Fear Not! [Part Two]

Scripture:

Luke 1:26-3826 Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin [h]betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming to her, the angel said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly perplexed at what he said, and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin and have no intimacy with any man?” 35 Then the angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a cloud]; for that reason the holy (pure, sinless) Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 And listen, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible.” 38 Then Mary said, “[i]Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel left her.

Observation:

"Do not be afraid!" This powerful gospel-imperative is preceded, immersed, and proceeded by proclamation.

Before Mary can begin to be afraid, Gabriel greets her with the news, "The Lord is with you."

God's presence manifests in reality-transforming activity, "For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible."

God's presence with and activity for Mary begets her willing participation in something beautiful if not painless, for she will not only bear Our Savior but the after-birth of salvation for all of creation. "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word."

Application:

Of late, I have been struggling somewhat with the magnitude of my role as pastor of the faith community I serve. Some days it seems the work is too great. Most days it seems that I am just too small.

I have an emergent sense of what is possible for us. I have identified several directions in which we might travel faithfully. Still, I am wary of moving us forward because I don't know how to get us moving towards a destination I can only vaguely make out.

Can you identify with these feelings of being called to embark upon a journey with no definite destination in sight? Do you find yourself dragging your heals and hedging your bets? In your case, delaying might be practiced prudence. As for me, I have been afraid.

Mary must have been tempted to fearfulness too, otherwise why would Gabriel speak those words? Human beings must be pretty pre-disposed to fear, otherwise why would scripture bid us, "fear not" with such great regularity?

Still, Mary found a way through fear to faithfulness and joy even in the midst of hardship. For her, God's active, playful presence was key. And, you know what? God's word for her is God's word for us.
Even though none of us will be called to physically birth Christ Jesus, each of us is called to bear the light of Christ into the dark corners of our families, neighbourhoods and offices.

Fear not, God-bearer! The Lord has found favour with you and is working to deliver you even as you are called and equipped to bring forth redemptive love and justice into the world. Seriously, God is with you, so anything is possible.

Prayer: (From Evangelical Lutheran Worship, 2006)

O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown Give us faith to out with good courage, not knowing where we go, 

but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Fear Not! [Part 1]

Scripture:

Luke 1:5-13 [AMP]

5 In the days of Herod [the Great], king of Judea, there was a certain priest whose name was Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron [the first high priest of Israel], and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They both were righteous (approved) in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they were childless, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both far advanced in years.

8 Now it happened while Zacharias was serving as priest before God in the appointed order of his priestly division, 9 as was the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense [on the altar of incense]. 10 And all the congregation was praying outside [in the court of the temple] at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 When Zacharias saw the angel, he was troubled and overcome with fear. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, because your petition [in prayer] was heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.

Observation:

What does Zacharias have to be afraid of?

He is from a respectable family line. He has married well. He is living life full of faith. Luke even goes out of his way to tell us that both Zacharias and Elizabeth "were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord." ... BUT ...

But, they were childless and advanced in years.

Now, its possible that Zacharias was overcome with fear at the overwhelming glory of Gabriel. A person does not need to be guilt stricken or possessed of unworthiness in order to be painfully aware of their own smallness and fragility in the face of something eminently awesome. Try standing on a cliff-side lookout or next to an elephant with frisky feet: you'll see!

Today I'm struck by another possibility. Did you know that the phrase "Do not be afraid" 

(along with other analogous terms such as "Fear not") appears throughout scripture one hundred eleven times?

Of those occurrences, about ninety follow the pattern of individuals or groups receiving encouragement from the Divine assurance (either through direct revelation; or, more frequently, through a messenger) that God is present with them, active for them and calling them to respond in trust.

So, what if Zacharias is not afraid of the awesome otherness of God that radiates in righteous judgement from Gabriel? What if the source of his troubled spirit is that, seeing this messenger of God, he actually anticipates the message: 
"I am with you! I am acting for you! Come and join me!"?

What if the source of his fear is the prospect of God delivering 

a disruptive blessing into their tolerably dissatisfactory lives?

Application:

I usually hear the imperative: "Be not afraid, for I am with you!" as a call to courage. But, what if it is less an injunction to bravely summon my own resolve in order to endure a scary situation, and more an invitation to look beyond myself 
(my composure, my plans, my actions ...) to God who is faithful and reliably active in bringing about the thriving of my 
(and of all) life.

As I get older, and failures are added to defeats, I am aware of my own flagging "youthful enthusiasm". I am more and more tempted to look around and accept the notion that the best I can expect is this "world-as-it-is". ... But ...

