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Last week we talked about Jonah, and I asked if you, like him, have ever had to do something you really did not want to do. Like eat asparagus. Well, this week, I am asking if you have ever had to do something you were really afraid of doing? Something that really scares you, and more than anything, you wish you could get out of doing? Like what? (Let them answer.)


Well, I know what one little girl would say! Every time her parents have to take her to the doctor ïs office, the first thing out of her mouth is always the same thing: 'Will I have to get a shot?' It doesn ït matter if they are going for a simple earache, a regular checkup for school, or even just to read the magazines in the waiting room: she is terrified that just by walking in the door of the doctor ïs office, some law says she will have to get a shot!


The other day she was asking her dad to tell her exactly how many immunization shots she will have to get between now and the time she turns sixteen. Of course, her dad had no clue, but that did not stop her from asking a zillion questions anyway. 'How many measles shots do I get?' 'What ïs a typhoid?' 'How many typhoid shots do I have to get?' 'When do I have to get another polio shot?' When her father probed his memory banks and said he thought the polio medicine came inside a little sugar cube, she felt a little better, but she still was very unhappy about the whole thing. You see my nine-year-old daughter really, really hates shots!


We all have things we hate doing, things that frighten us, things we would do almost anything to avoid. You might be surprised to find out that Jesus did, too! Yes, when He got near the time when He knew He would be arrested, and suffer a terrible, painful death, He was scared, too. Plenty scared.


So, He did what a lot of people do when they get scared: He prayed to God. And He told God exactly how He felt. Jesus said He did not want to go through with it. If there is any way, He said, for Me to just walk away from here, retire from all this turmoil, not get arrested and put to death, and live quietly somewhere for a long, long time, please tell Me now. You ïd better tell me quickly, God, for the hour is late. It is a bitter cup I am about to drink, Jesus said to God; if You can take this cup away and save me the suffering I know is coming, just do it.


But in the end, Jesus did what He had to do. He had to suffer and die so He could rise again from the dead, and give us all life forever in heaven. Jesus was scared, yet still He said to God, 'God, if it were My choice I would not go through with this, but it isn ït up to Me, it is up to You. If You say I must, then I will.'


There is a rock opera called Jesus Christ Superstar, where Jesus sings, 'God, Thy will is hard/but You hold every card â.' That is what Jesus said as He prepared to suffer and die: 'God, not My will, but Your will, be done.'


A lot of times, we get scared in life, and adults know this as well as children. Even the bravest soldiers are scared going into battle. Even the bravest police officers and firefighters are scared when the sirens ring and they race off to an emergency. Even the bravest mothers are scared when they go into the hospital to give birth to a baby.


Listen carefully, children: courage does not mean not being afraid. People with courage get scared all the time. Courage means doing what you have to do even when you are scared. That is what courage really means! So you see, when you are scared about getting a shot, it doesn ït mean you aren ït brave. Everyone gets scared of something -- you show real courage when you get the shot anyway, despite your fears! Just like Jesus, for He went on and did what He had to do anyway even when He Himself was scared. Amen.