Primary Fears
Children's sermon
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Object:
In this week’s gospel text, a group of Pharisees warn Jesus that he needs to leave the area in order to ensure his safety. Herod, it seems, is out for blood -- yet in a clear foreshadowing of the coming crucifixion, Jesus refuses to budge from his appointed path. He notes that “it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem,” and even more chillingly, he says that “on the third day I finish my work.” Jesus clearly is not moved by fear for his well-being -- but in this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Chris Keating points out that fear is often a powerful motivating force in our own lives... one that we generally aren’t willing or able to brush off as easily as Jesus did. Perhaps, Chris suggests, this week’s lectionary passages offer us an effective roadmap for dealing with our anxieties, by showing us in whom to place our ultimate trust. Rather than worrying about the things of this world, placing ourselves in God’s hands can give us the strength to remain steadfast and the wisdom to, in the words of the psalmist, “see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
Team member Mary Austin shares some additional thoughts on the Genesis passage and God’s promise to Abram of a descendant. As the lection opens, Abram is beginning to wonder about the veracity of God’s promise -- he still has no offspring, and the only possible heir he sees is a “slave born in my house.” But God responds by readjusting Abram’s perspective, telling him: “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them. So shall your descendants be.” Abram’s doubt is the result of his limited perspective, being able to perceive only the evidence at hand until God reminds him of God’s power to achieve things beyond our imagining. Mary suggests that this is an apt metaphor for the problem of depression, whose sufferers lack the energy, will, and ability to see the stars and the magnificent possibilities they offer. Mary shares her powerful and moving personal experience, and reminds us that though all seems darkness in the depths of depression, there are countless stars to be seen -- evidence of God’s boundless promises and care.
Primary Fears
by Chris Keating
Psalm 27; Luke 13:31-35
When our daughters were young, they were convinced that something was living under their bunkbeds. It was big, they told us. And loud. And very, very scary.
And it only came out when the lights were turned off and Mommy and Daddy had left the room.
After many sleepless nights, my wife devised a plan. She bought a large can of air freshener, and wrapped a sheet of construction paper around it that said “Monster Go-Away Spray.” It worked like a charm -- apparently, monsters and boogie men don’t like citrus pine scent.
Some fears, however, need much more than a spritz or two of aerosol spray. Fears and the mongers who trade in them are all around us. The rapidly spreading Zika virus is creating headlines disturbingly similar to the 2014 Ebola outbreak -- even though the diseases are quite different. But it’s not just disease that is frightening: we live in a world under constant threat of terrorism, lead-poisoned drinking water, unstable economic markets, and brash politicians whose artistry in promoting fear is better than their hairstyles.
Aside from mosquito repellant, there’s no spray that can successfully allay these fears. But carefully attending to the texts for the Second Sunday in Lent might offer a possibility for facing our fears. In spite of threats, Jesus remains faithful. And in the face of fear, the psalmist dares to live with courage: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
That’s a whole lot better than cheap air freshener.
In the News
Still, the question of whom or of what are we afraid begs for an answer. A quick scroll through an internet newsfeed yields an ample harvest of potential fears. We are afloat in a sea of anxiety.
Even as presidential candidates argue about whether or not the United States is safer today, fears about ISIS continue to mount. The director of the Central Intelligence Agency, John Brennan, says that he believes an attempted ISIS attack in the United States is “inevitable.” In an interview with 60 Minutes, Brennan says that while he believes ISIS’ attempts are bound to occur, he doesn’t think they will necessarily be successful. When asked what the CIA learned from the attacks in Paris, Brennan said:
That there is a lot that ISIL probably has underway that we don’t have obviously full insight into. We knew the system was blinking red. We knew just in the days before [the attacks] that ISIL was trying to carry out something. But the individuals involved have been able to take advantage of the newly available means of communication that are -- that are walled off, from law enforcement officials.
ISIS is just one part of a larger list of cultural fears that threaten our sense of well-being. The list truly runs from A to Z -- starting with thousands of sharks spotted off Florida’s Atlantic coast, and extending to the rapidly spreading Zika virus.
The sharks have apparently timed their arrival in Florida to coincide with the Sunshine State’s spring break crowds. Tens of thousands of sharks are just a “stone’s throw” off a 20-mile stretch of coast from Palm Beach to Singer Island. Ah, but not to worry, says biologist Stephen Kajiura. “Even though we have this huge number of sharks -- tens of thousands of them immediately adjacent to shore here in South Florida -- we have relatively few bites,” Kajiura said. “When you consider the number of people in the water and the number of sharks in the water you’d think there would be a lot of interaction.”
So no real worries, right? Maybe, or maybe not. As a woman from Tennessee reminded us over and over again last summer in an entertaining viral video, perhaps we should just learn to stay out of the shark’s house. However, while 2015 set the record for the most unprovoked shark bites, the overall odds of being attacked are actually pretty slim. Across the world, 98 persons were attacked, and six died. It’s probable that the incidents will continue to rise as human-shark interaction increases.
But when it comes to creating fear, sharks may have nothing over tiny mosquitoes. The Zika virus, which is spread by mosquitoes, has been reported in at least 23 nations so far. Like the Ebola epidemic, Zika tends to wreak havoc in the poorest and most underdeveloped nations, creating concerns for how it could impact the global economy.
Olympic officials are closely monitoring the situation in Brazil, where Zika has been most devastating. The disease has been widespread throughout Brazil, raising concerns about the health of athletes headed to Rio de Janeiro for this summer’s Olympics. There also appears to be a connection between Zika and complications such as Guillain-Barre syndrome and birth defects such as microcephaly, though the World Health Organization has said that more investigation is needed. The relationship between Zika and the increase of both GB syndrome (a neurological disorder that causes paralysis) and infants born with abnormally small heads is uncertain. However, the agency noted that an increase of Guillain-Barre was observed in 2013-14 during a Zika outbreak in French Polynesia.
Fear of Zika has caused some countries to urge women to postpone pregnancy, and has prompted increased interest in vaccine trials and research. Research into mosquito-borne viruses is prompting a sort of “gold rush” in biotech stocks, according to Bloomberg Business. Perhaps it is true that fear is almost always good for business.
And politics.
As the presidential primary season gets into full swing, fear seems to be at the top of the agenda. Donald Trump is aiming to make America great again, pledging to do “whatever it takes” to achieve the goal. Trump said that could include torturing “the enemy,” or building a wall to stop illegal immigration, or deporting millions of undocumented aliens. One observer notes that “in a country that at its best radiates an infectious optimism, it is interesting how often fear has stalked the American landscape.”
It isn’t just Trump, however. Senator Ted Cruz employs a similar style, and both former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders have utilized at least some fear tactics in their campaigns. David Brooks wrote this week that Cruz “lays down an atmosphere of apocalyptic fear.” America is headed off the cliff, Cruz suggests. Brooks concludes: “There is not a hint of compassion, gentleness, and mercy. Instead, his speeches are marked by a long list of enemies, and vows to crush, shred, destroy, bomb them. When he is speaking in a church the contrast between the setting and the emotional tone he sets is jarring.”
Harvard professor Richard Parker has traced the roots of America’s politics of paranoia to the Salem witch trials, and even earlier. The Puritans, according to Parker, were prompted to leave England because of feelings of paranoia, and were able to successfully import those behaviors to the New World. Michael Goldfarb discusses Parker’s theory, noting just how the roots of contemporary fear were visible in 17th-century Salem:
Add in the daily struggles with nature, fighting with native Americans, and millennial religious practice that thought the end times were approaching and you have, Parker points out, “a community primed to be fearful.”
