As a kid I loved to climb. I would climb ladders, trees, and rocks. I had no problem going up. It did not matter how high; I had no problem
climbing up. My problem was coming down
. . . especially when it came to rocks.
Whenever my parents took us kids to the mountains one thing was for sure
. . . I would find some huge rock, climb it, and then get stuck. Stuck because I was too scared to climb back
down. This would really make my father
mad as he attempted to coax me down while I sat frozen on the precipice of the
rock. Typically, I was paralyzed with
fear . . . couldn’t move a muscle.
What made my father angry about the
situation wasn’t the fact that I was stuck up on a rock too scared to get down
. . . it was his logic. He figured that if
I could get myself up the rock, surely, I could get myself down the rock. You know, go down the way you came up. Problem was . . . I usually couldn’t remember
how I got up there in the first place!
As much as he would plead, his frustration only grew as I sat there
scared to death to move thinking I was going to end up as a great big splat on
the ground below me.
Now, I did not and still do not have a
fear of heights. I do not mind going up
. . . it is the going down that scares me.
It is that possibility that I might fall and hurt myself or even
die. That scares me. Though apparently it never happened . . . I
am here this morning as proof that I always made it down. No broken arms or legs . . . no splat on the
ground. All I can tell you is that I
always made it down somehow and that I never did learn my lesson as this seemed
to be a problem throughout my childhood.
Fear is a natural reaction or response
to whatever is perceived to be a physical or emotional threat. It is the “fight or flight” that kept our
ancestors alive and allowed for us to be here today. The definition of fear is “an unpleasant
emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to
cause pain, or a threat.” It is a
primitive emotion that is still alive
and well today.
We all experience fear. We all have our own fears. Some are quite real, others are imagined . .
. but, whatever the case, we all have and experience fear.
We are living in what some have
described to be “fearful times”. There
are a lot of things producing fear. This
unknown virus and the pandemic it has spawned has created fear as over 120,000
people in the United States have died from it . . . we cannot see it as it
lurks around us and threatens us all . . . and, we are months—maybe even years
from a vaccine to protect ourselves.
There is fear over the chaos it has created. It has created mayhem in the economic reality
. . . millions have lost jobs, income streams have been disrupted and lost,
businesses have been lost . . . we are in a recession. The
issue of prejudice in our nation has raised its ugly head and is spewing out
all sorts of reactions . . . people are justly protesting racism and all the
–isms calling for changes . . . violence has broken out as differing opinions
and views clash . . . lines are being drawn in the sand . . . these are scary
times. We are in the full swing of
another election year and the mudslinging is in full session . . . and fear is a
great part of the whole election process as politicians use fear to sway votes
and create divisiveness. Politicians
know the power of fear.
So, yeah . . . these are fearful times
that we are living in. Scary times.
That is the “f” word I want to talk
about this morning . . . fear. That is
what Jesus is dealing with in our scripture reading this morning . . .
fear. Jesus recognizes the power of fear
and its ability to be the cause of failure for the disciples as he sends them
out into the world. Because of this he
wants to take it head on because what Jesus is asking them to do is scary
business. He is asking them to go out
into the world . . . a world that is not like the one Jesus preaches, teaches,
and lives—no, it is quite the opposite . . . knowing that they will encounter
strong reactions to what they are saying and doing. Jesus is setting them on a collision course
with the powers of the world. Jesus
wants to acknowledge the reality of the situation . . . wants to name the fear
. . . and, wants to give the reason why they should not let this fear keep them
from fulfilling the charge he has given them.
Throughout this passage the dominant
phrase that the disciples and we hear is . . . “do not be afraid.” Yet, at the same time, Jesus wants to be
realistic about it all. He explains that
whatever fate awaits the master or teacher also awaits the disciples. The disciples have witnessed the reaction of
the powerful against Jesus . . . witnessed how they have treated him . . . and,
in the end, they have even seen him put to death. Jesus wants them to know that it won’t be no
different for them. Remember, the acorn
doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Naming aloud the fears is the first step
in freeing one’s self from their grip . . . and, Jesus does that. There is the threat of violence, even
death. There is the threat of arrest and
imprisonment. There is the threat of
losing one’s family . . . one’s way of life . . . home and business. There is the threat of being ostracized and
having the community turn against them.
All real threats to be feared as they attempt to live their lives in the
footsteps of Jesus. Naming the fears
allows one to grasp the emotion in order to understand them . . . where they
are coming from . . . what drives them . . . what the motive is behind
them. By naming them, control over them
can be found.
Jesus lets them know that these fears
are real. At the same time, as he
reminds them to “not be afraid” of them, he tells them that they are not
alone. God is with them. He assures them of God’s presence throughout
it all. He tells them: “Are
not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet
not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are
worth more than many sparrows.”
“Fight or flight” is the typical
reaction to fear. Jesus is calling for
his disciples and us to “fight”. But
fighting is scary too . . . we could get hurt when fighting our fears. Running away from them solves nothing either
. . . the fears are still there. Or we
could just ignore them, which is basically a “flight” mode of dealing with
fear. To do nothing. That is why fear is such a powerful tool in
the hands of people in power . . . they are banking that most people will
choose to do nothing when confronted with fear . . . or that it will stir up
divisiveness and division. Fear is a
powerful tool when used by those seeking control and power.
Jesus wants his disciples and us to face
up to our fears. He wants his followers
to stick up to their commitment of his teaching, preaching, and witness. He wants all of us to confront our fears and
not allow them to cripple us to the point that we do nothing or we run in the
other direction. For such a task he
reminds us of our higher calling . . . to follow God to do God’s will as
demonstrated by him through life and death.
Also, he reminds us that we are never alone in the task and life set
before us . . . we always have the presence of God with us.
So . . . who wants to go rock
climbing? As we hear these words of Jesus,
we are called to confront the fears that separate us from God and from one
another and others. We are to name them,
study them, learn about them, and understand them so that they can no longer
have any power over our lives or the way that we live our lives. We are to remember that God is with us no
matter what . . . no matter how real our fears are. We are to remember that nothing can separate
God from us . . . not even our fears . . . unless we allow it to happen. We must remember that we have risen to the
challenge of living our lives in such a way that we move beyond our fears to
love in such a way we move towards the Kingdom of God and not away.
“Do not be afraid.”
I never did say how I got down off most
of those rocks I got stuck on as a kid.
Most of the time it was me jumping and my father catching me. He always caught me . . . never dropped me. What gave me the courage to jump was knowing
that my father’s strong arms would catch me, and that he would never let
anything hurt me. So, it is with us and
our journeys of following in the footsteps of Jesus . . . God is with us, God
will catch us. In the end we cannot
allow the “f” word to keep us from living and loving our way through life. It is the only way that we will ever realize
God’s kingdom, and to rid the world of fear.
Let us go forth and love fearlessly.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment