Faith not Fear - A daily reflection - Waleska UMC - Waleska United Methodist Church

Good morning, everyone. Below is today’s edition of Faith, not Fear, a daily reflection to help keep us connected, while we’re physically separated, through Scripture and prayer.

PLEASE NOTE: Today’s Faith, not Fear is the last daily edition. Next week, I will start publishing a weekly edition on Wednesday morning. Thank you for reading my daily reflections. I hope the weekly edition will be helpful as well.

Faith, not Fear – April 17, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

Blessing God

In the spring of 1994, I traveled to Mexico with a group of students from Duke Divinity School. We weren’t there on vacation. We were there to learn. We stayed at The Cuernavaca Center for Intercultural Dialogue on Development and traveled, during the day, to squatter settlements, nearby towns, a mountain village, and (at the end of our trip) Mexico City. I learned a lot about life for the poor majority in Mexico.

One of my most enduring images and experiences from that trip is of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City (pictured above). Constructed over three centuries (1573-1813), it’s the largest and oldest cathedral in Latin America. It dominates the large central square at the heart of the city.

Before going inside, we wandered through the open-air markets that surround the square, joking together about the tacky “religious” gifts that many vendors were offering. (My personal favorite was the Blessed Virgin Mary shot glass that everyone seemed to sell. I still wish I had bought one.)

The cathedral itself is quite striking. It’s immense, and it combines three different architectural styles from the three centuries during which it was constructed: baroque, neo-classical, and neo-renaissance. Mexicans have a right to be proud of their cathedral.

My most enduring image from that day, however, is not the building itself, the plaza, or the vendors. Instead, it’s a memory of a few women that I saw in the square. They weren’t shopping or walking. They were kneeling in prayer. As others came and went, snapped pictures and made purchases, these women faced the cathedral and knelt in prayer. I asked one of our guides about the women, and he told me that they were most likely pilgrims, women who had walked many miles to be there. Once their journey had ended, and they had arrived, they knelt and approached the cathedral in prayer, getting up from time to time to move a little closer and then kneel once again and continue their prayers. I can still see those women. How far had they traveled? How long did it take them? How dangerous was their journey?

Psalm 134, the last Song of Ascent, is a psalm for the end of our pilgrimage to God. It was most likely sung by the people of God at their journey’s end, when their journey to Jerusalem had reached its goal. They were standing, at long last, in the Temple of their God. What now? What’s next? What do we do, now that we are here?

Look, bless Yahweh, all you the servants of Yahweh,
who serve in the house of Yahweh by night.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and bless Yahweh.
May Yahweh bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth.[i]

The psalm reminds us that we are not, first and foremost, students, vendors, consumers, or tourists. Instead, we are worshippers, creatures who were made to worship our Creator, men and women who were made to bless our God. Selling and shopping are unavoidable and necessary. Learning, gaining knowledge, is also important. Vacations, seeing the sights, spending a week (or two) as tourists is also good. But we human beings were not made, and have not been saved, to buy and sell, gain knowledge, or take breaks. Instead, we were made to be blessed and to bless; to respond to God’s blessing by blessing our God and then to be blessed, once again, by God.

If you cannot remember the words of this psalm, just remember the site of those kneeling women. Their bodies and souls given to worship, given to prayer, given to God.

Blessed by God, they blessed God in return and were, I am sure, blessed by God once again.

As Eugene Peterson has observed, the life of discipleship that begins with an act of repentance (Palm 120), concludes with a life of praise (Psalm 134).

Bless God.

May God bless you.

Invitation to Pray

Who do you know that really needs to be blessed? Picture them in your mind and then offer Aaron’s blessing over them in prayer:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26; NRSV)

Closing Prayer

Father, help us to live from our faith, not our fears; to “be believing” not “fearing” as we follow Jesus through the season of Lent in a time of crisis. Shield us physically and spiritually, so that we may love as you love even when we’re afraid. Help us to remember that your perfect love drives out all our fears. Amen.

[i] Lexham English Bible

Faith, not Fear April 16, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

“Put Your Shoes On”

At least twice a year, my family drove from our home in Middletown, Ohio to my parents’ hometown, Butler, PA. My grandparents lived in Butler. So did my dad’s brother and his family and one of my mother’s brothers and his family. Butler was home.

On each of our trips back home to Butler, my sisters and I knew, without looking up, that we were close to my grandparents’ house, because my mother would say the same thing at the end of every trip: “Put your shoes on.” That simple instruction was the long-awaited sign that our six-hour drive was nearing its end. Put down your books. Put on your shoes. Get ready for hugs.

Psalm 132, our next Song of Ascent, is a prayer for the end of our pilgrimage to God, a prayer for that moment when we’re putting down our books and reaching for our shoes.

This ancient psalm helps us get ready to meet with our God by inviting us (and God!) to remember King David’s passionate vow to build a house for the Lord:

O Lord, remember in David’s favor
all the hardships he endured;
how he swore to the Lord
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
“I will not enter my house
or get into my bed;
I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” (vv.1-5)

In other words, “God, please remember that we are with David, and David was determined to build your house, the house to which we now draw near.”