And so in the town of Salem, people turned on their more free-thinking neighbors, and accused them of being witches. At this time, the idea of witchcraft was not something from fiction. People really did believe, in Parker’s words, “dark spirits could inhabit souls and bodies. It was the basis for primitive psychology and physiology.”
At the end of his article, Goldfarb shares a conversation he had recently with a retired voter from South Carolina. The man told him that Trump has instilled hope in people. “Hope?” Goldfarb replied. “Sounds like desperation to me.” The man disagreed. “If he does what he says he’s gonna do, we would be less fearful.” He added, for emphasis: “We fear the federal government very much.”
Just add it to the list of our primary fears.
In the Scriptures
Both Psalm 27 and Luke 13:31-35 provide words of assurance and redirection to a people saturated by the briny toxins of fear. They narrate a testimony of faith that is fully aware of fear, yet somehow dares to look in new ways. These texts narrate a way through darkness, and provide rich possibilities for preaching this Second Sunday in Lent.
Psalm 27 brilliantly describes the dilemma of life. Success is not guaranteed; in fact, the psalm is punctuated by terror and tension. Yet, as Samuel Roberts notes in Feasting on the Word (Year C, Vol. 2), faith and fear are undeniably linked. The psalmist is surrounded by foes intent on taking away his life. The narrator is surrounded, and there is no place to go. Despite these realities, the psalmist clings to a vision of hope built on faith. “I believe,” the psalmist declares, “that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” All is not lost -- even when the prima facie evidence suggests otherwise.
Instead of giving up, the psalmist yields to faith. As Roberts again notes, “No description of human existence will be complete apart from a confession that the “Lord is the stronghold of my life,” after which again the psalmist can ask with unfailing confidence, “Of whom shall I be afraid?”
In Luke, Jesus is confronted once more by the brutalities of Herod -- who for Luke is essentially the embodiment of the politics of paranoia. Jesus is intent on his mission (“I must be on my way”). Because he knows that ultimately the threats of Herod or the Pharisees’ charges must not impede the kingdom, he acts out of hope and courage. Those who are now first will find themselves humbled, just as he has said. Moreover, the fearmongers and paranoia traders will lose their places to poor, the sick, the demon-possessed, and all others who have been excluded. Jesus comes to bring the compassion of God to those touched by fear, and to oppose all who have failed to embrace all of God’s children. He brings a peace that will cast aside all fear -- a peace we know shall come on that third day.
In the Sermon
“It’s a tough time to be courageous,” writes Lorraine Devon Wilke. “Fear is all the rage, the currency of politics and pontification. For a country built on ideals of intrepidity and dauntlessness, how strange that we’ve become a culture hiding behind walls of artillery, clinging to the coattails of our most xenophobic and narrow-minded.”
In the midst of such fear, Wilke salutes her friends who are able to see beyond fear toward hope. This wildly diverse group -- diverse in every way imaginable -- has somehow been able to see “beyond smokescreens to the bigger pictures hidden in cleverly hidden snapshots.” Wilke’s friends have somehow been able to reach beyond the fear of others and develop lives of meaning and hope.
Wilke isn’t on to something new. Instead, as both the Psalm and Luke texts suggest, God’s people are a people shaped by a courage that sees beyond fear. Lent brings clarity to the journey of darkness each of us must face, just as surely as Jesus faced his journey. But it also conveys the message of deep and abiding hope that accompanies us through fear. No doubt about it -- fears are real. Zika is real, shark bites are real, and ISIS is, regrettably, very, very real.
Yet so is the faith we share. In moments of fear -- moments like our present age -- the church should not recoil from its primary task of declaring the good news of faith. Jesus did not turn from the threats; instead, he found courage to continue what he had been called to do. Likewise, the faith of the psalmist brings a light to our Lenten path, and helps guide us beyond these fears.
Whom shall we fear?
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
As God reminds Abraham of the great future God has planned for him, Abraham asks what we all want to know: “O Lord God, how am I to know?” How can I trust the future when the present looks so bleak? Abraham has heard God’s promise of offspring, gone to the trouble of ransoming his nephew Lot from some warring kings, and now looks around and realizes that his household steward is his only heir. The future that God promises looks impossible.
That feeling of a future far out of reach is familiar to anyone who struggles with depression. Depression is so epidemic that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended that all adolescents be regularly screened for depression. As the Los Angeles Times reports, most teenagers are not asked about symptoms of depression right now: “Major depressive disorder is thought to affect about 8% of adolescents each year, and only between 36% and 44% report they have gotten treatment.... And depression can be life-threatening. Between their 13th and 18th birthdays, just short of 20% of adolescents suffering from depression will attempt suicide.” The high cost of depression in teenagers plays out in poor grades, trouble with relationships, and the lure of substance abuse.
Sometimes the future is so difficult to imagine that death feels like the only way out. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for teenagers, behind homicide and accidents, according to the American Psychological Association.
Depression is often masked among teenagers because we expect them to be grumpy, sleep a lot, and withdraw from adults. Even the sunniest adolescent has deep existential questions. Being a teenager and being depressed look similar... until the depression takes over. Elise Jamison, a 16-year-old, wrote for the Huffington Post about her five-year struggle with depression, saying: “The worst part of a depressive episode is when someone asks questions like ‘Why?’ ‘What happened?’ or ‘Was someone mean to you?’ Sometimes there is an antecedent, but more often than not depression just hits you. It feels like riding a bike, and in the blink of an eye you’re trying to pedal through quicksand with no tires. Moreover, it is almost impossible to explain, so trying to answer these questions makes you feel like even more of a failure.... The best thing you can do when you are trying to help someone with depression is to simply be there.”
When Abraham can’t imagine how the future will emerge from the bleakness of the present, God tells him, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” If you are able... and depression, for many people, means that just getting through the day is hard enough. There’s no energy to look, and no will to see the stars.
My own teenager has been wrestling with depression for well over a year now (and gave me permission to share some of her story). There is a stigma around depression, and so I try to talk about her illness the same way I would if she had cancer or a failing heart.
As her mother, I find it hard to look up at the stars some days too. Depression has taken away the girl I used to know, and left behind a thin, weary girl who can sleep all day. Some days I make her get out of bed so I can change the sheets, which are starting to smell funny. I used to ration her time out with friends so she could attend to schoolwork, and now I leap up with joy whenever she asks to go out -- actually leaving the house is a good day.
Her depression reminds me that we have the gift of other people who will look up at the stars for us when we can’t do it ourselves. When I don’t know what to tell people about how she’s doing, when I don’t return their calls because I don’t have any words for the weariness of this, they keep calling anyway. They offer their offices for an hour of respite, or their cars for rides, or their loving presence to hear a problem that has no solution right now.
Her illness has also reminded me how fortunate we are. A flexible job allows me to take her to the counselor. An office with a door means I can take time to call the school. Insurance pays for medication and a hospital stay. I start to see how other teenagers slip through the cracks, without all of the resources that keep her -- just barely -- afloat.
I also see how ignorant I was as a parent. Living with a kid who generally did well in school, had friends, and participated in sports and band, I didn’t see the invisible world of kids who are struggling. With my living room full of accomplished kids, I missed the world of kids who are suffering. I didn’t see the pain of parents whose kids don’t fit in. I didn’t hear the flatness in the voices of parents who have nothing good to talk about.
