Faithful Presence : Refute Fear

2nd Sunday of Easter April 7, 2024 

The texts for this message are John 20:19-22 and 1 John 4:7-21

In the wide range of emotions we humans experience, such as joy, sadness, surprise, anger, desire, happiness, fear, disgust, curiosity, wonder, sorrow, anxiety, contempt, frustration, guilt, love, two of these are interesting in that they have both a positive and a negative aspect.

One of them is Anger.

I had a parishioner once who came to me very upset with herself for being angry with a relative. When I asked her why she was angry she described a situation which, to my way of thinking, justified her anger. I suggested that her feeling of anger was a signal to her that something was amiss.

The issue was not that she felt anger, but what she was going to do with that anger. The situation needed a resolution so that the anger could subside. Anger can be a helpful friend to us. Sustained anger, though, is counter productive and can do us harm.

The other is Fear.

We face a situation that prompts a reflex of fear. We perceive a threat of some sort and it incites fear.  That feeling of fear prompts us to take action : fight or flee if you will. Fear of this sort can protect and save us. But fear, like anger, should be short-term. Neither of these emotions is meant to become a permanent companion.

Scripture advises us not to let the sun go down on our anger. In other words, seek to resolve it; do not let it foment, do not let it be generalized. Scripture adds another insight about Fear. 1 John 4:18 tell us that:
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has 
to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.
Fear is in opposition to Love: the opposite of Love is not hate but fear.

Again in 1 John 4:7-8 we’re told:
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone 
who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love 
does not know God, for God is love.
Fear puts us in opposition to God.

Fear is a fearsome thing, then, is it not?  The text isn’t referring to Fear associated with immanent threat. It’s more akin to a state of “being afraid.” “Being Afraid” constricts, it confines, it draws us inward; it inspires reticence, hesitancy, capitulation. It sets up a win-loose dichotomy. It can lead to poor choices, give rise to protectiveness and defensiveness; it can disrupt relationships. It can prompt secrets. It makes us susceptible to lashing out (fighting). It makes us susceptible to intimidation (fleeing). We can be afraid of disapproval, of ridicule, of loss of esteem, of loss of prospects, of loss of money, of loss of security, of loss of control.

Fear robs us of better things. Whatever it is we’re afraid of, whatever it is we fear, that fear keeps us from moving toward and embracing, living into the full-of-love self God seeks to nurture in us.   

So why is fear the opposite of Love? Love energizes and orients toward the Other. Fear depresses and orients inward to self. Fear is a self-preserving impulse---it elevates self. Love on the other hand is a self-giving impulse. It makes us vulnerable as it elevates the value of the other.

The degree to which we are driven by fear is the degree to which we are not motivated and guided by love.

The disciples were shut in behind closed doors because they were afraid. Now in part, their fear was justified. They had good reason to think the authorities would arrest and perhaps kill them. If Jesus was perceived to be a threat then, they, his followers would be as well.

But if we consider this view of them on that morning and compare it to how they behave at Pentecost---still under threat from the authorities, we see a stark contrast. They do not sit behind a locked door in fear. They burst out into the city’s street in jubilance. Why?  How?

1 John 4:18 says that Perfect Love casts out fear. Did not Perfect Love, in the presence of the Holy Spirit come upon them? And did not that Perfect Love evict their fear? And did not the new Tenant of love evict the old tenant of fear and completely reorient them so that they could boldly, excitedly tell the Great News of God’s love and Christ’s Redeeming Resurrection?

We look at our world today with all of its immense problems, chaotic upheaval and violence and we could be tempted to lash out in anger (fight) or close down and withdraw (flee). That’s fear talking. And it’s often the case that we think there’s nothing we can do to counter all this discomforting stuff.

But we have a potent resource at our disposal. God, through the Holy Spirit promises to perfect us in love. God, through the Holy Spirit, can help us become that non-anxious presence wherever we are, equipped to introduce love and blessing wherever we go whatever we face. Our part is to be open to God’s inspiration, ready to give it expression without fear.

More Love, less fear in everyday circumstances in routine conversations and chance encounters can render far greater impact than we imagine. This is true for each of us as individuals. We are meant to manifest this kind of love as servants of God. And, we are to manifest this kind of love as a community in service to God. 

Now the challenge when applied to a community of faith is that we each are at different places in our journey from living in fear to living in love. For a community of faith to manifest this love in the wider world its respective members must find their way to submit to this aspiration; to surrender their respective fears in service to the greater good if you will and trust that God will indeed perfect each of us and use together in love.

I want to put forward a suggestion to you all: As you ponder your love for this church and your stated desire that it remain viable and also vibrant, what do you fear you personally will lose if your way of being church were to change? What kinds of ideas or suggestions make you nervous? What is it about that particular idea that excites fear in you? Causes you to back away from it? Try to name what you believe is at stake for you, for the group, that prompts you to preserve the status quo---to stay secure in what might be a locked room. 

Ask God to ignite your imagination to envision not loss but gain, not fear but love at the prospect of doing, of becoming something fresh, filled with wonder and joy. Something perfected in love. 

Pastor L Quanstrom