As an
intentional break between sections of the sermon today, I invite you to sing
the refrain from a song.
Be not afraid.
I go before you always. Come follow me and I will give you rest.
The
Philistines and the Israelites were at war. The Philistines had a weapon of
mass destruction, and his name was Goliath. He’s nearly 10 feet tall and his
armor alone weighs 126 pounds. Perhaps we could think of Paul Bunyan in size,
though not in temperament.
Goliath
challenges the Israelites to come and do battle with him, offering terms.
Choose one person to challenge me. The loser of the duel will serve the winner;
the army of the loser will serve the army of the winner.
The
army was afraid. There was no single fighter able to defeat such a giant. They
imagined losing the battle and losing their identity as Israelites and losing
contact with their God. But when David heard about the contest, he was
energized, and he was angry that this man was defying his God’s people, and his
God.
He
claimed, “I know how to defeat this man. I have plenty of experience fighting
off lions and bears. I can handle one single human.” Saul, a much bigger man,
hoped to protect David with his armor, but the armor only hindered David’s
ability to move as he needed to move.
“I
want you to know,” David proclaimed to Goliath, “that God does not win battles
with sword and spear but with divine power. God has already defeated you.”
Trusting in God to protect him and to guide his throwing arm, David selected
some stones and loaded his slingshot. The giant fell, and Saul’s army – the
army of the Lord – was saved by a boy with a slingshot and a powerful trust in
the Lord.
When
the army quivered and quaked in fear, David drew his courage from his faith
that he was not alone and that God would save God’s people.
When
we are afraid, intimidated by someone or something that seems much larger than
ourselves, we can imitate David and trust that we do not face the situation
alone. God is there with us. Always. Let’s sing.
Be not afraid.
I go before you always. Come follow me and I will give you rest.
One
day, Jesus needed to escape from the crowds so he asked the disciples to get in
the boat and head out across the lake. Apparently, those who had boats went
with them. Even on the water, Jesus could not totally escape the crowds. A
storm came up, but Jesus slept through it.
These
waters can be wildly dangerous. The disciples are terrified; “We’re all going
to die! Don’t you care about us?!” Jesus awoke and spoke to the storm. “Peace.
Be still.” And the storm ended. Then he questioned the disciples, who I’m sure
are sitting there speechless. “Don’t you trust in me?”
Whether
they trusted in him or not wasn’t the issue for the disciples. They want to
know how he could control even the weather. It was the best magic trick they
had ever seen. They were still afraid, but in a different way. If this Jesus
could control the weather, what else could he do? What could he do to them?
When
we get scared, we want to know that our God is not asleep in the bottom of the
boat, but right there with us, helping us steer the boat, and maybe even
helping us bail out the water. Jesus promises that we can trust in him to
always be there with us. Let’s sing.
Be not afraid.
I go before you always. Come follow me and I will give you rest.
The
Apostle Paul is writing to the Corinthians, who have been causing a lot of
trouble. They are a rebellious lot, as some would describe them. They have
followed other leaders who are sharing a gospel that differs radically from the
one Paul is sharing. They believe the lies told about Paul, Timothy, Titus, and
others. Their actions are not what Paul expects from believers in Jesus.
Paul
declares that his own behavior has been exemplary and filled with tolerance for
the tortures that have been imposed upon him. He has faced calamity and
blessings with the same passion for the mission of Jesus. He urges the
Corinthians to do the same.
Whether
facing hardship or kindness, all believers should hold firmly to their faith in
Jesus, trusting in him to help them in any situation. “Open your hearts,” Paul
says, “and receive the Lord Jesus. He will pour out blessings upon you, even in
the midst of struggle and challenge.”
When
we are faced with conflict, we have two built-in, instinctive, responses: fight
or flight. Paul is describing the situation of the Corinthians as flight. They
have chosen the easier, more familiar pattern of living and believing. They
have not chosen to fight for the truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and
they have believed the lies others have told about him, Paul.
Paul
insists the right response is to fight for what they know is true, as he has
done. Paul does not give up the fight for what is right and true, even though
it has meant serious hardships for him and some of those with him. Repeatedly
using himself as a role model, Paul hopes the Corinthians will follow his model
of living and loving and join him in putting all their hope and faith in Jesus,
their Lord.
When
we are facing conflict, we have the same choices, fight or flight. It can be
hard at times to determine whether we should fight or flee. We often think
first of self-preservation – we will fight to hold onto something we know is
ours. “That’s MY chocolate chip cookie!” And we will flee to keep our bodies
out of harm’s way. “MY! That’s a really big fist you have.”
But
sometimes, it’s best to put Jesus and God’s purposes first. We can fight for
what we know is right – declaring ourselves Christian even when facing a threat
to our safety. We can fight for what we know is right, by voting and speaking
out against those who defy God’s purposes, God’s justice for all people. When
we choose to stand and fight for God’s purposes, we join David and Paul and
Martin Luther and Martin Luther King and Bishop Oscar Romero and the nuns in El
Salvador and the martyrs of Uganda, and so many, many more. We join them in
trusting that God will be at our side, always, even if our lives are
threatened.
Let’s
sing.
Be not afraid.
I go before you always. Come follow me and I will give you rest.
When
we face challenges, when we are afraid, we can run and hide. We can beg Jesus
to take care of the problem for us. Or we can stand up against whatever it is
that is threatening us – cancer, memory loss, death of a loved one, increasing
physical disability, financial problems. We can stand against those things that
threaten us because we know that God is by our side – no, going before us – to
help us be victorious.
Even
so … We WILL lose the battle against death – that is a given for humans. But it
is not the last word, because Jesus has gone before us to prove that God is
more powerful than death. We know that at the last, and in the meantime, when
we follow Jesus, trust in his presence and power, he will sooner AND later give
us rest.
Let’s
sing.
Be not afraid.
I go before you always. Come follow me and I will give you rest.
Amen