When she was in the hospital in a “major depressive episode,” as the paperwork says, I met so many kids without these same resources. What happens to them, I wonder? Like the girl who always wore the paper pants given to her on admission because no one in her life found the time to come and bring her any clothes. Like the boy in the day room whose family moves every few months “because they get evicted a lot,” my daughter explained. Or like the girl whose father comes and talks about sports for the whole visit, desperate to connect and not knowing what to say. “Teenagers come here over and over again,” the nurse told her. “The best thing you can do for yourself is don’t come back.”
I choose to believe that there is an end to this -- that the stars are still up there, and that God has a future in mind. What it is, I don’t know. Depression is the family disease, and it persuaded my brother to take his life a few years ago. The fear of that, for my daughter, sweeps over me. Abraham, like so many of God’s people, doubted God’s plans. Yet he, and my daughter, and I, and all of us are embraced by a God who crafts a future for us. The One who created the stars reminds us to look up at them, and to remember the promises that hold us.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
Psalm 27
Every Body Is Anybody
Every year since 1964, Sports Illustrated magazine turns momentarily away from sports for one issue to devote their pages to swimsuit models. Though they have from time to time featured some female athletes in the “Swimsuit Issue,” the vast majority of the women present are fashion models.
It has even been said that the “S.I.S.I.” is one of the things that can catapult a woman from “model” to “supermodel.”
The unapologetic display of female pulchritude is not without controversy, however. Sports Illustrated has lost subscribers over it -- 1978 was the top year for cancellations, with 340 after Cheryl Tiegs was displayed in a fishnet swimsuit.
Others, like the National Organization of Women (NOW), object to the Swimsuit Issue because it “promotes the harmful and dehumanizing concept that women are a product for male consumption.” And lately, Sports Illustrated has come under fire for promoting a standard of beauty that is possible for only a very small minority of women to attain -- and therefore unrealistic and often harmful to girls and young women.
This year (2016), SI has, if not folded, at least bent a little to that argument.
For the first time, Sports Illustrated will offer three separate covers for the 2016 Swimsuit Issue, one of which will be adorned by 5'9" size 16 Ashley Graham -- and one of the models inside the issue will be 56-year-old Nicola Griffin, the oldest ever to appear in a Swimsuit Issue.
Girls and young women who have been teased and demeaned because they don’t fit the perfect, young, skinny standard that has adorned fashion magazines and runways since the ’60s will now have a couple of heroines to show them a different, yet no less real, kind of beauty.
And it’s about time.
*****
Psalm 27; Luke 13:31-35
Laughter Really Is the Best Medicine
Gina Barreca is a professor of English at the University of Connecticut (UConn), and she is the author of Snow White Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and It’s Not That I’m Bitter: How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World. Writing for Psychology Today in 2013, she said:
When I think about the role of fear in everyday life, I think about how pervasive it is, and how little we consciously acknowledge it even as fear shapes our thoughts and behaviors.
What does fear do?
It fiddles with the phone until the call comes, it hides jewelry in paper bags underneath the sink, it rehearses every word of a conversation with a sister that ended cold. Fear counts calories, counts pennies, counts a partner’s nights away from home, and wonders about a child’s friends, a child’s grades, a child’s future.
Fear practically runs our lives. So what can we do?
Barreca suggests that we “use humor to put our fears into perspective. Humor addresses the same issues as fear, not to dismiss them, but to strengthen our ability to confront them and then laugh them away from the door.”
Humor, she concludes, is the one thing that fear cannot abide: “Laughter banishes anxiety, and can help replace fear. Laughter is a testament to courage, or at least a manifestation of the wish for it, and courage is stronger than fear. We need a strong and healthy dose of focused humor in our lives every day.”
*****
Luke 13:31-35
Turning Into the Storm
We notice that Jesus does not run from the coming storm. Indeed, he turns into the storm, faces the trouble, and walks toward it and into Jerusalem. This phenomenon is visible in other real-life instances that become metaphors for us. Bison, for example, always face and walk into a snowstorm because they instinctively know that trying to run before a storm will lengthen its duration. The quickest way to walk out of a storm is to head into it.
On the sea, only the fastest and sleekest boats or ships try to run before a storm. More often, the safest (although wettest) route is to turn the boat into the storm and take the pounding waves head-on. Likewise, military strategists know that a long line of enemy troops can rarely be successfully defeated with another long line. The best and most effective tactic -- as we learned from the Romans, who learned it from the Spartans -- is to amass your troops into a compact, tightly-knit wedge and to drive that wedge into the opposing line, puncturing it.
Often, the best and most effective way to defeat a fear is to meet it head-on and punch our way through it. Jesus is always willing to take the point for us.
***************
From team member Ron Love:
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
The Denver Broncos were victorious at Super Bowl 50. This was their third Super Bowl title, and the first in 17 years. For their homecoming parade in the “Mile High City,” more than a million fans came out to cheer the victors for their 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers.
Application: As difficult that it is to imagine more than a million people lining a parade route, how much more difficult is it for us to imagine the descendants of Abram, which are more numerous than the stars?
*****
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
The commercials during the Super Bowl often attract as much attention as the game itself. Last year many of the advertisements lacked appeal, so many called it the “Somber Bowl.” In evaluating Super Bowl advertisements, Richard Kirshenbaum, CEO of the ad agency NSG/SWAT, said: “The Super Bowl is America’s great campfire. People want to gather around and have a great time.”
Application: As Abram’s descendants are more numerous than the stars, we are all a part of the great campfire.
*****
Philippians 3:17--4:1
In a Born Loser comic strip, Brutus is relaxing in his favorite chair, which of course is situated in front of the television. He has a contented look on his face when Gladys walks into the room and remarks, “Why are you sitting there with the TV turned off?” To which her husband replies, “Oops! I guess I forgot to turn it on.” Walking away with a disgruntled look, Gladys replies, “I don’t know whether that says more about tonight’s programs or him!”
Application: Paul instructs us to observe others so we have a better understanding of how to be a Christian. But the question becomes what are we observing -- a meaningless television program or a devout Christian mentor?
*****
Philippians 3:17--4:1
After 57 years, Barbie is getting a major makeover. Sales of the 11.5-inch blond bombshell of a doll have been declining for years. So, realizing that a doll with a disproportionate figure who is white and blond accounts for 27% of Mattel’s revenue, the company decided that a makeover was necessary to attract new buyers. Barbie will now come in three new bodies -- curvy, tall, and petite -- with seven skin tones, 22 eye colors, and 24 hairstyles. Jim Silver, the editor of New York toy-review site TTPM, commented on the change: “One size doesn’t fit all. This gives people different options when choosing a Barbie for their children.”
Application: Paul instructs us to be imitators of other Christians, but we must question who we are imitating. Are the three new Barbie dolls real and new imitations, or just false impressions of the original for the sake of profits?
*****
Philippians 3:17--4:1
The commercials during the Super Bowl are often talked about as much as the game itself. For a commercial to be successful, a celebrity is often chosen as the spokesperson. But Peter Daboll, the chief executive of Ace Matrix, a firm that rates the effectiveness of ads, observed: “No matter how carefully you choose a celebrity, they’re polarizing.” Some people will like the individual, and others will be offended.
Application: We must be careful who we choose to be imitators of in our Christian walk.
*****
Philippians 3:17--4:1
The motorcycle club Iron Order has a membership that is composed largely of police officers and military personnel. When they go riding they like to dress and have the emblems of outlaw biker gangs -- but with that regalia they also begin to adopt some of the gangs’ outlaw behavior. This resulted in a confrontation at the Colorado Motorcycle Expo which left one person dead, three shot, and a number beaten.
Application: If we imitate the wrong individuals, we will also begin to adopt their wrong behavior.