After jumping ahead to our destination, the psalmist backs up and invites us to remember and join David’s procession into the city with the ark of the Lord:

We heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
“Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us worship at his footstool.” (vv.6-7)

According to 1 Samuel 7:1-2, the ark had been with the enemies of Israel for two sorrow-filled decades, but David retrieved it and restored it to Jerusalem, personally leading a joyful procession, with singing and dancing, into the city (2 Samuel 6:12-19). The psalmist has joined, and invites us to join, that procession of praise. Even more importantly (and much to our surprise), the psalmist invites God to join it as well:

Rise up, O Lord, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your faithful shout for joy. (vv.8-9)

In these anxious days of increasingly difficult social distancing, we long to gather for the worship of God. We long to be gathered by God in his presence. We long to be told to put down our books and pick up our shoes.

That moment will come. That day will dawn. There are smart public servants and private-sector scientists working day and night to help get us there. Most of all, however, we have these promises, which God made to Jerusalem and makes to the church:

“This is my resting place forever;
here I will reside, for I have desired it.
I will abundantly bless its provisions;
I will satisfy its poor with bread.
Its priests I will clothe with salvation,
and its faithful will shout for joy.” (vv.14-16)

I do not know, none of us does, when our journey through this season of uncertainty and fear will come to an end, but I do know that our pilgrimage to God will reach its destination, because God longs to meet with us even more passionately than we long to meet with him. “This is my resting place forever; here I will reside, for I have desired it.”

Sooner or later, God will reach for his shoes.

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

Invitation to Pray

Take a moment to read and pray verses 8 and 9:

Rise up, O Lord, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your faithful shout for joy.

Imagine with as much detail as you can the long-awaited day when God’s people regather for worship in the sanctuary. See the happy faces. Hear the excited voices. Listen to the organ, the piano, and the choir. See the choir joyfully processing as they, and we, sing an Easter hymn. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!

Now turn that image into a prayer.

Closing Prayer

Faith, not Fear – April 15, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

Forks

We’re using more forks. I expected us to buy more bread, more peanut butter, more eggs, and more cheese, but I did not expect us to use more forks. I did not expect to load more forks into the dishwasher, which (by the way) we’re running more often.

What’s with the forks?

Molly doesn’t have track.

Luke lost lacrosse.

Neither one of them has agility at Relentless Sports Academy, and I have no meetings at night at the church.

What’s with the forks? We are eating more meals together at home. We’re not eating on the run. We’re sitting down. We’re not dashing off. We’re in for the night.

Psalm 131, our next Song of Ascent, is a prayer for those who want more forks. It’s a prayer for those who are tired of relating to God on the run, who long to sit down, take their time, and be filled.

The psalmist sees herself (more on that in a second) resting on God like a weaned child at rest on his mother’s chest:

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me. (v.2; NRSV)

The Hebrew at the end of verse 2 is ambiguous, but the NRSV reflects a possible and common interpretation of the phrase: that the author was a woman. She looked at her child resting peacefully on her chest and saw an image of her soul at rest on God. Since children at that time were nursed until the age of three, we can picture a three-year old lying peacefully on his mother. He’s not anxious. He’s not demanding. He’s just happy to be with her who gave him life, who watches over him and cares for him. Always. He’s at rest.

How can we become a people who rest on God? How can we sit down, take our time, and be filled? In the midst of our pandemic-imposed slowdown, we are tempted to say, “Keep my calendar uncluttered. Don’t go back to lacrosse, track practice, or meetings.” But that’s not the answer suggested by the psalmist:

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me. (v.1)

The words great and marvelous are most often used in the Psalms for the great and marvelous/wondrous works of God (See Psalm 86:10; 136:4; and 145:5-6). The psalmist is content to be God’s child, not an imposter pretending to be God. Her heart is not prideful. Her eyes are not haughty. She’s not looking down her nose at her neighbors. Her aspiration is to be a child of God; nothing more and nothing less. In other words, it’s the state of our soul, not that of our calendar, that matters most in our life with God. A prideful heart and haughty eyes will never bring rest, because we can’t be full of God when we’re full of ourselves. We won’t look up to God, if we are too busy looking up at ourselves.

But what about those whose calendars are full, those for whom this slowdown is not slow? The kids are at home, and they need attention. Life is more complicated when they’re not at school. Perhaps that is why Psalm 131 is so brief. The woman who wrote it did not have time for anything lengthy. The gift that she gave us is a beautiful, short song that anyone can pray in the brief moments of rest that mothers get in their busy days. Anyone can pause, breathe deeply, and pray, “Like a weaned child with its mother…”

Invitation to Pray

Charles Spurgeon, the great 19^th century English Baptist preacher, once remarked that Psalm 131 is “one of the shortest Psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn.” Take time tonight (and then again tomorrow) to read, breathe, and pray this short Psalm before going to bed. Give your soul a moment to rest peacefully on God.

