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Have No Fear
Ask most people what the most repeated phrase in the Scriptures is, and many, I suspect, particularly those raised with the notion of an angry or vengeful God out to get us, would assume it to be some kind of stern or demanding admonition: Shape up! Repent! Live more faithfully! Behave yourself! Pray diligently! Love God and one another, or else! But the most common admonition in the Scriptures is not one intended to strike fear into our hearts, but the very opposite. Indeed, this much-repeated message has to do with the letting go of our fears—fears that inhibit us, fears that hinder our relationship with God and with one another, fears that keep us from walking in the footsteps of Jesus. Is it any wonder that the most frequent call in all Scripture is the call, Have no fear! Fear not! Be not afraid!
In the birth narratives found in Luke’s Gospel, it is a dominant message of the angels. Appearing to the priest Zechariah while he is serving in the inner sanctum of the Temple in Jerusalem, the angel Gabriel, bringing word that Zechariah and Elizabeth will give birth to a son, John the Baptist, begins with the caution, Do not be afraid! (1:13).In like manner, Gabriel appears to Mary, bringing news that Mary shall conceive and bear Jesus, the Son of the Most High God. After the startling words, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you,” Gabriel continues, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” (1:28-30). And the angel who appears to the group of shepherds in the hills surrounding Bethlehem on the night of Jesus’ birth announces, “Do not be afraid; for see, I am bringing good news of great joy for all the people” (2:10), a message that is followed by a multitude of the heavenly host singing of peace on earth and good will for all humanity and all creation.
In today’s Gospel lesson, three times Jesus urges the disciples not to be afraid. And yet, those three challenges fall in the midst of an intriguing context, to be sure. For Jesus is sending the disciples out two by two to proclaim the good news of life in the kingdom of God. Immediately after giving them their commission, Jesus warns the disciples that they will encounter opposition. “I am sending you out as sheep into the midst of wolves . . . Beware of [your opponents], for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me . . .” (Matthew 10:16-18). Hardly a litany of experiences unlikely to engender anxiety and fear!
Nevertheless, Jesus asserts that the disciples need not be afraid. In his book The Road to Peace Henri Nouwen attests that the invitation of Jesus is always an invitation “to move out of the house of fear and into the house of love; to move away from that place of imprisonment into a place of freedom.” It is a matter, suggests Nouwen, of keeping our eyes fixed on the One who says, “Do not be afraid. It is I.”
In this morning’s text, however, Jesus first offers as motivation, not the assurance of his comforting and upholding presence, but rather the peculiar assertion that “nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known” (Matthew 10:26). Do not be afraid, Jesus is urging the disciples, because the time is coming when your loyalty and faithfulness will come to light. Those who now offer resistance will eventually see the error of their ways, and will come to accept the promise at the very heart of the gospel—that life can indeed be transformed, that fear and suspicion, violence and warfare, brokenness and division—none of these shall have the final word. Do not be afraid, Jesus proclaims, because the kingdom of God is now unfolding in your midst. Tom Wright in his commentary Matthew for Everyone paraphrases the message of Jesus this way: “Truth will out, justice will prevail, and those who have lived with integrity and innocence, despite what the world says about them, will be vindicated.”
The key for those early disciples—and for us as well—is to trust in the abundant goodness of our God. Not surprisingly, then, some are troubled by the next reference for putting aside our fears. “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (10:28). The most common interpretation is that Jesus, when speaking of one who can destroy life, is talking about God. But God, we soon discover, is the very one we do not have to fear—the one we can trust with our very lives. Jesus, instead, is reminding us of the power of evil at work in the world; Jesus reminds us that we stand in danger whenever we are tempted to adopt the very methods of what we oppose. Tom Wright asserts, “The people of light are never more at risk than when they are lured into fighting the darkness with more darkness.” Centuries ago Augustine put it this way: “Imagine the vanity of thinking that your enemy can do more damage than your enmity.”
Where there is legitimate fear, says Jesus, this is it—choosing the pathway that leads us away from genuine life, living as if the realities of this world—the suspicions and fears, the warring madness, the divisions and abuses—living as if all of this does indeed have the final word in life. In marked contrast, the gospel reminds us again and again, in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., that “only love can conquer hate.” “Darkness cannot drive out darkness,” preached King; “only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” And we are empowered to live in the light of God’s love, precisely because we have come to know a God whom we need not fear—a God who even knows the number of hairs upon the heads of each of God’s creatures, a God who numbers each one of us among the ranks of God’s beloved children, a God who loves us with a love that will not let us go even when we fall woefully short of God’s vision for our living.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has a book entitled God Has a Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Time in which he writes confessionally of the faith that has nurtured him and of the qualities of life that have challenged and sustained him through the years of his leadership in opposing South Africa’s system of racial apartheid—qualities of love, forgiveness, humility, generosity, and courage. Tutu is convinced that God invites us to be co-creators of the kingdom of God, to be agents of transformation, that the world might truly be made new. God’s dream, writes Tutu, is “of a world whose ugliness and squalor and poverty, its war and hostility, its greed and harsh competitiveness, its alienation and disharmony are changed into their glorious counterparts, where there will be more laughter, joy, and peace, where there will be justice and goodness and compassion and love and caring and sharing.”