*****
Philippians 3:17--4:1
Robert Finicum, one of the leaders of the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, was shot and killed by an Oregon state trooper on a remote road. The FBI immediately released video of the incident, in order to combat criticism that the man did nothing to provoke the shooting. The video clearly shows Finicum reaching several times into his jacket when commanded to show his hands -- and Finicum did have a revolver in his jacket.
Application: Paul warns us to beware of individuals who only have their minds set on earthly things.
*****
Philippians 3:17--4:1
FX is currently running a 10-episode miniseries on O.J. Simpson’s murder trial in 1995. It is reported that Simpson is pleased with how he is portrayed, but is upset about the portrayal of his lawyer Johnnie Cochran. Simpson contends that Cochran is being depicted as ruthless and overly ambitious. Since Simpson is in prison on a kidnapping charge, he will not be able to watch the program.
Application: For those whom we are going to imitate, we must be pleased with how they are portrayed.
*****
Philippians 3:17--4:1
Sirhan Sirhan recently came before the California parole board for the 15th time, and his release was once again denied. Sirhan confessed to the murder of Robert Kennedy in 1968, but claimed that “legally speaking” he was not guilty because he had too much to drink and does not remember assassinating the presidential candidate. As the 71-year-old Sirhan showed no remorse, he was denied parole. Commissioner Brian Roberts informed Sirhan of the severity of his crime, saying, “This crime impacted the nation, and I daresay it impacted the world.”
Application: Paul instructs us to avoid individuals whose “god is the belly.”
*****
Philippians 3:17--4:1
David Eisenhauer and Natalie Keepers, students at Virginia Tech, were arrested for the murder of seventh-grader Nicole Lovell. Nicole was bullied in school because of her weight, being a liver transplant recipient, and other health scares. Nicole used the website Kik Interactive to find friends, which is how she met Eisenhauer. On his arrest, Eisenhower said, “I believe the truth will set me free.”
Application: Paul instructs us to avoid individuals whose “god is the belly.”
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: God is our light and our salvation; whom shall we fear?
People: God is the stronghold of our life; of whom shall we be afraid?
Leader: Let us live in the house of God all the days of our lives.
People: Let us behold the beauty of God, and inquire in God’s temple.
Leader: Teach us your way, O God.
People: Lead us on a level path because of our enemies.
OR
Leader: Worship our God who is our sure defense.
People: We sing praises to the One in whose hands we live.
Leader: Though all around us is turmoil, yet God is with us.
People: Secure in God’s love, we are never alone.
Leader: Knowing God’s love, let us reach out to others.
People: We will share God’s love and care with our neighbors.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”
found in:
UMH: 110
H82: 687, 688
PH: 260
AAHH: 124
NNBH: 37
NCH: 439, 440
CH: 65
LBW: 228, 229
ELA: 503, 504, 505
W&P: 588
AMEC: 54
STLT: 200
“All My Hope Is Firmly Grounded”
found in:
UMH: 132
H82: 665
NCH: 408
CH: 88
ELA: 757
“O God, Our Help in Ages Past”
found in:
UMH: 117
H82: 680
AAHH: 170
NNBH: 46
NCH: 25
CH: 67
LBW: 320
ELA: 632
W&P: 84
AMEC: 61
STLT: 281
“Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me”
found in:
UMH: 509
NNBH: 243
NCH: 441
LBW: 334
ELA: 755
AMEC: 372
“Out of the Depths I Cry to You”
found in:
UMH: 515
H82: 666
PH: 240
NCH: 483
CH: 510
LBW: 295
ELA: 600
“By Gracious Powers”
found in:
UMH: 517
H82: 695, 696
PH: 342
NCH: 413
ELA: 626
W&P: 75
“I Want Jesus to Walk with Me”
found in:
UMH: 521
PH: 363
AAHH: 563
NNBH: 500
NCH: 490
CH: 627
W&P: 506
AMEC: 375
“How Firm a Foundation”
found in:
UMH: 529
H82: 636, 637
PH: 361
AAHH: 146
NNBH: 48
NCH: 407
CH: 618
LBW: 507
ELA: 796
W&P: 411
AMEC: 433
“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”
found in:
CCB: 55
“The Steadfast Love of the Lord”
found in:
CCB: 28
Renew: 23
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is our light and our salvation: Grant us the grace to trust in you and to live without fear of the world; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We worship you, O God, for you are our light and our salvation. Receive our praises and send your Spirit upon us, that we might trust in you and forsake our fears. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our failure to give up our fears to the power of God’s love.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are so often overwhelmed by the world around us. There are so many scary things and we feel so out of control. Instead of trusting in you and your love, we try to figure out how we can handle all these things. We know we need to be reasonable and to take care of ourselves and each other, but we don’t stop there. We want to control everything. Forgive our foolishness, and call us back into the safety of your love that holds us no matter what happens in our lives. Amen.
Leader: God’s love is sufficient for us. We are held securely in God’s care for us. Share that care and hope with all.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We bring our worship to you, O God, for you are a strong rock and a sure fortress. Your love surrounds us always.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are so often overwhelmed by the world around us. There are so many scary things and we feel so out of control. Instead of trusting in you and your love, we try to figure out how we can handle all these things. We know we need to be reasonable and to take care of ourselves and each other, but we don’t stop there. We want to control everything. Forgive our foolishness, and call us back into the safety of your love that holds us no matter what happens in our lives.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you have loved us and blessed us. You have given us family, friends, and sisters and brothers in the faith who have watched over us and cared for us. You have given us your very own Spirit to dwell within us and among us. Your love is a sure defense.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who find their lives full of fear. Help us to reach out and care for others so that they may know your love for them.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about a time when you were afraid (maybe you were lost), and then you found someone (or were found by them) and you felt safe. It is good to have someone to look after us. God looks after us as well. No matter what happens, God is there to love us and care for us.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
You’ll Never Walk Alone
by Dean Feldmeyer
Psalm 27
You will need: an umbrella.
This morning we’re going to talk about fear and things we’re afraid of, and what God has to say about that.
Do you know what a phobia is? It’s an irrational fear. That is, a fear that is way too serious. People with phobias often panic -- scream, cry, run away -- when they find themselves close to the thing they fear.
I’m going to be honest with you here. I have a fear. I’m afraid of ___________ .
(I have shared with the children of my church that I suffer from cnidophobia, a fear of stinging insects like bees or wasps, a fear that goes back to a traumatic event in my childhood. Whenever I’m close to a bee or wasp my heart starts beating really fast, my mouth goes dry, my hands start to shake, and I want to run away as fast as I can. This is called a panic response and I always get it -- but as I have gotten older I’ve learned to control my fear until I can get away from the insect that I’m afraid of. I don’t scream and cry anymore. The children find it infinitely interesting and amusing that their 6'4" 250 lb. pastor is actually scared of a honeybee. But it is what it is, right?)
What are you afraid of?
The dark? Bugs? Dogs? Strangers? Yeah, there’s lots of stuff to be afraid of out there, isn’t there?
So how do you deal with things that you are afraid of? One of the most effective ways to deal with a fear is to have someone with you. Have you found that to be true? If you’re afraid of the dark and you have to walk through a dark place, it’s easier if someone is walking with you, isn’t it? If you’re afraid of bees, it’s easier to walk through a flower garden if someone goes with you.
The psalm for today is Psalm 27, and it may have been written by King David. It starts out talking about fear and how to handle our fears. It says: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” Here’s what the psalm says in a translation called The Message by Eugene Peterson: “Light, space, zest -- that’s God! So, with him on my side I’m fearless, afraid of no one and nothing” (v. 1).