Closing Prayer

Faith, not Fear April 14, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

“Houston, We Have a Problem”

Fifty years ago, on the evening of Monday, April 13, NASA astronauts James Lovell, John Swigert, and Fred Haise were 200,000 miles away from the Earth on their way to the moon. They had just finished a TV broadcast and were about to go to sleep in the Apollo 13 command module when Swigert, as part of their nightly “housekeeping procedures”, flipped a switch to stir the liquid oxygen tanks. When he did, the astronauts heard a loud bang, which Haise later compared to being in a barrel that was hit on the side with a sledgehammer. Warning lights flashed. Alarms buzzed. Meters went wild. As the astronauts tried to make sense of the spreading chaos, Lovell uttered the words made famous (and slightly altered) by the 1995 film Apollo 13: “Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”

Psalm 130, our next Song of Ascent, is a prayer for help from “the depths”, from someone overwhelmed and distressed by the problems they face. It’s a plea for help when staring at death.

The psalm begins with a cry of distress:

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications! (vv.1-2)

Whether or not we’re in “the depths”, overwhelmed by a problem and facing death, this psalm reminds us why we have hope when we pray for help. It does so by turning us from the cause of our distress to the source of our hope. Eight times the psalmist invokes the name of God, twice in each of the four sections of the psalm (vv.1-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8). He invokes the name of God, because he is confident that in the Lord there is “forgiveness” (v.3), “steadfast love” (v.7), and “great power to redeem” (v.7). In other words, the psalmist is confident that “God is actively involved in his creation and vigorously at work in redemption.”[i]

Following the explosion on Apollo 13, Flight Director Gene Kranz announced that Mission Control had a new mission: bringing the astronauts safely back home. The psalmist is confident, and we are too, that God has a mission. It’s been his mission since we first rejected God, plunging ourselves and the world into the depths of sin, evil, and death. God’s mission is simple: to set us free from the depths and bring us back home. Because of that mission, God sent His Son into the world and onto the cross and then raised him from the grave. Because of that mission, God sends his Spirit into us for his glory and our God. Because of that mission, the Spirit guides us, empowers us, works through us, forms Christ in us, and brings us safely home . This is God’s mission, and his mission reflects his character. As he is, so he does. In him is forgiveness, steadfast love, and great power to redeem.

As we follow Jesus in these days of distress, we pray and wait with the psalmist, confident that God’s help will come, in due time, like the dawn:

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning. (vv.5-6)

Invitation to Pray

Take a moment to read and pray the words of this psalm with and for those who are “in the depths.” In particular, please pray for those who are grieving. The first verse of this psalm is often used in funerals. Pray for those who are grieving in isolation, unable to gather with others in their grief.

Closing Prayer

[i] Eugene H Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2019), p.138.

Faith, not Fear – April 10, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

A Prayer for Perseverance

At mile eighteen, I wanted to quit. My legs were dead. My brain was mush. I couldn’t keep moving. I couldn’t keep running. I wanted to quit. I needed to quit.

It was my first marathon, the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington D.C. in October 2005. Susannah and I had been training for months. The first half of the race had gone pretty well, but at mile eighteen, as we started a loop around the Jefferson Memorial, I was done. I told Susannah I was finshed. Fortunately for me, this was not her first marathon. She knew what to say: “Don’t stop. Just keep running. It will get better.”

Psalm 129, our next Song of Ascent, is a prayer for perseverance, a prayer for us at mile eighteen. The psalmist retells his people’s experience: the hardships they have faced, the perseverance they have shown, and the help they’ve received:

“They’ve kicked me around ever since I was young”
—this is how Israel tells it—
“They’ve kicked me around ever since I was young,
but they never could keep me down.
Their plowmen plowed long furrows
up and down my back;
Then God ripped the harnesses
of the evil plowmen to shreds.” (vv.1-4; The Message)

As the psalmist makes clear, God’s people had suffered. Their enemies had plowed long furrows up and down their back. But they didn’t give up. They kept going. They never could keep me down. And, eventually, it got better, because of God. Then God ripped the harness of the evil plowmen to shreds.

For most of us, the pandemic requires that we persevere through sheltering-in-place, uncertainty, and inactivity. For others, it requires persevering through the challenges of working in a hospital, grocery store, gas station, post office, or Lowes. Either way, we need strength to keep going, power to persevere, and that power comes from knowing that the struggle, eventually, will come to an end. God will rip this harness to shreds.

Susannah was right. I kept running, and it got better. I didn’t feel good. The race was still hard, but by the time we finished our loop around Jefferson, around mile twenty, I had my second wind and knew I’d keep running all the way to the end.

Invitation to Pray

Take a moment to pray for the doctors, nurses, and hospital administrators who need to keep going but have nothing left. They are physically, emotionally, and intellectually spent. Pray that God would revive them and give them the strength to do what they must.

Closing Prayer

Faith, not Fear – April 9, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

Good Fear

“In these uncertain times…”

How many times have you read or heard that phrase in the last several weeks? I hear it every day, and I’ve used it myself. In these uncertain times…we are keeping our distance, washing our hands, meeting on Zoom, sheltering in place, watching the news, canceling vacations, missing friends, calling family, streaming sermons, shopping online, working remotely, giving remotely, going for walks, reading books, watching movies, and praying for neighbors, strangers, and friends. There are many activities, many things we are doing in these uncertain times.

Psalm 128, our next Song of Ascent, invites us to add one more activity, an essential activity, to the long list of things that we are doing in these anxious times:

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways! (v.1; ESV)

The psalmist (indirectly) calls us to fear God, which may sound unappealing, surprising, or strange, since we want to live from our faith, not our fears, to “be believing,” not “fearing” as Jesus commands in Mark 5:36. This fear, however, is actually desirable, because it is “blessed.” Life-giving. Joy-bringing. Not cringing or cowering.

