Imagine that you’ve been given a writing assignment. You are to write in a typical form with an introductory paragraph stating your thesis, paragraphs supporting or developing your thesis, and a concluding paragraph. Your topic is: “Where fear and faith collide”. What would your main points be? In other words, how do you understand “fear” and “faith”?
How you would write a paper probably differs from how you would talk with a dear friend about fear and faith.
It’s not exactly easy, is it? To write about fear and faith often means that we depersonalize them and we make them more abstract. When, in reality, both fear and faith are very personal. In an age where we must project independence, strength and self-sufficiency, fear and faith can make us feel weak and vulnerable.
I’m sure you have heard the self-help gurus say that only some small percentage of the fears we have actually happen. They try to use rational thought and logic to help talk us out of fear that is largely irrational. Sometimes church folks use faith in the same way the self-help folks use logic as if we simply apply the medicine of faith to the wound of fear and then poof! all is well again. We in the church also ought not use a person’s ability to deal with fear as an indication of the strength of their faith.
The Bible has a lot to say about both fear and faith. One of the favorite exhortations and greetings, including the words the angel spoke to Mary, is “Do not be afraid”. This is especially poignant when we consider that the Bible is a book that witnesses to God’s faithfulness throughout history. In the Bible, we hear about God’s people as their fear and their faith collide.
If you were to sit down over coffee with some of the great people of faith in the Bible, what would you ask? What might they say? The Scriptures below mention Abraham. I’m sure he was afraid at many points in his life having to move his family and trust that God would make him the father of many nations even though he was so old – what would people think!? I like to picture Abraham and the many faithful people who have gone before us listening to us in the way only someone who has experienced it can. I can’t imagine these saints berating or belittling us for our fear, but encouraging us and sharing how their faith grew because of their fear.
Can we be those saints to someone else?
Can we listen without judging?
Can we share from our own experience how our faith grew because of our fear?
Scriptures
References
I made reference to the two articles on millenials in the sermon on Sunday. If you are interested in following what the ELCA is doing this week, check out the link below.
- ELCA Churchwide Assembly website: www.elca.org/assembly
- Article: Why millenials are leaving the church
- Article: Why millenials need the church
Epicurious Lutheran 