David says that as long as we have God to go with us, we don’t have to be afraid of anything.
And guess what? God always goes with us! Isn’t that cool? We’re never alone. We’re never by ourselves.
Having God go with us is like having an umbrella in a rainstorm. (Open umbrella and invite the kids to snuggle under it with you, as many as can.) It may not make the storm go away, but it makes walking through the storm a whole lot easier.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, February 21, 2016, issue.
Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
Team member Mary Austin shares some additional thoughts on the Genesis passage and God’s promise to Abram of a descendant. As the lection opens, Abram is beginning to wonder about the veracity of God’s promise -- he still has no offspring, and the only possible heir he sees is a “slave born in my house.” But God responds by readjusting Abram’s perspective, telling him: “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them. So shall your descendants be.” Abram’s doubt is the result of his limited perspective, being able to perceive only the evidence at hand until God reminds him of God’s power to achieve things beyond our imagining. Mary suggests that this is an apt metaphor for the problem of depression, whose sufferers lack the energy, will, and ability to see the stars and the magnificent possibilities they offer. Mary shares her powerful and moving personal experience, and reminds us that though all seems darkness in the depths of depression, there are countless stars to be seen -- evidence of God’s boundless promises and care.
Primary Fears
by Chris Keating
Psalm 27; Luke 13:31-35
When our daughters were young, they were convinced that something was living under their bunkbeds. It was big, they told us. And loud. And very, very scary.
And it only came out when the lights were turned off and Mommy and Daddy had left the room.
After many sleepless nights, my wife devised a plan. She bought a large can of air freshener, and wrapped a sheet of construction paper around it that said “Monster Go-Away Spray.” It worked like a charm -- apparently, monsters and boogie men don’t like citrus pine scent.
Some fears, however, need much more than a spritz or two of aerosol spray. Fears and the mongers who trade in them are all around us. The rapidly spreading Zika virus is creating headlines disturbingly similar to the 2014 Ebola outbreak -- even though the diseases are quite different. But it’s not just disease that is frightening: we live in a world under constant threat of terrorism, lead-poisoned drinking water, unstable economic markets, and brash politicians whose artistry in promoting fear is better than their hairstyles.
Aside from mosquito repellant, there’s no spray that can successfully allay these fears. But carefully attending to the texts for the Second Sunday in Lent might offer a possibility for facing our fears. In spite of threats, Jesus remains faithful. And in the face of fear, the psalmist dares to live with courage: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
That’s a whole lot better than cheap air freshener.
In the News
Still, the question of whom or of what are we afraid begs for an answer. A quick scroll through an internet newsfeed yields an ample harvest of potential fears. We are afloat in a sea of anxiety.
Even as presidential candidates argue about whether or not the United States is safer today, fears about ISIS continue to mount. The director of the Central Intelligence Agency, John Brennan, says that he believes an attempted ISIS attack in the United States is “inevitable.” In an interview with 60 Minutes, Brennan says that while he believes ISIS’ attempts are bound to occur, he doesn’t think they will necessarily be successful. When asked what the CIA learned from the attacks in Paris, Brennan said:
That there is a lot that ISIL probably has underway that we don’t have obviously full insight into. We knew the system was blinking red. We knew just in the days before [the attacks] that ISIL was trying to carry out something. But the individuals involved have been able to take advantage of the newly available means of communication that are -- that are walled off, from law enforcement officials.
ISIS is just one part of a larger list of cultural fears that threaten our sense of well-being. The list truly runs from A to Z -- starting with thousands of sharks spotted off Florida’s Atlantic coast, and extending to the rapidly spreading Zika virus.
The sharks have apparently timed their arrival in Florida to coincide with the Sunshine State’s spring break crowds. Tens of thousands of sharks are just a “stone’s throw” off a 20-mile stretch of coast from Palm Beach to Singer Island. Ah, but not to worry, says biologist Stephen Kajiura. “Even though we have this huge number of sharks -- tens of thousands of them immediately adjacent to shore here in South Florida -- we have relatively few bites,” Kajiura said. “When you consider the number of people in the water and the number of sharks in the water you’d think there would be a lot of interaction.”
So no real worries, right? Maybe, or maybe not. As a woman from Tennessee reminded us over and over again last summer in an entertaining viral video, perhaps we should just learn to stay out of the shark’s house. However, while 2015 set the record for the most unprovoked shark bites, the overall odds of being attacked are actually pretty slim. Across the world, 98 persons were attacked, and six died. It’s probable that the incidents will continue to rise as human-shark interaction increases.
But when it comes to creating fear, sharks may have nothing over tiny mosquitoes. The Zika virus, which is spread by mosquitoes, has been reported in at least 23 nations so far. Like the Ebola epidemic, Zika tends to wreak havoc in the poorest and most underdeveloped nations, creating concerns for how it could impact the global economy.
Olympic officials are closely monitoring the situation in Brazil, where Zika has been most devastating. The disease has been widespread throughout Brazil, raising concerns about the health of athletes headed to Rio de Janeiro for this summer’s Olympics. There also appears to be a connection between Zika and complications such as Guillain-Barre syndrome and birth defects such as microcephaly, though the World Health Organization has said that more investigation is needed. The relationship between Zika and the increase of both GB syndrome (a neurological disorder that causes paralysis) and infants born with abnormally small heads is uncertain. However, the agency noted that an increase of Guillain-Barre was observed in 2013-14 during a Zika outbreak in French Polynesia.
Fear of Zika has caused some countries to urge women to postpone pregnancy, and has prompted increased interest in vaccine trials and research. Research into mosquito-borne viruses is prompting a sort of “gold rush” in biotech stocks, according to Bloomberg Business. Perhaps it is true that fear is almost always good for business.
And politics.
As the presidential primary season gets into full swing, fear seems to be at the top of the agenda. Donald Trump is aiming to make America great again, pledging to do “whatever it takes” to achieve the goal. Trump said that could include torturing “the enemy,” or building a wall to stop illegal immigration, or deporting millions of undocumented aliens. One observer notes that “in a country that at its best radiates an infectious optimism, it is interesting how often fear has stalked the American landscape.”
It isn’t just Trump, however. Senator Ted Cruz employs a similar style, and both former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders have utilized at least some fear tactics in their campaigns. David Brooks wrote this week that Cruz “lays down an atmosphere of apocalyptic fear.” America is headed off the cliff, Cruz suggests. Brooks concludes: “There is not a hint of compassion, gentleness, and mercy. Instead, his speeches are marked by a long list of enemies, and vows to crush, shred, destroy, bomb them. When he is speaking in a church the contrast between the setting and the emotional tone he sets is jarring.”
Harvard professor Richard Parker has traced the roots of America’s politics of paranoia to the Salem witch trials, and even earlier. The Puritans, according to Parker, were prompted to leave England because of feelings of paranoia, and were able to successfully import those behaviors to the New World. Michael Goldfarb discusses Parker’s theory, noting just how the roots of contemporary fear were visible in 17th-century Salem:
Add in the daily struggles with nature, fighting with native Americans, and millennial religious practice that thought the end times were approaching and you have, Parker points out, “a community primed to be fearful.”
And so in the town of Salem, people turned on their more free-thinking neighbors, and accused them of being witches. At this time, the idea of witchcraft was not something from fiction. People really did believe, in Parker’s words, “dark spirits could inhabit souls and bodies. It was the basis for primitive psychology and physiology.”