Fifty-three times the Bible exhorts us to “fear the Lord.” None of those exhortations is a call to view God as a threat to our health or happiness, as an unpredictable deity with an itchy trigger finger. Those who fear God do not live in terror. Instead, as well shall see, they live in love.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 helps us understand what the Bible means when it calls us to live in the fear of the Lord:

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?

In this passage, the fear of Lord is synonymous with walking in his ways, loving him, serving him (with all your heart and with all your soul), and keeping his commandments. This fear, in other words, is an all-encompassing, whole-hearted reverence for, and obedience to, the Lord our God. Such warm-hearted reverence and passionate devotion are (as Moses immediately makes clear) our glad response to God’s grace and love:

Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart and be no longer stubborn. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe…You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things that your eyes have seen. (Deuteronomy 10:14-17, 20-21)

In these uncertain times, we may fear many things, but there is a fear – a good and holy fear – that fuels our faith and drives away all other fears. It is good to fear God, good to be filled with warm-hearted reverence, passionate devotion that springs from the wonder of God’s love for us.

In these uncertain times, may you live from the fear that is our faith.

Invitation to Pray

Take a moment to read and pray slowly through Deuteronomy 10:12-21. Savor each word. Then take a deep breath and rest in God’s grace.

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good? Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart and be no longer stubborn. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and amazing things that your eyes have seen.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us to live from our faith, not our fears; to “be believing” not “fearing” as we follow Jesus through the season of Lent in a time of crisis. Shield us physically and spiritually, so that we may love as you love even when we’re afraid. Help us to remember that your perfect love drives out all our fears. Amen

Faith, not Fear – April 8, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

A Prayer for Halftime

If you’ve ever watched a football game, you may have noticed that when players come off the field, they often go to the bench and start talking to each other and to their coaches. Sometimes they even look at pictures and videos on an iPad. During halftime, the players and coaches continue their conversations, look at more pictures, and watch more film. What are they doing? They are constantly evaluating what’s working, what’s not, and what might.

Psalm 127, our next Song of Ascent, is a prayer for the sideline and the locker room, when there’s a break in the action. It invites us to evaluate what’s working, and what’s not, when it comes to our work. As Eugene Peterson has written, “Psalm 127 shows both the right way and the wrong way to work. It posts a warning and provides an example to guide Christians in work that is done to the glory of God.”[i]

The warning about work, work that’s not done to the glory of God, comes in the first two verses of the Psalm:

Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord guards the city,
the guard keeps watch in vain.
It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives sleep to his beloved.

The psalmist paints a picture of anxious toil, work that is done as if we work alone, because it’s all up to us. This is, of course, the American way. We praise constant work, relentless drive, and sleepless executives. But this way of working, though somewhat productive (recent studies have shown that it’s not as productive as we like to think) comes at a high price. Bodies wear out. Relationships get destroyed. And we don’t even get what it is that we want: enough money and success to feel significant and secure. We are stuck on a treadmill that never rests.

But, in contrast to that painfully familiar image of work that’s not done to the glory of God, the psalmist reminds us that the Lord “gives sleep to his beloved.” In other words, God gives rest to those who work with him, guard with him, and build with him. God gives rest to those who find their significance and security in him and his love. Work is a blessing, a gift, and a calling. Work is good. But it is only good when we work as his beloved together with God.

Following the warning about work, the psalmist provides an example to guide us in our work, so that we may work (when halftime is over) with God for his glory:

Children are indeed a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward. (v.3)

Making children is the psalmist’s positive example of work that is done to the glory of God, because the birth of a child involves the parents without revolving around the parents. As Peterson writes, “What do we do to get sons and daughters? Very little. The entire miracle of procreation and reproduction requires our participation, but hardly in the form of what we call our work.”[ii] Our work as parents presupposes and requires the greater work of God. We’re not passive, inactive, or negligent. But there’s only so much that we can control, only so much that we can do. Children are a gift, which we actively receive, but don’t actually make.

What if our work, when this timeout is over and we get to the leave the locker room and go back on the field; what if our work is part of our glad response to God, not an anxious and useless substitute for God? What if our work is a faith-full partnership with God in his miraculous work for his glory and others’ good? What if our work, the work to which we are called, is an investment, first and foremost, in the people and relationships with which we are blessed?

Invitation to Pray

Take a moment to give thanks for the work you have done, the work you are doing, and the work that’s ahead. Ask God for the joy of working with him for his glory and others’ good (which will be good for you too).

Closing Prayer

[i] Eugene H Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2019), p.99.

[ii] Ibid., p.104

Faith, not Fear – April 7, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

The Joy to Come

Where will you go when it’s safe to leave your home?

What’s the first restaurant you’ll visit when dining in person is no longer banned?

If tomorrow you could take any trip that you like, where would you drive, ride, or fly?

As we continue our journey through this season of uncertainty, anticipating weeks, perhaps even months, of this new and unwelcome, though necessary, routine, it’s helpful to pause and imagine a future that is better than this present.

