Tossing and Turning: Fear
Deuteronomy 31:1-8 / Philippians 4:4-9
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I have really, really struggled with what to say today. Not because I don’t have things to say. Because—believe me—I always have things to say. But as the pastor of a church, the things I say and the things I don’t say matter. I am human and I won’t always get it right. But I try. But what I want you all to know before we dive into our text for today is that I love you and I will do my best to love all of you even if we don’t think/believe the same way. Yes, there are many among us who are upset, scared and fearful for the future after the election on Tuesday. I understand why. Yet, I also know that there are those, yes, maybe in our church and in our families who see a bright future ahead and are happy and hopeful. Can we all exist together and be the church together? Yes. Christ and Christ’s mission is what unites us. What I do know is that Christ calls us to build bridges, not walls. Christ calls us to minister to the least, the last, the lost, and the marginalized in this world—even when it is uncomfortable to do so. Christ calls us to break down unjust systems of oppression—no matter who is in office remains the same—to work for justice. To find common ground. To preach resurrection in a world that is filled with death and despair. Our job has not changed and will not change until Christ comes again. We will live our baptismal vows to accept the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
So, together, let’s work on that. There is plenty to keep us busy and doing God’s work. Amen? Amen.
Now, for our regularly scheduled sermon!
Today we begin a new sermon series exploring the things that keep us up at night, tossing and turning. As you can probably guess, I’ve been doing some tossing and turning myself lately with what to say/preach today! What are the things that keep you up at night? Worry? Fear? The Finances? Health? What does the future hold for me? Does the Bible even talk about that? Is God too big to worry about my everyday life concerns?
Over the next few weeks we will be exploring a few of the many reasons we've been up all night plagued by constant worry that runs through our minds. We will be naming some of the common things that keep us up at night that stress us out through the day the things that worry us to our core. And most importantly we're going to talk about our God who accompanies us through those nights.
First up...fear! I'm willing to guess that most of us have had an experience with fear at some point or another in our lives.
In one sense, of course, fear is a natural emotion for us to feel. Its’ like we have a built in panic button. It’s quite useful; it helps prepare the body for action, whether the action is fight or flight. The body needs to fight against an aggressor, or it needs to run away as fast as it can. Fear gives it that little extra burst of energy that helps it respond more quickly and decisively. And in that sense, we don’t want to discourage fear. People who have no fear often do foolish things.
But what we don’t want is to be paralyzed by fear. And most of all, we don’t want fear to stop us trusting in the love of God for us, and we don’t want it to stop us from loving one another and being there for one another.
One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 46. I’ve actually come back to the psalm over and over again this week and we used it in the Post-Election Prayer meeting. Psalm 46 was written in a time of fear. We’re not sure exactly when it was written, but Jerusalem was in danger of being overwhelmed by an enemy. We get the sense that the world was being shaken up; that strong kingdoms and powerful countries were tottering and falling. The psalmist’s world was being shaken to the foundations, which is what makes the psalmist’s faith in God so remarkable.
‘God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.’ (Psalm 46.1-7)
‘Therefore we will not fear.’ That’s an astounding thing to say! Of course, we all know that the Bible often tells us not to be afraid; it’s one of the most common statements in the Bible. But here’s the thing—how many of you find that to actually be helpful? I know that when I’m told to not be afraid I can’t help but immediately think: how do you stop yourself from being afraid? How? How? How?
But first… I like the fact that what so many translations of Psalm 46 actually say is not ‘we will not be afraid,’ but ‘we will not fear.’ To me, being afraid is something that happens to me. I don’t have a choice about it. It’s an emotion that hits me and gets my heart beating faster and the blood pumping around my body, so I’m ready to fight or run away, as need be. But ‘we will not fear’ sounds like a decision, not an emotion. It has to be a decision about what we do with the feeling. Do we let the afraid feeling take over? Or do we say what the psalmist said: “Right, the earth is shaking to its foundations, and the city is in real danger, but I’m going to roll up my sleeves, trust in God, and remember that God’s my refuge and strength. ‘The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge’ (v.7). ‘God is with us.’ Really.
But are we always aware that God is with us? Do we have a sense of God’s presence with us? Do we know how to rest in God’s love for us?
If we are unsure about this important promise then we can be really lost when times of trouble come, because no one else is up to God’s job. No human being, no matter how great they are, can give us what God can give us. So this is one thing we can do to lower our stress levels and stop fear from paralyzing us. We can intentionally take time to be aware of God’s presence with us. It is like a built in calm down button.
Example:
Maybe we can light a candle to remind us of the light of God’s presence with us. Intentionally taking time to be still with God is one way we can counteract our fear.
The other way is to love one another.
God is calling us to faith, love and trust. We are called to rest and be still in God’s presence. And God’s calling us to reach out to one another in love. In this way, even though we’ll be afraid, ‘we will not fear.’ No: we’ll trust God, and we’ll love each other “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
As we face the challenges of this week-whatever those challenges may be, every time fear grips you, imagine that God is with you, walking with you.
Together as the Body of Christ we can face our fears—whatever they may be—knowing God is with us and we have one other as we journey this road together. Fear will not paralyze us. We will trust. We will love. And we will not lose hope. May it be so. Amen