ECCLESIOLOGIC AL ETCHINGS
August 30, 2025
It might be because school is starting, but I woke up about 30 minutes before my alarm yesterday and had a momentary panic as I thought it was Sunday. The sermon was not done, I had not sent out the worship material to the worship participants, and it was about 45 minutes later than I usually get up on Sundays. I’m sure the wave of anxiety lasted less than 15 seconds, but in that short period of time, I think my heart rate went from a nice resting 55 beats/minute to an aerobic level of 125 beats/minute. I was the kid who had the dreams during the school year that left me confused and anxious about a school assignment that was due, but I had not even read the book. The fear caused in those moments was rather intense, yet it was altogether unnecessary. It was conjured up entirely inside my imagination, yet in that small window, it was real.
How often are we made to feel afraid of something that is not real, yet for a period of time, we experience sleeplessness and unnecessary stress? Or how often do we find ourselves anxious about something completely outside of our control, or maybe what we are focusing on is 36 steps down the road, and depending on what happens in the next few steps, the thing down the road causing stress may in fact never happen? Most of us are susceptible to fear, which is indeed a part of what it means to be human, at least when considering the physiological definition of fear. However, as I’ve mentioned before, fear can serve one of two purposes: as information or as an engine. Fear can awaken us to something important that demands our immediate attention. Conversely, fear as an engine, that immediate reaction, can lead us astray. Regrettably, those who exploit fear in a manipulative way are hoping to suck us in and take us where we don’t need to go.
Tomorrow in worship, we will be revisiting fear, remembering the central teaching of scripture—from angels to prophets to Jesus himself—“Do not fear!” I am one who believes those words are sound advice coming from God, yet often the declaration to “fear not” is followed by some rather unsettling news or requests. When we think of it in that context, I believe it is an invitation to be faithful in spite of any anxiety that might be found within us. It is a request by God, even when the faithfulness might demand a great deal of us, to be defined by God’s immeasurable love and not by the intense fear that initially sought to creep its way into our hearts and minds.
Provide me, O Great God of Heaven, the necessary faith and courage to step forward in faith, believing that even when situations are scary, I am never left alone. You are forever with me. Amen.
