Pastor's
Weekly Sermon
From Fear to Courage
Nashville UCC, April 14, 2019
We have covered a lot of ground in my sermons during this past Lent, when we have tried to follow Jesus more closely. We have examined ourselves to find out where we need to improve, and we’ve inspected five different areas where all of us have room for improvement. Jesus wants us to have more compassion for others, to be more generous with others, and to include all people in our circle of love. He wants us to be healthy, too – to care for the brokenness in ourselves even as we help to heal others. And that starts with truly believing that we have been forgiven by God for all our mistakes in the past; and that we can make a fresh start every single day, assured that God loves us unconditionally. That sounds like a great way to live: healthy, compassionate, generous, and inclusive! That’s a description of the fullness of life that Jesus came to offer us! But the reality is that most of us don’t live that way at all. So… why don’t we live that way? Jesus offers the fullness of life to us, and we want it, but… Well, the reality is that we’re afraid. And fear brings all our good intentions to a screeching halt.
Why is fear so powerful? “Fear” is a natural response to a perceived threat; it’s hard-wired into us. There are two natural reactions to fear: to fight, or to run away. Fear can be very useful. If you’re in the path of a New York taxicab that is coming straight at you with its horn blaring, fear tells you to jump out of the way. That is certainly a helpful response! But sometimes the fear that can save us in crisis situations leads us to react in ways that are not helpful at all. We can see it clearly when we take a close look at the last week of Jesus’ life. The entire week is a study of the effects of fear. On that first Palm Sunday, the Pharisees were the ones who were afraid. Throngs of people had come out to meet Jesus as he entered Jerusalem; and they were carrying palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel!” (John 12:12-19) As the Pharisees stood on the sidelines watching, they were dismayed and afraid. “Look at this,” they said to one another, “the whole world has gone after him!” They were afraid that Pilate, the Roman governor, would blame them for not keeping the crowd in Jerusalem under control; and if that happened, those Pharisees risked losing their privilege, their power, maybe even their lives. And since they couldn’t run away from the threat, they decided to fight back by getting rid of Jesus any way that they could.
Jesus knew what was going on. He knew that the Pharisees would figure out a way to get rid of him. And he also knew that when they did, the disciples, in their turn, would be afraid. So on the last night of his earthly life, Jesus tried to prepare them for what was coming. In the upper room, after they had eaten their last meal together, Jesus taught them one last time. Among the things that he told them was that soon, they would all desert him for fear of what the Romans might do to them. He encouraged them by reminding them, “In this world, you will have trouble. But have courage! I have overcome the world!” (John 16:28-33) Jesus encouraged his disciples to be brave; but in the end, they weren’t brave at all. They ran like rabbits when the Romans came with their torches and swords and clubs to arrest Jesus in Gethsemane. In fact, Peter was so afraid of what might happen to him that he insisted three separate times that he didn’t know Jesus! Fear drove the Pharisees to break their own laws and railroad Jesus through an illegal trail; and fear drove the disciples to desert Jesus when he needed them the most. Even Pilate, the Roman governor, sentenced Jesus to be crucified because he was afraid of the mob who was clamoring for his death. Things never turn out well when fear is in the driver’s seat.
And today, we’re still afraid even though we live in a country where Christianity is perfectly legal. Government agents aren’t going to break into our homes at midnight and drag us away because we follow Jesus; but we still have a laundry list of fears that keep us from being the generous, compassionate, inclusive people that Jesus wants us to be. If you don’t believe me, I invite you to complete the sentence “I don’t do what Jesus asks of me because I’m afraid that…” Here’s how you might fill in that blank. “I don’t show compassion because I’m afraid that… if I do, needy people will ask too much of me.” “I don’t give generously to others because I’m afraid that… I won’t have enough left for myself.” “I don’t include people who are on the margins of society because I’m afraid that… I will lose my job… or lose my social standing… or cause conflict within my family.”
Now, all of those fears may be legitimate! Of course we need to care for ourselves and set appropriate boundaries and get along with other people! And it’s only human to be afraid. But I’m willing to bet that every single Christian who has tried to be generous, compassionate, and inclusive were afraid, too. Consider the civil rights workers who were working for full inclusion of African-Americans in the American South of the 1960s. Those workers were attacked by police dogs and sprayed with jets of water from fire hoses. Many were arrested and mistreated after they were thrown in jail. Some of them were even lynched. Were they afraid? Of course they were! But despite their fears of what might happen to them, those civil rights workers found the courage to do what needed to be done regardless of the consequences. And let’s not forget that Jesus himself was afraid! Just before the Romans soldiers came for him in Gethsemane, he prayed that he might not have to endure the suffering that he knew was coming. But despite his fear, he found the courage to endure the trial, the mockery, the flogging, the crown of thorns, and the cross.
“Be brave,” said Jesus, “because I have overcome the world.” He said that to his disciples, and he says the same thing to us. Do we trust him enough to take him at his word? Do we really believe that the world’s methods of hate and violence won’t get the last word? Can we hold on to the certainty that because Jesus conquered his own fears, he will help us conquer ours, too? Jesus will never ask us to go anywhere that he has not gone first. He is with us despite our fears and through our fears, and gives us the courage to follow him wherever he might lead us, no matter what the consequences may be. As we stand on the road to Jerusalem on this Palm Sunday, we can already see Calvary looming in the distance with a cross standing on its summit – the consequences of following Jesus. But even as its shadow reaches out for us, we can hear Jesus whisper, “Be brave, because I have overcome the world.”