At the end of his article, Goldfarb shares a conversation he had recently with a retired voter from South Carolina. The man told him that Trump has instilled hope in people. “Hope?” Goldfarb replied. “Sounds like desperation to me.” The man disagreed. “If he does what he says he’s gonna do, we would be less fearful.” He added, for emphasis: “We fear the federal government very much.”
Just add it to the list of our primary fears.
In the Scriptures
Both Psalm 27 and Luke 13:31-35 provide words of assurance and redirection to a people saturated by the briny toxins of fear. They narrate a testimony of faith that is fully aware of fear, yet somehow dares to look in new ways. These texts narrate a way through darkness, and provide rich possibilities for preaching this Second Sunday in Lent.
Psalm 27 brilliantly describes the dilemma of life. Success is not guaranteed; in fact, the psalm is punctuated by terror and tension. Yet, as Samuel Roberts notes in Feasting on the Word (Year C, Vol. 2), faith and fear are undeniably linked. The psalmist is surrounded by foes intent on taking away his life. The narrator is surrounded, and there is no place to go. Despite these realities, the psalmist clings to a vision of hope built on faith. “I believe,” the psalmist declares, “that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” All is not lost -- even when the prima facie evidence suggests otherwise.
Instead of giving up, the psalmist yields to faith. As Roberts again notes, “No description of human existence will be complete apart from a confession that the “Lord is the stronghold of my life,” after which again the psalmist can ask with unfailing confidence, “Of whom shall I be afraid?”
In Luke, Jesus is confronted once more by the brutalities of Herod -- who for Luke is essentially the embodiment of the politics of paranoia. Jesus is intent on his mission (“I must be on my way”). Because he knows that ultimately the threats of Herod or the Pharisees’ charges must not impede the kingdom, he acts out of hope and courage. Those who are now first will find themselves humbled, just as he has said. Moreover, the fearmongers and paranoia traders will lose their places to poor, the sick, the demon-possessed, and all others who have been excluded. Jesus comes to bring the compassion of God to those touched by fear, and to oppose all who have failed to embrace all of God’s children. He brings a peace that will cast aside all fear -- a peace we know shall come on that third day.
In the Sermon
“It’s a tough time to be courageous,” writes Lorraine Devon Wilke. “Fear is all the rage, the currency of politics and pontification. For a country built on ideals of intrepidity and dauntlessness, how strange that we’ve become a culture hiding behind walls of artillery, clinging to the coattails of our most xenophobic and narrow-minded.”
In the midst of such fear, Wilke salutes her friends who are able to see beyond fear toward hope. This wildly diverse group -- diverse in every way imaginable -- has somehow been able to see “beyond smokescreens to the bigger pictures hidden in cleverly hidden snapshots.” Wilke’s friends have somehow been able to reach beyond the fear of others and develop lives of meaning and hope.
Wilke isn’t on to something new. Instead, as both the Psalm and Luke texts suggest, God’s people are a people shaped by a courage that sees beyond fear. Lent brings clarity to the journey of darkness each of us must face, just as surely as Jesus faced his journey. But it also conveys the message of deep and abiding hope that accompanies us through fear. No doubt about it -- fears are real. Zika is real, shark bites are real, and ISIS is, regrettably, very, very real.
Yet so is the faith we share. In moments of fear -- moments like our present age -- the church should not recoil from its primary task of declaring the good news of faith. Jesus did not turn from the threats; instead, he found courage to continue what he had been called to do. Likewise, the faith of the psalmist brings a light to our Lenten path, and helps guide us beyond these fears.
Whom shall we fear?
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
As God reminds Abraham of the great future God has planned for him, Abraham asks what we all want to know: “O Lord God, how am I to know?” How can I trust the future when the present looks so bleak? Abraham has heard God’s promise of offspring, gone to the trouble of ransoming his nephew Lot from some warring kings, and now looks around and realizes that his household steward is his only heir. The future that God promises looks impossible.
That feeling of a future far out of reach is familiar to anyone who struggles with depression. Depression is so epidemic that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended that all adolescents be regularly screened for depression. As the Los Angeles Times reports, most teenagers are not asked about symptoms of depression right now: “Major depressive disorder is thought to affect about 8% of adolescents each year, and only between 36% and 44% report they have gotten treatment.... And depression can be life-threatening. Between their 13th and 18th birthdays, just short of 20% of adolescents suffering from depression will attempt suicide.” The high cost of depression in teenagers plays out in poor grades, trouble with relationships, and the lure of substance abuse.
Sometimes the future is so difficult to imagine that death feels like the only way out. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for teenagers, behind homicide and accidents, according to the American Psychological Association.
Depression is often masked among teenagers because we expect them to be grumpy, sleep a lot, and withdraw from adults. Even the sunniest adolescent has deep existential questions. Being a teenager and being depressed look similar... until the depression takes over. Elise Jamison, a 16-year-old, wrote for the Huffington Post about her five-year struggle with depression, saying: “The worst part of a depressive episode is when someone asks questions like ‘Why?’ ‘What happened?’ or ‘Was someone mean to you?’ Sometimes there is an antecedent, but more often than not depression just hits you. It feels like riding a bike, and in the blink of an eye you’re trying to pedal through quicksand with no tires. Moreover, it is almost impossible to explain, so trying to answer these questions makes you feel like even more of a failure.... The best thing you can do when you are trying to help someone with depression is to simply be there.”
When Abraham can’t imagine how the future will emerge from the bleakness of the present, God tells him, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” If you are able... and depression, for many people, means that just getting through the day is hard enough. There’s no energy to look, and no will to see the stars.
My own teenager has been wrestling with depression for well over a year now (and gave me permission to share some of her story). There is a stigma around depression, and so I try to talk about her illness the same way I would if she had cancer or a failing heart.
As her mother, I find it hard to look up at the stars some days too. Depression has taken away the girl I used to know, and left behind a thin, weary girl who can sleep all day. Some days I make her get out of bed so I can change the sheets, which are starting to smell funny. I used to ration her time out with friends so she could attend to schoolwork, and now I leap up with joy whenever she asks to go out -- actually leaving the house is a good day.
Her depression reminds me that we have the gift of other people who will look up at the stars for us when we can’t do it ourselves. When I don’t know what to tell people about how she’s doing, when I don’t return their calls because I don’t have any words for the weariness of this, they keep calling anyway. They offer their offices for an hour of respite, or their cars for rides, or their loving presence to hear a problem that has no solution right now.
Her illness has also reminded me how fortunate we are. A flexible job allows me to take her to the counselor. An office with a door means I can take time to call the school. Insurance pays for medication and a hospital stay. I start to see how other teenagers slip through the cracks, without all of the resources that keep her -- just barely -- afloat.
I also see how ignorant I was as a parent. Living with a kid who generally did well in school, had friends, and participated in sports and band, I didn’t see the invisible world of kids who are struggling. With my living room full of accomplished kids, I missed the world of kids who are suffering. I didn’t see the pain of parents whose kids don’t fit in. I didn’t hear the flatness in the voices of parents who have nothing good to talk about.
When she was in the hospital in a “major depressive episode,” as the paperwork says, I met so many kids without these same resources. What happens to them, I wonder? Like the girl who always wore the paper pants given to her on admission because no one in her life found the time to come and bring her any clothes. Like the boy in the day room whose family moves every few months “because they get evicted a lot,” my daughter explained. Or like the girl whose father comes and talks about sports for the whole visit, desperate to connect and not knowing what to say. “Teenagers come here over and over again,” the nurse told her. “The best thing you can do for yourself is don’t come back.”