In Psalm 126, our next Song of Ascent, God’s people imagine a future restoration, joy to come, by invoking two images familiar to them from their yearly cycles: dry wadi beds replenished by winter rains and fields, once barren, ripe with grain.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves. (vv.4-6)

Did you catch the subtle shift from a prayer for help (“Restore our fortunes, O Lord”) to a confident celebration of the joy to come (“Those who go out weeping…shall come home with shouts of joy”)? That shift is not based on wishful thinking. Instead, God’s people believed, his people trusted, that God would do what he had done. God’s past was their prelude, which is why the psalm begins with a joyful celebration of a past restoration:

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced. (vv.1-3)

In this anxious time, when there’s a lot we don’t know, we still know this: God will do what he has done. More specifically, God will do for us, for everyone in Christ, what he did for Christ when he raised him from the dead. “He will,” in the words of Paul, “transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory” (Philippians 3:21). In other words, our hope in Christ is not wishful thinking. He is now what we shall be. God will do for us, his children by grace, what he has done for his crucified, raised, and reigning Son.

Like dry wadis replenished by winter rains.

Like fields that were barren now filled with fruit.

However long it may take, there’s joy to come.

Invitation to Pray

Give your heart a vacation from the stress of the present by reading and savoring Psalm 126. Then imagine a few simple, everyday joys that will return when the virus has gone.

Closing Prayer

Faith, not Fear – April 6, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

Faith that Brings Peace

Last week I went to the grocery store at a time when I thought it wouldn’t be busy. I was wrong. The parking lot was full, and the aisles were crowded. Everyone did their best to keep their distance and keep shopping, but there were too many people and not enough space. The longer I stayed, the more anxious I felt.

Alan Fadling, author of An Unhurried Life, once remarked on a podcast that “Worry is concern without God.” In these uncertain times, we’re all concerned, and rightly so, but none of us really wants to be worried. None of us wants to feel anxious. Anxiety is unproductive, deflating, and de-energizing. If worry is concern without God, then we want to be with God when we are concerned. We want a faith that brings peace even when we’re concerned.

Psalm 125, our next Song of Ascent, both expresses and nurtures that kind of faith. It begins with a beautiful expression of trust:

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people,
from this time on and forevermore. (vv.1-2)

The psalmist does more than believe in God. He does more than confess the right doctrines about God. He actively, personally trusts in God. The word translated trust is the Hebrew word batah, which means “to be confident in, feel secure, be unconcerned.”[i] Wouldn’t you love to be unconcerned, secure, and confident in these anxious times?

For the psalmist, such trust is rooted in the knowledge that the Lord surrounds his people as the mountains surround Jerusalem. In other words, God’s people may live with, and feel threatened by, the “wicked” (v.3) who “turn aside to crookedness” (v.5), but they are, at all times, surrounded by God and his loving care. God is not chasing after them to punish them. Neither is he far away “in his heaven.” Instead, he is with them. Surrounding them. Protecting them. Caring for them. Leading them. It’s this vision of God, this knowledge of God, that leads to the faith that brings the psalmist peace.

The final verse of the psalm is a prayer for peace, a prayer for God’s people to know the shalom that comes from God, the God who surrounds us we’re filled with concern: “Peace be upon Israel!” (v.5).

Peace be upon you.

Peace be upon me.

Peace be upon us.

Amen.

Invitation to Pray

Take a moment to pray for those whose work puts them at risk; healthcare workers and first responders, but also grocery store cashiers, convenience store clerks, mail carriers, and delivery drivers. Pray for God to surround them and fill them with his peace.

Closing Prayer

[i] Nancy deClaisse-Walford, Rolf A. Jacobson, and Beth LaNeel Tanner, The Book of Psalms. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014), pp.910-911.

Faith, not Fear – April 3, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

Monsters

There were monsters in my closet and under my bed. I didn’t know what they did or where they went during the day, but every night they were back in my room under my bed and in my closet. They could not be wished away or told to go. My only comfort was a smart defense.

My first line of defense was simple: close the closet door. I don’t why a monster that was strong enough to hurt me was weak enough to be stopped by a closed closet door, but it worked every time.

My second line of defense, adopted with an eye on the monsters beneath my bed, was equally simple and equally effective: pull up the covers; pull them over my head, so that only my eyes and my nose were uncovered. I buried myself in my blankets, hoping that the monsters just would not notice me.

My final line of defense, the most potent of all, was also the simplest: yell for help. If all else failed, I would yell for my mother or my father (or both), and they would come. Worked every time.

Psalm 124, our next Song of Ascent, is the prayer of a people who have cried out to God and been saved from their monsters. In their case, however, their monsters were real. Their plight was truly perilous. They were almost consumed. They almost drowned. They were stuck in a trap before being freed.

I love this psalm.

We need this psalm.

It helps us imagine how we will feel when the night of this virus has finally passed, when the flood has subsided, and we can breathe.

Were it not the Lord Who was for us
—let Israel now say—
were it not the Lord Who was for us
when people rose against us,
then they would have swallowed us alive
when their wrath flared hot against us.
Then the waters would have swept us up,
the torrent come up past our necks.
Then it would have come up past our necks—
the raging waters.