Have No Fear
Just as Jesus warned the first disciples that the road will seldom be easy as they embrace the call to proclaim life in God’s kingdom, so we too may encounter opposition and resistance as, yet today, we seek to live as messengers of God’s unfolding realm of new life. To heed the gospel’s call to take up the cross and follow in the footsteps of Jesus is not a matter of pretending that evil does not exist. Instead, it is a matter of living courageously. And, as Archbishop Tutu reminds us, “Being courageous does not mean never being scared; it means acting as you know you must even though you are undeniably afraid.”
Jim Wallis tells the story of being in South Africa in those days when apartheid’s grip seemed complete—a time when that nation’s power brokers sought to squelch any talk of justice and freedom for its black population. A political rally had been forcefully canceled by the white government, and in an act of defiance Desmond Tutu called for a worship service in place of the rally, to be held in St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town. As the hour for worship neared, riot police and armed soldiers amassed outside the church building. Inside, all along the cathedral walls, stood more police openly taping and writing down every comment made from the pulpit. The atmosphere was tense as Tutu rose to speak, and the tension only deepened as he proclaimed that the “evil” and “oppression” of apartheid “cannot prevail.”
And then Tutu, short in physical stature, stretched up on his toes and pointed at the police recording his words, shouting, “You may be powerful, indeed very powerful, but you are not God!” And the God we serve, continued Tutu, “cannot be mocked!” “You have already lost!” thundered the preacher, who then came out from behind the pulpit, softening his demeanor with a smile. To the police Tutu now offered, “We are inviting you to come and join the winning side!” The crowd gathered in that cathedral erupted in celebration, and the police quickly retreated. Tutu displayed the courage of conviction, acting as he knew he must, even in the face of fear.
We live in a world bound by fear, a world on “orange alert,” ever suspicious of the stranger, ever wary of those who speak of change, ever cautious about the unknown. And our temptation is to buy into those fears, to live our own lives bound by suspicion, wariness, hostility, resentment, fear. Yet the gospel of Jesus, in the very face of fear, proclaims a challenging invitation to embrace a new perspective, to trust that the God who numbers the hairs of our heads—this God can release us from our fears; this God can free us to live peacefully and neighborly in the world around us; this God can transform us, heart, mind, and spirit, with compassion, courage, and grace beyond measure.
Back in the days of the exile, that dark period in Israel’s history when all seemed lost, when Jerusalem had been destroyed and many of the people were forced to live in enemy land, a prophet arose, proclaiming something radically new on the horizon. In one of Isaiah’s most powerful passages the prophet speaks for God, seeking to bring courage and strength to the despairing exiles:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
|For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel . . .
You are precious in my eyes, and honored,
and I love you . . . .
Do not fear, for I am with you (Isaiah 43:1-5).
My friends, this is the good news that continues to touch our hearts, filling us with newness of life arising out of brokenness and fear, filling us with courage, compassion, peace and hope. Thanks be to God!
Leadership
Hollywood did us a big favor. It ensured that everyone knows the name of the most famous leader in Jewish history. Jews and non-Jews the world over recognize that Moses was the man who led the Jewish people out of slavery into freedom.
What the movies don't show, however, are Moses' qualities that made him uniquely suited to this role. These are characteristics inherent in everyone that, if nurtured and nourished, can help us actualize our personal leadership potential. This power lies dormant in every human being waiting for us to capitalize on it and bring its promise to fruition.
To fully understand the requirements of leadership, as exemplified by Moses, we need to briefly step back in time.
LIFE IN THE PALACE
Moses was raised in the palace. He had wealth and power. He had every material comfort imaginable. In Egyptian culture, Moses had it made. So what did he do?
Moses ... went out to his brethren and observed their burdens and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, of his brethren. He turned this way and that and saw there was no man, so he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
In these ancient words lie the secret to modern leadership.
SECRETS OF A LEADER
- To choose to identify with others is the first essential quality of leadership.
Moses went out to his brethren. He identified with his people. He didn't have to, he'd made it out of the ghetto, he didn't have to go back. Indeed, it would cost him to go back, and no one would know the difference if he didn't identify with them. He could have continued to lead a totally assimilated, comfortable existence. But he didn't. He went out of his way to identify with his brothers and sisters.
