March 8, 2020
/2 Lent
Genesis 12: 1-4a; Psalm 121; Romans 4: 1-5, 13-17; John 3: 1-17
The Rev. James M.L. Grace
In the Name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. AMEN.
Does the church look any different to you all today? Not really, right? The paint is still the same color, the pews are where they were last week. Everything pretty much looks the same in here as it did last week. But the church is different this week than it was one week ago. And if it doesn’t look different to you than it did last week, I would suggest that we aren’t looking close enough.
See in this church last week, we read the Bible – the whole Bible Genesis to Revelation, from start to finish. We read it right here. Fifty volunteers read for about 80 hours – that’s how long it took, to get us through the Bible. And so this church looks different to me now, as a result. This looks like a church in which the word of God was read inside it. Just like we are changed when we read the Bible, so to, I believe, this church is different as well. It’s a bit kinder. It’s a bit more open to where God is calling it. It’s people are a bit more open to the Holy Spirit. Look close enough, and you will see, or feel, the change I am speaking of.
If I could summarize the entire message of the Bible, to consolidate all 66 of its books into one phrase, it would be this: “be not afraid, fear not.” That’s it. And that is a message I need to hear, every day – sometimes every hour of every day. I need to remember that I do not need to be afraid because God is in control. Everyday I turn my life over to God, and entrust my loved ones, my family, my children, to God’s care. And when I do that, I’m not in fear. When I forget that God is in control, and become confused and think that I am in control, that’s when I slip into fear.
I have a simple definition of fear – an acronym which spells fear out to me: Future Events Appearing Real. If I am not intentionally in prayer, and seeking God’s will, not my own, then fear is where I end up every time. Give me two minutes and if I am not connected to God I can catastrophize about the future and cook up the worst possible outcome of a situation and I can fixate on that.
I can build an idol out of my fear and bow down and worship before my fear god very quickly. I’ve had lots of practice worshipping my fears. The Bible is very clear about idol worship – and if you don’t know where God stands on this topic, let me suggest to you that God does not like it very much.
There is plenty of fear to go around right now. But you know what? The sun rose this morning. And it rose for everybody. We’re going to be okay.
That is the message of the Bible. In our reading from Genesis today we meet a man named Abram, who at this point of the story lived in a region called Haran, which scholars think is right on the border of modern day Turkish/Syrian border. It is in Haran where God calls out to Abram “go from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.” It’s quite an ask, don’t you think?
Imagine you are Abram, and God comes to you and says, “listen I know that you are comfortable, and that you are settled, but this is not the place I have prepared for you to live in. It’s time to pack up and go somewhere else – another place I will show you.” That’s kind of scary, isn’t it? Very few people enjoy change, more or less moving, for that matter.
Abram could have refused God’s command. But he did not. He packed his things, and settled into a new land, which would become Israel. Abram’s new life following God’s command was not easy, and he encountered much in the way of struggle. But Abram persevered, and today, is remembered for his faith and trust in the Almighty.
See, faith is the opposite of fear. Abram did not fear, Abram believed. And because of his faith, God tells Abram later, “Hey Abram, how would you feel about having a new name. How does ‘Abraham’ sound? Do you like it?” Abraham would become the ancestor of a multitude of nations. But none of that would have been possible for Abram had he lived in fear.
We all have a choice today – we can choose to build idols out of fear and go ahead and worship them. We can do that, and be miserable. Or we can choose faith, the opposite of fear, and turn our lives to God, and entrust God with every facet. We can do that, and be happy, joyous, and free. I’ve lived in fear long enough. Today, I’m choosing to live in faith, remembering that God is in control. AMEN.