Sermon August 8, 2004 Proper 14 C

"The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid.’" "Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Do not be afraid . . .’" God’s frequent word to his people is, "Don’t be afraid."

We remember the word of the angel Gabriel to the virgin Mary, (St. Luke 1:30) "Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. . ." The same word was given by the angel to Joseph, (St. Matthew 2:20) "Son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. . . "

When Jesus called Simon Peter he said, (St. Luke 5:10) "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." And when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him."

When Jesus was called to Jairus’ dying daughter (St. Luke 8:50) he said, "Do not fear; only believe, and she will be saved."

At Jesus’ Palm Sunday triumphal entry into Jerusalem, St. John (12:15) recalls Zechariah’s prophecy about the king coming in peace on a donkey, but adds "Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion."

St. Matthew (28:5-6) records the word of the angel to the women at the tomb, "Do not be afraid, I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, as he said."

St. Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem for causing a riot on the Temple Mount and was on his way to Rome to exercise his right as a Roman citizen to appeal to the emperor for justice. The ship was blown two weeks by a storm to the shore of Malta. In the panic Paul stood up to say (Acts 27:23-24), "Last night there stood by me an angel of the Lord to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, "Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before the emperor, and indeed God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you."

And John, in prison exile on the island of Patmos "because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus" and "in the Spirit on the Lord’s day" heard the voice of God and saw Jesus in his glory who said, "Don’t be afraid, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead, I am alive forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of hell."

(Revelation 1: 9,10,17,18) The Lord told John to write to the seven churches of Asia, and to Smyrna write (2:10), "Do not fear what you are about to suffer . . . Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life."

The antidote to fear is faith. Mary had faith that she had indeed found favor with God, and in that faith she was willing to become Jesus’ mother. Joseph remembered the courage of his ancestor David and had faith to take Mary to be his wife. Peter and the other disciples had faith in Jesus’ call and followed him. One of my favorite hymns is 661, "They cast their nets in Galilee, just off the hills of brown . . . Young John who trimmed the flapping sail, homeless in Patmos died; Peter, who hauled the teeming net, head down was crucified." The women "left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell the disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them . . ." (St. Matthew 28:8-9) Paul and his fellow passengers were saved from drowning, and the Book of Acts ends with Paul in Rome, welcoming "all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. (26:30-31)

Fear is a natural emotion, and sometimes fear of the consequences can modify external behavior. But feelings and thoughts don’t respond to fear. A few years ago I saw a black billboard with white letters, "If you think this is hot. God." The inference I draw is that hell is hotter, so if you fear hell turn to God for salvation from hell. God does save us from hell by the death and resurrection of Jesus, but God saves us because he made us and loves us. God’s continuing message is "Don’t be afraid." Threats of future punishment are not effective in changing behavior. Models of good behavior are necessary before we can be drawn to internal change.

When we know ourselves to be loved and accepted, and when we know that we are trusted with responsibility we are encouraged and we are able to receive the "strength and courage to love and serve" the "eternal God, heavenly father . . . with gladness and singleness of heart" for which we pray at the end of the communion service. (Prayer Book p. 365)

I have learned that anxiety and fear are normal reactions to uncertainty. And in times of uncertainty we need faith. Faith offers us strength and courage, strength not to yield to despair, and courage to look forward.

The Lord’s word not to be afraid also comes in the Old Testament at times of uncertainty. We heard today the Lord’s word to Abraham, who was getting old and worried. If he died first, who was going to provide for Sarai? That was the heir’s responsibility, and Abraham worried that Eliezer would not do right by her. God promised Abraham a son, and Isaac was born. Abraham sent back to his family for a wife for Isaac, Rebecca.

They had two twin sons, Jacob, and Esau. Esau married two Hittite women and "they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebecca" in their old age. But Jacob fled back to Abraham and Rebecca’s family and there married Leah and Rachel, who with their bondmaids were the mothers of 12 sons.

His older brothers sold Jacob’s favorite son Joseph into slavery in Egypt. Joseph prospered there and when in time of famine the other brothers came to Egypt to seek food, he invited them to settle on the eastern frontier. Jacob resolved to "go and see him before I die."

(Genesis 45:28) But before he went he needed to receive from the Lord the strengthening word, "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will bring you up again, and Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes."

When Jacob died, the family took him back to the same cave at Hebron where Abraham and Sarai had been buried, but on the way back the brothers feared, "What is Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?" (50:15) They went to Joseph and begged his forgiveness, and Joseph told them, "Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones." (50:19)

Some of our fear comes from our own guilt, and from our sense of God’s justice. Jesus’ death and resurrection are the assurance of God’s love for us, of God’s forgiveness poured out on us with the blood of Jesus’ cross. St. John reminds us (1 John 4:18), "perfect love casts out fear." Jesus’ perfect love for us, love that stretched out his hands from the cross as he died for our sins, that love, received by faith, sets us free from guilt and shame "to love and serve . . . with gladness and singleness of heart."

In grateful response to God’s love and forgiveness, we are called, and empowered, to love God with all we have and all we are, and to love our neighbors with the same tender love and concern that we have for ourselves. "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.’ Forgive us our fears, and the things we do out of fear, as we forgive others their fears and the things they have done out of fear. And grant us, Lord, the grace to hear, and to apply your continuing word, "Do not be afraid."

Tom Rightmyer

trightmy@juno.com