I choose to believe that there is an end to this -- that the stars are still up there, and that God has a future in mind. What it is, I don’t know. Depression is the family disease, and it persuaded my brother to take his life a few years ago. The fear of that, for my daughter, sweeps over me. Abraham, like so many of God’s people, doubted God’s plans. Yet he, and my daughter, and I, and all of us are embraced by a God who crafts a future for us. The One who created the stars reminds us to look up at them, and to remember the promises that hold us.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
Psalm 27
Every Body Is Anybody
Every year since 1964, Sports Illustrated magazine turns momentarily away from sports for one issue to devote their pages to swimsuit models. Though they have from time to time featured some female athletes in the “Swimsuit Issue,” the vast majority of the women present are fashion models.
It has even been said that the “S.I.S.I.” is one of the things that can catapult a woman from “model” to “supermodel.”
The unapologetic display of female pulchritude is not without controversy, however. Sports Illustrated has lost subscribers over it -- 1978 was the top year for cancellations, with 340 after Cheryl Tiegs was displayed in a fishnet swimsuit.
Others, like the National Organization of Women (NOW), object to the Swimsuit Issue because it “promotes the harmful and dehumanizing concept that women are a product for male consumption.” And lately, Sports Illustrated has come under fire for promoting a standard of beauty that is possible for only a very small minority of women to attain -- and therefore unrealistic and often harmful to girls and young women.
This year (2016), SI has, if not folded, at least bent a little to that argument.
For the first time, Sports Illustrated will offer three separate covers for the 2016 Swimsuit Issue, one of which will be adorned by 5'9" size 16 Ashley Graham -- and one of the models inside the issue will be 56-year-old Nicola Griffin, the oldest ever to appear in a Swimsuit Issue.
Girls and young women who have been teased and demeaned because they don’t fit the perfect, young, skinny standard that has adorned fashion magazines and runways since the ’60s will now have a couple of heroines to show them a different, yet no less real, kind of beauty.
And it’s about time.
*****
Psalm 27; Luke 13:31-35
Laughter Really Is the Best Medicine
Gina Barreca is a professor of English at the University of Connecticut (UConn), and she is the author of Snow White Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and It’s Not That I’m Bitter: How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World. Writing for Psychology Today in 2013, she said:
When I think about the role of fear in everyday life, I think about how pervasive it is, and how little we consciously acknowledge it even as fear shapes our thoughts and behaviors.
What does fear do?
It fiddles with the phone until the call comes, it hides jewelry in paper bags underneath the sink, it rehearses every word of a conversation with a sister that ended cold. Fear counts calories, counts pennies, counts a partner’s nights away from home, and wonders about a child’s friends, a child’s grades, a child’s future.
Fear practically runs our lives. So what can we do?
Barreca suggests that we “use humor to put our fears into perspective. Humor addresses the same issues as fear, not to dismiss them, but to strengthen our ability to confront them and then laugh them away from the door.”
Humor, she concludes, is the one thing that fear cannot abide: “Laughter banishes anxiety, and can help replace fear. Laughter is a testament to courage, or at least a manifestation of the wish for it, and courage is stronger than fear. We need a strong and healthy dose of focused humor in our lives every day.”
*****
Luke 13:31-35
Turning Into the Storm
We notice that Jesus does not run from the coming storm. Indeed, he turns into the storm, faces the trouble, and walks toward it and into Jerusalem. This phenomenon is visible in other real-life instances that become metaphors for us. Bison, for example, always face and walk into a snowstorm because they instinctively know that trying to run before a storm will lengthen its duration. The quickest way to walk out of a storm is to head into it.
On the sea, only the fastest and sleekest boats or ships try to run before a storm. More often, the safest (although wettest) route is to turn the boat into the storm and take the pounding waves head-on. Likewise, military strategists know that a long line of enemy troops can rarely be successfully defeated with another long line. The best and most effective tactic -- as we learned from the Romans, who learned it from the Spartans -- is to amass your troops into a compact, tightly-knit wedge and to drive that wedge into the opposing line, puncturing it.
Often, the best and most effective way to defeat a fear is to meet it head-on and punch our way through it. Jesus is always willing to take the point for us.
***************
From team member Ron Love:
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
The Denver Broncos were victorious at Super Bowl 50. This was their third Super Bowl title, and the first in 17 years. For their homecoming parade in the “Mile High City,” more than a million fans came out to cheer the victors for their 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers.
Application: As difficult that it is to imagine more than a million people lining a parade route, how much more difficult is it for us to imagine the descendants of Abram, which are more numerous than the stars?
*****
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
The commercials during the Super Bowl often attract as much attention as the game itself. Last year many of the advertisements lacked appeal, so many called it the “Somber Bowl.” In evaluating Super Bowl advertisements, Richard Kirshenbaum, CEO of the ad agency NSG/SWAT, said: “The Super Bowl is America’s great campfire. People want to gather around and have a great time.”
Application: As Abram’s descendants are more numerous than the stars, we are all a part of the great campfire.
*****
Philippians 3:17--4:1
In a Born Loser comic strip, Brutus is relaxing in his favorite chair, which of course is situated in front of the television. He has a contented look on his face when Gladys walks into the room and remarks, “Why are you sitting there with the TV turned off?” To which her husband replies, “Oops! I guess I forgot to turn it on.” Walking away with a disgruntled look, Gladys replies, “I don’t know whether that says more about tonight’s programs or him!”
Application: Paul instructs us to observe others so we have a better understanding of how to be a Christian. But the question becomes what are we observing -- a meaningless television program or a devout Christian mentor?
*****
Philippians 3:17--4:1
After 57 years, Barbie is getting a major makeover. Sales of the 11.5-inch blond bombshell of a doll have been declining for years. So, realizing that a doll with a disproportionate figure who is white and blond accounts for 27% of Mattel’s revenue, the company decided that a makeover was necessary to attract new buyers. Barbie will now come in three new bodies -- curvy, tall, and petite -- with seven skin tones, 22 eye colors, and 24 hairstyles. Jim Silver, the editor of New York toy-review site TTPM, commented on the change: “One size doesn’t fit all. This gives people different options when choosing a Barbie for their children.”
Application: Paul instructs us to be imitators of other Christians, but we must question who we are imitating. Are the three new Barbie dolls real and new imitations, or just false impressions of the original for the sake of profits?
*****
Philippians 3:17--4:1
The commercials during the Super Bowl are often talked about as much as the game itself. For a commercial to be successful, a celebrity is often chosen as the spokesperson. But Peter Daboll, the chief executive of Ace Matrix, a firm that rates the effectiveness of ads, observed: “No matter how carefully you choose a celebrity, they’re polarizing.” Some people will like the individual, and others will be offended.
Application: We must be careful who we choose to be imitators of in our Christian walk.
*****
Philippians 3:17--4:1
The motorcycle club Iron Order has a membership that is composed largely of police officers and military personnel. When they go riding they like to dress and have the emblems of outlaw biker gangs -- but with that regalia they also begin to adopt some of the gangs’ outlaw behavior. This resulted in a confrontation at the Colorado Motorcycle Expo which left one person dead, three shot, and a number beaten.
Application: If we imitate the wrong individuals, we will also begin to adopt their wrong behavior.
*****
Philippians 3:17--4:1
Robert Finicum, one of the leaders of the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, was shot and killed by an Oregon state trooper on a remote road. The FBI immediately released video of the incident, in order to combat criticism that the man did nothing to provoke the shooting. The video clearly shows Finicum reaching several times into his jacket when commanded to show his hands -- and Finicum did have a revolver in his jacket.
Application: Paul warns us to beware of individuals who only have their minds set on earthly things.