Blessed is the Lord,
Who did not make us prey for their teeth.
Our life is like a bird escaped
from the snare of the fowlers.
The snare was broken
and we escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
maker of heaven and earth.[i]

Right now, this virus has risen against. The waters are rising, and we feel trapped. Our plight is perilous. But we’re crying out to God, and soon (how soon, we don’t know) we’ll get to sing, “Were it not the Lord Who was for us…were it not the Lord Who was for us…the waters receded…The snare has been broken, and we have escaped…Blessed is the Lord…Our help has been the name of the Lord, maker of heaven and earth, make of the day that has finally dawned.”

Invitation to Pray

Take a moment to pray for those who may feel like a bird that’s been trapped. In particular, please pray for those who don’t have this virus, but who are sick and in the hospital. They don’t want to be there, especially now, but they have to stay. Please pray for a safe escape.

Closing Prayer

[i] Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary. Volume 3: The Writings (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2019), pp.295-296.

Faith, not Fear – April 2, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

Be Thou My Vision

In his book Too Busy Not to Pray, Bill Hybels aptly summarized Jesus’ teaching on prayer with three simple sentences: “Keep it simple. Keep it honest. Keep it up.” Psalm 123, a Song of Ascent, helps us “keep it up” by turning our eyes from our problems to our God. Our problems are not ignored, but they don’t overwhelm us, because we are keeping our eyes on God.

In contrast to Psalm 121, which begins with the words, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains,” Psalm 123 invites us to lift our eyes up to God: “To you I lift up my eyes” (v.1). In other words, “keeping it up”, continuing to pray when prayer feels pointless, has less to do with us, the ones who are praying, than it does with God, the one to whom we pray. To YOU, not my mountains, I lift up my eyes. In YOU, not my prayers, I place my hope.

Once the psalmist has turned our eyes to God, he calls us to keep staring, directly and intensely, at our God until he grants our request for what we need most:

Look, like the eyes of slaves to their masters,
like the eyes of a slavegirl to her mistress
so are our eyes to the Lord our God
until he grants us grace.

Grant us grace, Lord, grant us grace,
for we are sorely sated with scorn. (vv.2-3)

Since the psalmist was “sorely sated with scorn…with the contempt of the smug, the scorn of the haughty” (v.4), he could have prayed for justice or vengeance, but, like Jesus, he prayed for grace. He asked God for the gift of God’s free favor.

This plea for grace reminds us that “Prayer is not,” in the words of Archbishop Richard Trench “overcoming God’s reluctance,” but “laying hold of highest willingness.” In other words, when we ask God for grace, we’re not asking him to do something he’d rather not do. We’re not pestering him for attention he’d rather not give. Instead, we’re asking God to be what he is and to do what he does. When God revealed his name to Moses on Mount Sinai, we read that “The Lord passed before him, and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness’” (Exodus 34:6). In other words, grace is the rule, not the exception, when it comes to God. When we turn our eyes from our mountains to our God, we turn our eyes to a God who is ready, willing, and able to grant us his grace, because he is gracious.

As this season of social distancing, sickness, and fear keeps getting longer, we will find strength to keep going, power to keep praying, when we turn our eyes from our problems to our God. He will grant us his grace, because he is gracious. Grace is who he is. Grace is what he does.

Invitation to Pray

Take a moment to read through and pray “Be Thou My Vision”, an old Irish hymn, as translated by Eleanor Hull in 1912:

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’n’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Now read and pray it again for someone else (“Be Thou her Vision, O Lord of her heart…”).

Closing Prayer

Faith, not Fear – April 1, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

Shalom and Shalvah

Yesterday was sobering. What had seemed like a worst-case scenario suddenly became a likely scenario. We’re not supposed to give up (and I’m sure that we won’t), but we do need to know that the next two weeks could see as many as 100,000 to 240,000 deaths from COVID-19.

We need to pray for shalom and shalvah.

Psalm 122 is a song of ascent, a psalm the people prayed as they “ascended” to Jerusalem to worship their God. Most of the Psalm is a celebration of Jerusalem, which is “built as a city bound firmly together” (v.3), to which “the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord” (v.4). In other words, the psalmist loved Jerusalem, because it was THE place in which God and his people met together in his Temple. That’s why the psalmist says he was “glad” when “they” said to him, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” (v.1)

Although most of the psalm is a celebration of Jerusalem, a joyful anticipation of the worship to come, the psalm ends with a prayer:

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,
and security within your towers.”
For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good. (vv.6-9)

The key words in this prayer are “peace” and “prosperity”, shalom and shalvah. Shalom, as you may know, means much more than the absence of conflict. It means well-being, the presence of blessing, the fullness of life. In these sober days, we must pray for shalom. We must also, with the psalmist, pray for shalvah, “prosperity”, which is not a function of our bank account or our investment portfolio. Instead, it’s the rest that we know in the presence of God. As Eugene Peterson has written: “The root meaning is leisure—the relaxed stance of one who knows that everything is all right because God is over us, with us and for us in Jesus Christ…It is the leisure of the person who knows that every moment of our existence is at the disposal of God, lived under the mercy of God.”[i]

Yesterday was sobering, but we have a prayer for a moment like this, because we have a God who calls us to pray for peace and prosperity, shalom and shalvah. The presence of blessing. Our rest in his presence.