Nashville UCC, April 14, 2019
We have covered a lot of ground in my sermons during this past Lent, when we have tried to follow Jesus more closely. We have examined ourselves to find out where we need to improve, and we’ve inspected five different areas where all of us have room for improvement. Jesus wants us to have more compassion for others, to be more generous with others, and to include all people in our circle of love. He wants us to be healthy, too – to care for the brokenness in ourselves even as we help to heal others. And that starts with truly believing that we have been forgiven by God for all our mistakes in the past; and that we can make a fresh start every single day, assured that God loves us unconditionally. That sounds like a great way to live: healthy, compassionate, generous, and inclusive! That’s a description of the fullness of life that Jesus came to offer us! But the reality is that most of us don’t live that way at all. So… why don’t we live that way? Jesus offers the fullness of life to us, and we want it, but… Well, the reality is that we’re afraid. And fear brings all our good intentions to a screeching halt.
Why is fear so powerful? “Fear” is a natural response to a perceived threat; it’s hard-wired into us. There are two natural reactions to fear: to fight, or to run away. Fear can be very useful. If you’re in the path of a New York taxicab that is coming straight at you with its horn blaring, fear tells you to jump out of the way. That is certainly a helpful response! But sometimes the fear that can save us in crisis situations leads us to react in ways that are not helpful at all. We can see it clearly when we take a close look at the last week of Jesus’ life. The entire week is a study of the effects of fear. On that first Palm Sunday, the Pharisees were the ones who were afraid. Throngs of people had come out to meet Jesus as he entered Jerusalem; and they were carrying palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel!” (John 12:12-19) As the Pharisees stood on the sidelines watching, they were dismayed and afraid. “Look at this,” they said to one another, “the whole world has gone after him!” They were afraid that Pilate, the Roman governor, would blame them for not keeping the crowd in Jerusalem under control; and if that happened, those Pharisees risked losing their privilege, their power, maybe even their lives. And since they couldn’t run away from the threat, they decided to fight back by getting rid of Jesus any way that they could.
Jesus knew what was going on. He knew that the Pharisees would figure out a way to get rid of him. And he also knew that when they did, the disciples, in their turn, would be afraid. So on the last night of his earthly life, Jesus tried to prepare them for what was coming. In the upper room, after they had eaten their last meal together, Jesus taught them one last time. Among the things that he told them was that soon, they would all desert him for fear of what the Romans might do to them. He encouraged them by reminding them, “In this world, you will have trouble. But have courage! I have overcome the world!” (John 16:28-33) Jesus encouraged his disciples to be brave; but in the end, they weren’t brave at all. They ran like rabbits when the Romans came with their torches and swords and clubs to arrest Jesus in Gethsemane. In fact, Peter was so afraid of what might happen to him that he insisted three separate times that he didn’t know Jesus! Fear drove the Pharisees to break their own laws and railroad Jesus through an illegal trail; and fear drove the disciples to desert Jesus when he needed them the most. Even Pilate, the Roman governor, sentenced Jesus to be crucified because he was afraid of the mob who was clamoring for his death. Things never turn out well when fear is in the driver’s seat.
And today, we’re still afraid even though we live in a country where Christianity is perfectly legal. Government agents aren’t going to break into our homes at midnight and drag us away because we follow Jesus; but we still have a laundry list of fears that keep us from being the generous, compassionate, inclusive people that Jesus wants us to be. If you don’t believe me, I invite you to complete the sentence “I don’t do what Jesus asks of me because I’m afraid that…” Here’s how you might fill in that blank. “I don’t show compassion because I’m afraid that… if I do, needy people will ask too much of me.” “I don’t give generously to others because I’m afraid that… I won’t have enough left for myself.” “I don’t include people who are on the margins of society because I’m afraid that… I will lose my job… or lose my social standing… or cause conflict within my family.”
Now, all of those fears may be legitimate! Of course we need to care for ourselves and set appropriate boundaries and get along with other people! And it’s only human to be afraid. But I’m willing to bet that every single Christian who has tried to be generous, compassionate, and inclusive were afraid, too. Consider the civil rights workers who were working for full inclusion of African-Americans in the American South of the 1960s. Those workers were attacked by police dogs and sprayed with jets of water from fire hoses. Many were arrested and mistreated after they were thrown in jail. Some of them were even lynched. Were they afraid? Of course they were! But despite their fears of what might happen to them, those civil rights workers found the courage to do what needed to be done regardless of the consequences. And let’s not forget that Jesus himself was afraid! Just before the Romans soldiers came for him in Gethsemane, he prayed that he might not have to endure the suffering that he knew was coming. But despite his fear, he found the courage to endure the trial, the mockery, the flogging, the crown of thorns, and the cross.
“Be brave,” said Jesus, “because I have overcome the world.” He said that to his disciples, and he says the same thing to us. Do we trust him enough to take him at his word? Do we really believe that the world’s methods of hate and violence won’t get the last word? Can we hold on to the certainty that because Jesus conquered his own fears, he will help us conquer ours, too? Jesus will never ask us to go anywhere that he has not gone first. He is with us despite our fears and through our fears, and gives us the courage to follow him wherever he might lead us, no matter what the consequences may be. As we stand on the road to Jerusalem on this Palm Sunday, we can already see Calvary looming in the distance with a cross standing on its summit – the consequences of following Jesus. But even as its shadow reaches out for us, we can hear Jesus whisper, “Be brave, because I have overcome the world.”
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