*****
Philippians 3:17--4:1
FX is currently running a 10-episode miniseries on O.J. Simpson’s murder trial in 1995. It is reported that Simpson is pleased with how he is portrayed, but is upset about the portrayal of his lawyer Johnnie Cochran. Simpson contends that Cochran is being depicted as ruthless and overly ambitious. Since Simpson is in prison on a kidnapping charge, he will not be able to watch the program.
Application: For those whom we are going to imitate, we must be pleased with how they are portrayed.
*****
Philippians 3:17--4:1
Sirhan Sirhan recently came before the California parole board for the 15th time, and his release was once again denied. Sirhan confessed to the murder of Robert Kennedy in 1968, but claimed that “legally speaking” he was not guilty because he had too much to drink and does not remember assassinating the presidential candidate. As the 71-year-old Sirhan showed no remorse, he was denied parole. Commissioner Brian Roberts informed Sirhan of the severity of his crime, saying, “This crime impacted the nation, and I daresay it impacted the world.”
Application: Paul instructs us to avoid individuals whose “god is the belly.”
*****
Philippians 3:17--4:1
David Eisenhauer and Natalie Keepers, students at Virginia Tech, were arrested for the murder of seventh-grader Nicole Lovell. Nicole was bullied in school because of her weight, being a liver transplant recipient, and other health scares. Nicole used the website Kik Interactive to find friends, which is how she met Eisenhauer. On his arrest, Eisenhower said, “I believe the truth will set me free.”
Application: Paul instructs us to avoid individuals whose “god is the belly.”
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: God is our light and our salvation; whom shall we fear?
People: God is the stronghold of our life; of whom shall we be afraid?
Leader: Let us live in the house of God all the days of our lives.
People: Let us behold the beauty of God, and inquire in God’s temple.
Leader: Teach us your way, O God.
People: Lead us on a level path because of our enemies.
OR
Leader: Worship our God who is our sure defense.
People: We sing praises to the One in whose hands we live.
Leader: Though all around us is turmoil, yet God is with us.
People: Secure in God’s love, we are never alone.
Leader: Knowing God’s love, let us reach out to others.
People: We will share God’s love and care with our neighbors.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”
found in:
UMH: 110
H82: 687, 688
PH: 260
AAHH: 124
NNBH: 37
NCH: 439, 440
CH: 65
LBW: 228, 229
ELA: 503, 504, 505
W&P: 588
AMEC: 54
STLT: 200
“All My Hope Is Firmly Grounded”
found in:
UMH: 132
H82: 665
NCH: 408
CH: 88
ELA: 757
“O God, Our Help in Ages Past”
found in:
UMH: 117
H82: 680
AAHH: 170
NNBH: 46
NCH: 25
CH: 67
LBW: 320
ELA: 632
W&P: 84
AMEC: 61
STLT: 281
“Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me”
found in:
UMH: 509
NNBH: 243
NCH: 441
LBW: 334
ELA: 755
AMEC: 372
“Out of the Depths I Cry to You”
found in:
UMH: 515
H82: 666
PH: 240
NCH: 483
CH: 510
LBW: 295
ELA: 600
“By Gracious Powers”
found in:
UMH: 517
H82: 695, 696
PH: 342
NCH: 413
ELA: 626
W&P: 75
“I Want Jesus to Walk with Me”
found in:
UMH: 521
PH: 363
AAHH: 563
NNBH: 500
NCH: 490
CH: 627
W&P: 506
AMEC: 375
“How Firm a Foundation”
found in:
UMH: 529
H82: 636, 637
PH: 361
AAHH: 146
NNBH: 48
NCH: 407
CH: 618
LBW: 507
ELA: 796
W&P: 411
AMEC: 433
“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”
found in:
CCB: 55
“The Steadfast Love of the Lord”
found in:
CCB: 28
Renew: 23
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is our light and our salvation: Grant us the grace to trust in you and to live without fear of the world; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We worship you, O God, for you are our light and our salvation. Receive our praises and send your Spirit upon us, that we might trust in you and forsake our fears. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our failure to give up our fears to the power of God’s love.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are so often overwhelmed by the world around us. There are so many scary things and we feel so out of control. Instead of trusting in you and your love, we try to figure out how we can handle all these things. We know we need to be reasonable and to take care of ourselves and each other, but we don’t stop there. We want to control everything. Forgive our foolishness, and call us back into the safety of your love that holds us no matter what happens in our lives. Amen.
Leader: God’s love is sufficient for us. We are held securely in God’s care for us. Share that care and hope with all.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We bring our worship to you, O God, for you are a strong rock and a sure fortress. Your love surrounds us always.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are so often overwhelmed by the world around us. There are so many scary things and we feel so out of control. Instead of trusting in you and your love, we try to figure out how we can handle all these things. We know we need to be reasonable and to take care of ourselves and each other, but we don’t stop there. We want to control everything. Forgive our foolishness, and call us back into the safety of your love that holds us no matter what happens in our lives.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you have loved us and blessed us. You have given us family, friends, and sisters and brothers in the faith who have watched over us and cared for us. You have given us your very own Spirit to dwell within us and among us. Your love is a sure defense.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who find their lives full of fear. Help us to reach out and care for others so that they may know your love for them.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about a time when you were afraid (maybe you were lost), and then you found someone (or were found by them) and you felt safe. It is good to have someone to look after us. God looks after us as well. No matter what happens, God is there to love us and care for us.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
You’ll Never Walk Alone
by Dean Feldmeyer
Psalm 27
You will need: an umbrella.
This morning we’re going to talk about fear and things we’re afraid of, and what God has to say about that.
Do you know what a phobia is? It’s an irrational fear. That is, a fear that is way too serious. People with phobias often panic -- scream, cry, run away -- when they find themselves close to the thing they fear.
I’m going to be honest with you here. I have a fear. I’m afraid of ___________ .
(I have shared with the children of my church that I suffer from cnidophobia, a fear of stinging insects like bees or wasps, a fear that goes back to a traumatic event in my childhood. Whenever I’m close to a bee or wasp my heart starts beating really fast, my mouth goes dry, my hands start to shake, and I want to run away as fast as I can. This is called a panic response and I always get it -- but as I have gotten older I’ve learned to control my fear until I can get away from the insect that I’m afraid of. I don’t scream and cry anymore. The children find it infinitely interesting and amusing that their 6'4" 250 lb. pastor is actually scared of a honeybee. But it is what it is, right?)
What are you afraid of?
The dark? Bugs? Dogs? Strangers? Yeah, there’s lots of stuff to be afraid of out there, isn’t there?
So how do you deal with things that you are afraid of? One of the most effective ways to deal with a fear is to have someone with you. Have you found that to be true? If you’re afraid of the dark and you have to walk through a dark place, it’s easier if someone is walking with you, isn’t it? If you’re afraid of bees, it’s easier to walk through a flower garden if someone goes with you.
The psalm for today is Psalm 27, and it may have been written by King David. It starts out talking about fear and how to handle our fears. It says: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” Here’s what the psalm says in a translation called The Message by Eugene Peterson: “Light, space, zest -- that’s God! So, with him on my side I’m fearless, afraid of no one and nothing” (v. 1).
David says that as long as we have God to go with us, we don’t have to be afraid of anything.
And guess what? God always goes with us! Isn’t that cool? We’re never alone. We’re never by ourselves.
Having God go with us is like having an umbrella in a rainstorm. (Open umbrella and invite the kids to snuggle under it with you, as many as can.) It may not make the storm go away, but it makes walking through the storm a whole lot easier.
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The Immediate Word, February 21, 2016, issue.
Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