Even here. Even now.

Especially here. Especially now.

Invitation to Pray

Few Christians have embodied God’s shalom and shalvah as faithfully as Saint Francis. Take a moment to pray this “Prayer of Saint Francis” from The United Methodist Hymnal:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. And it’s in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us to live from our faith, not our fears; to “be believing” not “fearing” as we follow Jesus through the season of Lent in a time of crisis. Shield us physically and spiritually, so that we may love even when we’re afraid. Help us to remember that your perfect love drives out all our fears. Amen.

[i] Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (p. 51). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

Faith, not Fear – March 31, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

The Help

When I became a pastor, there was no Google Maps, MapQuest, or Waze. Directions to hospitals and homes were most often verbal, frequently confusing, and sometimes included landmarks that were no longer there. For example, a layperson in my first church once gave me directions that included a left turn “by the Inn.” Little did I know that when she said, “by the Inn” she meant “where the Inn used to be.” Needless to say, I missed the left “by the Inn.”

When I think of the challenges I’ve faced when traveling, the list is pretty short. I’ve never had to worry about dirt roads, an unreliable car, or (as in some countries) violent gangs around the next bend. My biggest issues have been (and are) directions, gas, and coffee. How will we get there? Should we stop for gas now or at the next exit? Where’s the next Starbucks?!

Because my biggest issues when we’re on the road aren’t actually problems, it is difficult for me to feel the uncertainty, anxiety, and fear that greeted God’s people when they began a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover (in the spring), Pentecost (in the summer), or Tabernacles (in the fall). It is difficult for me to feel what they felt when they would pray:

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
from where does my help come? (Psalm 121:1)

As I shared in my sermon on Sunday, the Judean highlands were beautiful and inspiring (see the picture above), but they were dangerous as well. They were full of promise (the Holy City and Holy Temple were on the other side), but also peril (there were idols and bandits on the summits and in the passes). No wonder ancient pilgrims needed God to be their guard:

He will not let your foot be moved;
he who guards you will not slumber.
Look, he who guards Israel
does not slumber, nor does he sleep.

The Lord is your guard;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will guard you from all evil;
he will guard your life.
The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore. (vv.3-8)

Given all that the people did not know about their journey, they needed to know that their God would be their guard. In addition, given all the uncertainty, anxiety, and fear that greeted God’s people as their pilgrimage began, they also needed to know that the God who guarded them would also help them.

The word for help in verse one is the same word (ezer) that we find in Genesis 2:18 (Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper (ezer) as his partner.”). For a variety of reasons, the ezer in Genesis 2:18 has often been heard as if it means little more than “support staff” for the man, but ezer is used sixty-five times in the Old Testament, and in almost every instance, ezer refers to God. For example:

“The God of my father was my help and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.” (Exodus 18:4)

There is none like God, O Jeshurun,
who rides through the heavens to your help,
majestic through the skies. (Deuteronomy 33:26)

Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and shield. (Psalm 33:20)

No wonder Robert Alter translates ezer as “sustainer” in Genesis 2 (“I shall make him a sustainer beside him”), and Nancy DeClaisse-Walford writes that “ezer in the Hebrew Bible conveys the idea of a ‘help’ that is a strong presence, an aid without which humankind would be unprotected and vulnerable to all sorts of unsettling situations.”

Given the unsettling situation we are in, as we shelter place, pray for first responders, and worry about our families and our friends, we too need to know that the God who guards us when we’re out on the road is also with us to help us while we’re staying in place. We need an ezer, a strong presence beside us, an aid without which we’d be unprotected and vulnerable.

We lift up our eyes to the mountains. From where will our help come?

Invitation to Pray

Take a moment to pray for the mayors and governors who are leading their people on an unfamiliar path through dangerous terrain. Pray that God would help the, guide, guard, and bless them. Then give thanks to God for them.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us to live from our faith, not our fears; to “be believing” not “fearing” as we follow Jesus through the season of Lent in a time of crisis. Shield us physically and spiritually, so that we may love even when we’re afraid. Help us to remember that your perfect love drives out all our fears. Amen.

Good morning, everyone. Below is today’s edition of Faith, not Fear, a daily reflection to help keep us connected, while we’re physically separated, through Scripture and prayer.

Faith, not Fear – March 30, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

Popeye

I rarely ate spinach, but I often watched Popeye when I was a kid. Popeye was an affable, animated sailor who spent every episode being mistreated, most often by Brutus, his fellow sailor and arch-nemesis. Popeye would patiently endure humiliation and injustice until he decided that he’d had enough. Then he would get angry, his whole body would get stiff, and he would shout “That’s all I can stands, I can’t stands no more!” After that, Popeye would eat a can of spinach, grow massive muscles, and beat up Brutus. In one deeply cathartic spasm of anger, healthy eating, and violence, Popeye would save the day, protect the girl (Olive Oil), and encourage kids to eat their vegetables. It was awesome.

Whether or not you’ve ever seen Popeye, you are probably feeling like Popeye right now. You’ve had all you can stand of COVID-19, sheltering in place, and social distancing. You’ve had all you can stand of missing your friends, your grandkids, your favorite restaurants, your job, your classes, or your routines. You’ve had all you can stands, and you can’t stands no more.