...The Gospel - while never minimizing or despising the "world-as-it-is", God's Good News For All is always more focussed upon the "world-as-it-shall-be". 

Where there is emptiness --> fulfillment.

Where there is barrenness --> fecundity.

Where there is loneliness --> community.

Where there is shame --> restoration.

Where there is disease --> wholeness.

Where there is hunger --> feasting.

Where there is injustice --> right relations.

Where there is shrivelling death --> abundant life.

Let me be the first to confess, I don't know how we're gonna get there. There is a lot of corruption and hurt all around us. I'd be afraid to take the lead. 

Thanks be to God, neither you nor I have to. 

That position has been filled indefinitely by Christ Jesus.

Prayer:

Lord, when I look to the world: heartache. God, when I look to myself: fearful despair. 

Father, when I look to you: hope. Jesus, lead the way. Amen.

...ungodly...

Scripture:

Psalm 73:12

Behold, these are the ungodly,

Who always prosper and are at ease [in the world]; they have increased in wealth.

Numbers 24:1-2

When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as he had done each time before [superstitiously] to seek omens and signs [in the natural world], but he set his face toward the wilderness (desert). 2 And Balaam raised his eyes and he saw Israel living in their tents tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came on him.

Observation:

The first part of Psalm 73 really convicted me this morning. Those that live in constant and increasing prosperity and ease are equated in no uncertain terms with the "ungodly".

If I'm honest, "constant and increasing prosperity and ease" actually describes me and my family fairly accurately. 
I am especially aware of this given the recent realities in Alberta where many are homeless and starting over from scratch because of savage wildfires. Many more still are either without work or working on reduced schedules because of very low world oil prices and the crisis they have created in our economy - which has become dependant upon the export of natural resources.

My spouse and I both enjoy meaningful and fulfilling paid work.

Our work is not likely to be threatened or interupted by any natural or economic disaster.  

We may live in a modest house, but it would not be considered modest in about 70% of communities around the world.  

We don't own a timeshare or a holiday property, but we are planning multiple international holidays this year alone. 

Every person in our household has more clothes than they can actually wear.

We worry more about extra pounds from too much rich food than we ever will about where our next meal might come from. And, for us dining out is a regular activity as opposed to a very special treat.

So, are we "ungodly" in our privilege and relative ease?
My mind races to justify and excuse us...

we volunteer...we tithe...we try to live within our means...

But, I also make note of houses that are bigger and nicer than mine. 

I spend a lot on inessential luxuries. 

My daily coffee money is more than many around the globe have to live on each day.

So, are we "ungodly"? 
Truth be told, I'm afraid to answer that.

But, I'm not sure a quick answer is what God is after here either.  
I feel God drawing alongside me, freely pouring out grace to put away my excuses, jealousies and greed long enough to remember what - or, rather WHO - is genuine.

Isn't that just like God: 

...to show up and spend time with the ungodly!?!

...to open and fulfill and redeem us with not-4-sale grace!?!

Application:

Today, I hear God saying, loud and clear,
"Take a long hard look at your lifestyle and be brutally honest about the obvious and hidden costs of maintaining it."
What does the ecological footprint of my family look like?  (click here for more information and a cool calculator)

How might I better "love my neighbour as myself"?

Amidst, this call towards a searching moral inventory, emboldened by grace, Balaam's blessing grabs me and shakes me awake.  Where is Israel when they receive this blessing - the pronounced favour of God; but, tenting in the desert? 

They are no longer enslaved. They are not yet established. They are free to wander and learning to follow the lead of the LORD who hems them in, going out before them and protecting their flank.

Perhaps there is here a vital metaphor for us 

as we seek to be the body of Christ in this period 

of great change, upset and possibility.

What do you think? 

Might we be transitioning from an epoch of established Temple worship 

to an age of liberated Tabernacle roaming?

Prayer:

I thank you LORD, that I can never be finally accounted as ungodly, 

because you refuse to let it be so. 

Your parenting love is wondrous. 

Now, grant me grace to run toward your invitation 

into a life ever-more-worthy of your incredible love for all your creation. Amen.

Pondering Blankets and Solar Panels

Justice

or

just us?

How you gonna protest your way

into a new day?

Lemme show ya a new way.

Lemme show ya a suff'rin

saviour.

He's gonna call ya by name

and train ya!

Break your will 

and the bank to pay it all

to save y'all.

And us.

All of us.

All.

Not a few or just enough.

All.

Just.  All.  All y'all and all of us.

Grace most magnanimous.

that's Divine justice.

(...living, reforming, redeeming...) WORD.