If you treat your colleagues or subordinates as real people with real lives, you will be much more successful than if you look at them as either obstacles to, or tools for, your personal success. If they feel cared about, they are much more likely to go the extra mile.
There is a moving story in "Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work" about a manager overhearing a new employee, a single mom, explain to her young son why she couldn't buy him a baseball glove. The manager gave her a gift of one the next day and that mother is now a manager herself.
- In going out to his people, Moses exhibited the crucial leadership trait of humility.
To identify with the Jews, oppressed and downtrodden, when all the power of Pharaoh's palace is yours for the taking, requires tremendous humility. Power can lead to arrogance. Moses conquered his ego when he walked out the palace doors. Only someone who is truly humble, who is willing to listen and not constantly be governed by selfish desires or interests can be an effective long-term leader.
Recognize that everyone has something to contribute. Listen to the ideas of your coworkers. Give them credit for the good ones. If you are responsive to others, more ideas will come your way. You won't lose. An arrogant boss/peer is ultimately rejected, despised and ineffective.
- A corollary of the trait of humility is that you believe in the message, not the messenger.
It's not about self-promotion. It's about helping others. It's about teaching others. It's about helping others achieve their potential. It's about the mission.
That was Ronald Reagan's power. Whatever your personal opinion of Reagan or his politics, no one denies that he was able to re-infuse a sense of patriotism and pride in this country. Why? Because he believed in the message. In authentic leadership, the power and truth of the message need to carry the day.
- Moses observed the burdens of his brothers. Traditional
understanding is that Moses empathized with them. Their pain was his
pain.
Did you ever notice how differently you react when your neighbor's child is bleeding and when your child is bleeding? When your neighbor is fired from his or her job or when you're fired from your job? When your colleague gets a promotion and when you get a promotion?
For Moses, their joy was his joy also.
Empathy is a key to strong leadership. Everyone needs to feel listened to, everyone needs to feel understood, everyone needs to feel appreciated. You can't lead people who feel alienated from you, who feel that your concerns are irrelevant to them. You can't lead when you have hundreds of pairs of shoes in your closet and people are dying of hunger. You can only lead when everyone's experiences are (almost) as real to you as your own.
- Moses turned this way and that and saw there was no man. In that action he displayed pragmatism, but more importantly he took responsibility.
Pragmatism is certainly a crucial component of leadership. But beyond the superficial reading of the text lies a more profound idea: Welcome the opportunity to take responsibility.
In "Ethics of our Fathers" it says: "In the place where there is no man, strive to be a man."
A leader is not necessarily someone who has the all the appropriate talent in place for the job at hand. A leader is someone who sees the job at hand and does something about it, who recognizes that the task is crucial and no one else is doing it.
MAKING IT HAPPEN
Seth Godin writes in Fast Company that what holds up some companies' ability to change is "the absence of someone who is willing to stand up, look everyone in the eye, and say 'I'll make it happen.'"
He doesn't say a genius is missing, he doesn't say an MBA from Wharton is missing, he doesn't say that someone with a particular managerial talent is missing. What's missing is someone willing to take responsibility.
The defining character trait of a leader is someone who is willing to take responsibility, someone who is willing to step up to the plate because the job needs to be done.
Moses was that person. He wasn't perfect, he wasn't experienced, he stuttered when he spoke. But when he saw his people were in trouble, when he saw a job that needed to be done, he acted. He took responsibility, even at risk to his own life. Therefore the Almighty chose him to lead. It wasn't magical or supernatural. You don't have to have the charisma of a JFK or even a Bill Clinton. You just have to choose.
We demonstrate to ourselves, our partners, our children, our friends, our colleagues, our community what is important to us by our actions. It's up to us. We can actualize that latent potential. Think about it. What are you willing to risk? What are the crucial jobs that need to be done? Don't wait. Carpe diem.
The Unknown
I think most of us wish the Holy Spirit led us into all comfort. We might even settle for partial truth. But all truth? Most of us would rather surround ourselves with people who will simply validate what we falsely believe about ourselves. That isn't the Holy Spirit. Like a good counselor, He'll take you places you don't want to go so you can get where He wants you to go. He'll reveal things you don't want to know so you can become who He wants you to be.
I think many of us get frustrated at times because it seems like God is silent. Here's a thought: if you cannot hear the voice of God maybe it's because you aren't willing to hear everything He has to say?
You can't tune out His convicting voice and still hear His guiding voice or wise voice or comforting voice. You cannot listen to half of what the Holy Spirit has to say. It's a package deal. If you tune out His convicting voice you won't hear anything He has to say.
Walking on Water
Here's a brief recap of the tale if you're not familiar. The disciplines have just finished cleaning up one of those monumental miracle events for which Jesus was famous. A Dinner created and multiplied from 5 loaves and 2 small fish of has just been served to 5,000 men besides women and children. There's even leftovers!
