June 23, 2002
Genesis
21:8-21
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KJV
NIV
CEV
Matthew
10:9-39
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“Making a Choice”
“Now more than ever we are worrying ourselves sick.” That’s what the June tenth issue of Time magazine said on its cover. The feature article said, “ . . .we live in a particularly anxious age. The initial shock of September 11 has worn off, and the fear has lifted, but millions of Americans continue to share a generalized mass anxiety.” (p. 46) Terrorism, by its very nature, feeds on fear and through it debilitates and immobilizes a society. It would appear that the terrorists might have succeeded, at least to some extent, in accomplishing their mission here.
All of us are confronted with the reality of a world that seems to grow steadily more unstable. Thanks to the advance of technology we can now know of every flare-up of violence or tragedy in the remotest part of the world. News that once took months to reach us is now transmitted in seconds. Is it any wonder that we’re afraid or that we suffer from “generalized mass anxiety”?
Fear, as the Time article nicely explained, is “hardwired” into our physiology. Fear can be a healthy thing – especially as it allows for self-preservation. It need not, however, be the source of anxiety nor be debilitating. Barring a true illness – mental or physical – there is no apparent reason why we cannot manage our fear. It seems to me that we can make a choice to be healthy and I believe that making a choice to grow spiritually offers a good starting point.
Fear, as we’ve said, is nothing new. We see it in today’s readings from the Scriptures. When we take an extended look at Biblical characters we soon discover their humanity, because their weaknesses become as prominent as their strengths. Sarah doesn’t come off as being very gracious in her treatment of Hagar. What we see here is Sarah giving in to her fear. Ironically, it appears that the same fear that motivated her to give Hagar to Abraham as a concubine now moves her to act as she does. She feared not having children and now that she has a child, she fears competition from Hagar and her son, Abraham’s first-born. Abraham’s image isn’t enhanced by his actions, either. He gives in to his fears, even though he has doubts about his choice. So both Abraham and Sarah make the choice to be controlled by their fear and act accordingly.
Hagar quickly finds herself with minimal provisions and, seemingly, less hope. The fear we see manifested in her is that of self-preservation. She wants to live and wants her son to live. In desperation she “lifts up her voice,” and cries out to God and her prayer is heard. God tells her, “Do not be afraid” bringing her past her fear and into new life for herself and her son, Ishmael. Hagar’s choice leads her to God and beyond the control of fear.
Jesus is teaching the disciples to make the choice not to be controlled by their fears. Three times, and in three moods, he tells them to not choose fear. With each admonition he tells them why they should not be afraid. First he tells them, in the passive subjunctive, “have no fear.” Then says not be afraid of secrecy, since all will be brought into the open. There’s a lesson there – fear can only take hold when it lurks in the dark. Again, we can use terrorism as an illustration. Terrorist cells only succeed if they are covert. Terrorists only come into the open as they act and then, at least for some, they head back into the shadows. If we seek to be open, to be honest, and to hide nothing, there is no room for fear to work. This is why the Congregational Way depends on honesty and openness. It may not be neat, but it provides the best opportunity for the Spirit to work. If we are open to God’s light truth will come to the surface. Just like exposing a terrorist cell robs it of its effectiveness, honesty and openness defuse fear.
Second, Jesus commands “do not fear.” Do not fear even loss of life, he says, because there is more to you than the body we occupy and more to life than what we see. Again, if we hold that God is the source of all life and that all life is held in God’s hand, then we can take a risk on behalf of others. It would seem to be more important to choose to do the right thing and to serve the greater good than to focus simply on survival. Overcoming that fear has inspired countless people; the martyrs, the selfless heroes, and the prime example of Jesus himself all come to mind. As Luther hymned in “A Mighty Fortress,” “the body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still . . .” There is more to life – do not fear.
Third, Jesus assures the disciples, this time in the passive imperative, “do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid that you will be undervalued or discounted. In other words, do not fear for your sense of worth, because you are of infinite value to God. Jesus uses the wonderful image of the sparrow as valuable to God, which always makes me think of the old spiritual, “His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me.”
Way back in the 5th century John Chrysostom, the bishop of Constantinople, preached beautifully on this passage. He said: