, in a state that three years later dealt with the disaster of the first of three waves of the Dust Bowl? Crown Heights Christian Church was built on faith and the fortitude of its founders. I was privileged to worship with a few of those charter members and several of their children. I learned this history after becoming a member. I joined because of a good minister, friendly members, dedicated mission work, and great music, the legacy of those early leaders.

Jeremiah had the audacity to claim property in his native land when he knew for certain that his country would soon be taken over by the Babylonians. He had planned his return before he left. Do we live that kind of faith? Do we trust God more than anything else?

Fear is our number one sin; faith is its cure. Love is the tool faith uses to extend its reach to the whole world.

Prayer: Lord, forgive my knocking knees when I give in to fear. Strengthen me in answering your call to love. Weave me together with all your children to form a bond so loving it overcomes fear. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.