Afterwards, Jesus tells the disciples to get in the boat and head towards the other side of the shore of the sea of Galilee while he dismisses the enormous crowd. As the day darkens into evening, Jesus is alone on the shore and the disciples are still trying to make it to the other side of the lake. They're having major difficulty because of stormy weather related conditions which have produced huge waves.
Somewhere between 3:00 a.m. ~ 6:00 a.m. in the morning, (the fourth watch of the night in Roman tradition), they are haunted by a strange phenomenon. Terrified, they observe a figure walking towards them across the tidal waves and they are sure they are being visited by an apparition from the netherworld. But the voice of Jesus calls out to them to assure them saying, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." (Matthew 14:27)
Now, this is what I love about Peter. He's not afraid to challenge the ghost. He talks back! In spite of his very real real fears he says..."Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." While many sermons I've heard over the years focused on the fact that Peter steps out on the water and begins to sink, what has always held a peculiar fascination for me is that Peter didn't allow his Fear to define the parameters of engagement. He challenges "the ghost" to prove itself.
Peter gets out of the boat and actually dares to do the impossible! In-spite of huge waves, driving winds...he finds himeself walking on top of large looming waves of water. But circumstances have their way of bearing down on all of us. As he begins to look at the predicament in which he has just placed himself by stepping out of the relative safety of a boat and into the deep uncertainty of an unchartered course, he realises he's in deep trouble and rapidly begins to sink. But not before asking for some divine assistance..."Lord, save me!" (Matthew 14:30)
And
God does! Reaching out a hand, Jesus catches him and in an instant,
the impetuous disciple and his Master are back in the boat. But not
before Jesus chides Peter for his doubting. I think perhaps he must
have truly enjoyed those few moments of watching Peter step outside
himself. Can you imagine that show...two men totally in defiance of
the laws of gravity and turning all the rules and laws of nature upside
down. Can't blame Jesus for wanting Peter to do it for just a tad
longer...
I can imagine the conversation of the other 11 who remained in the boat. They're probably too terrified to stop Peter, but probably NO ONE says "That's a great idea Peter, Go For it!" In fact, they're probably wishing Peter would just SHUT UP. Maybe whatever it is out there will just GO AWAY instead of come towards them. But, NO...blabber mouth has to speak up and then jump out of the boat in the middle of a storm. But, they can't help but watch. To their surprise, Peter's doing it...He's walking on a Lake!
You see, Jesus command is not just to Peter who is marooned on a watery highway, it's to everyone within hearing distance who needs to hear the message. He is clear and precise..."Don't BE AFRAID, TAKE COURAGE." Why is this important. I think it's because he's showing us a powerful lesson. The water and the waves did NOT have the power to destroy Peter or drown the boat contrary to what they assumed. Peter's walking on the water had clearly demonstrated that nothing is impossible. Rather it was their FEAR which was the biggest hindrance to their deliverance. He instructs them in one passage to "TAKE COURAGE." Instead of succumbing to the shrill call of FEAR, take the powerful, life restoring grace of COURAGE.
And it works! Instantly, the wind dies down and they are able to steer the boat safely towards the shore. There's a powerful message in this ancient story for the stormy conditions which are over shadowing the real estate industry right now. The winds of adversity and the waves of bad news are swelling with intensity on a daily basis. Many have already been overcome and succumbed to the the reality of not being able to support themselves and their families.
But
for every boat full of fearful people, there's a Peter. Look for them
during these times. Folks who are not afraid to call it like they see
it...not afraid to ride the lions mane if it means it's the last breath
they take. You might have someone like this in your office or hear
about their exploits. Don't waste your breath deriding these brave
hearts for being silly and out of tune with reality. TAKE THEIR
COURAGE. This is their unique gift.
We've always had these inspirational souls in our midst. They are disciples disguised in the garb of ordinary affairs. They are the Abraham Lincolns who said NO to Slavery even at the cost of perhaps irreparably damaging the union. These brave souls may be bent over men & women like Gandhi or Mother Teresa who challenged the status quo with a bull horn that was much louder than any sounds that emanated from their frail frames. Or they may be a mother, teacher or mentor who challenged you to move on by leading the way when you'd all but given up.
The point is, A WAY will always be provided to those who choose to TAKE COURAGE rather than hold onto FEAR. So, if you're struggling with looming waves of uneasiness and despair, you're not alone. There were 11 others who remained in the boat. Remember that the miracle working power resides within you. Peter walked on his own two feet not those belonging to Jesus. Use what you've got and step out. Don't allow yourself to be overtaken by the storm...Use What is IN YOU to tame it!
Versions of this story can be found in the following Gospels:
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