This morning I am starting a series of reflections on the Songs of Ascent (Psalms 120-134), a collection of prayers that were sung by the Jewish people as they traveled to Jerusalem for the “pilgrimage festivals” held each year in the spring (Passover), summer (Pentecost), and fall (Tabernacles). I am starting this series, because I believe that the Songs of Ascent can help us continue our discipleship to Jesus while the rest of our lives feel like they’re are on hold.

The journey begins with a Popeye experience. The psalmist makes it clear that he’s had enough:

Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek,
that I live among the tents of Kedar!
Too long have I lived
among those who hate peace. (vv.5-6)

Meshek and Kedar were not Jewish cities. Meshek was far north; Kedar far south. Since the psalmist can’t actually dwell in those places at the same time, he is using them as metaphors for living in exile, far from Jerusalem, the Temple, and God. Too long has he lived far away from his God. Too long has he lived far away from God’s peace. Too long has he lived, to be more specific, assaulted by deception and surrounded by violence:

Save me, Lord,
from lying lips
and from deceitful tongues. (v.2)

Too long have I lived
among those who hate peace.
I am for peace;
but when I speak, they are for war. (vv.6-7)

Most journeys to God begin with this experience. They begin with a soul that is deeply dissatisfied, a soul that decides to get up and get going back home to God.

As we begin another week with social distancing, most of us find it easy to look around at our lives in the pandemic and say with the psalmist, “Too long!” But do we have the faith to look through the pandemic at our lives before it? Are we willing to see that Meshek is not limited to what we are missing? Instead, it includes what we have missed. As we look at our lives before the pandemic, are moved by the Spirit to pray, “Too long”? Too long have I lived as if worry and stress are unavoidable. Too long have I given my attention, time, and money to things that don’t matter. Too long have I lived not seeking God first but seeking God also? Too long have I lived as a fan, not a follower of the crucified, risen, reigning Lord? Too long have I lived as if complaining about Kedar is the same thing as getting up and following where Jesus leads.

What we need going forward is not a spasm of anger, healthy eating, and violence, but a lifestyle of grace, mercy, and love.

Too long have we lived without active, intentional discipleship to Jesus.

I’ve had all I can stands. I can’t stands no more.

Invitation to Pray

Take a moment to pray (slowly and thoughtfully) this “Prayer for Purity” from the United Methodist Book of Worship:

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us to live from our faith, not our fears; to “be believing” not “fearing” as we follow Jesus through the season of Lent in a time of crisis. Shield us physically and spiritually, so that we may love even when we’re afraid. Help us to remember that your perfect love drives out all our fears. Amen.

Faith, not Fear – March 27, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

This morning, I am tired. As soon as I got up, I was ready to lay down.

Do you know the feeling?

My weariness this morning is more emotional than physical. I am tired of this virus. Even though, all things considered, our family has it good, I am still tired of social distancing; tired of reading, watching, thinking, praying, and planning for life (for an indeterminate length of time) with this pandemic. We’re just two weeks in, but I’m already spent.

I need some GU.

GU is an energy gel, a shot of carbohydrates, electrolytes, and amino acids that helps runners keep running when they’re getting tired. It comes in Chocolate Outrage, Salted Carmel, Tri-Berry, Jet Blackberry, Strawberry Banana, Vanilla Bean, and (my favorite) Espresso Love.

Are you tired? Do you need some GU? You can order it on Amazon, but the Bible is filled with it. The Bible is filled with shots of God’s grace that help us keep going when we’re running down. Here’s one of my favorites:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23; NRSV)

This morning, when I was tired, these verses were (as they often are) a shot of God’s grace when I needed it the most. Yes, I am tired, but God never is, and that is our hope. It’s okay that we’re tired. Of course we are tired. There is never enough energy inside us for this race. Our help comes from God, whose love never ceases, whose faithfulness is great, whose mercies are new every morning, this one included.

Invitation to Pray

Take a moment to pray this “Prayer of Thanksgiving” from the United Methodist Order for Morning Praise and Prayer:

New every morning is your love, great God of light, and all day long you are working for good in the world. Stir up in us desire to serve you, to live peacefully with our neighbors, and to devote each day to your Son, Our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us to live from our faith, not our fears; to “be believing” not “fearing” as we follow Jesus through the season of Lent in a time of crisis. Shield us physically and spiritually, so that we may love even when we’re afraid. Help us to remember that your perfect love drives out all our fears. Amen.

Faith, not Fear – March 26, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

Move!

My watch has been buzzing more often than usual. It’s been buzzing on the hour to alert me to the time, but it’s also been buzzing to let me know I need to move. Built for running, my watch buzzes loudly when it’s been thirty minutes since I last moved. I feel the vibration, look at the watch face, and see a simple message: MOVE!

For hundreds of years, perhaps even thousands, Psalm 95 has been buzzing at Christians, calling them to worship. In many traditions, it’s the first psalm that Christians pray at the start of the day. It calls us to shout, kneel, and listen.

It also calls us to move.

In almost every English translation of this psalm, verses 1 and 6 both call us to come:

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. (v.1; NIV)

Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; (v.6; NRSV)

Both verses begin with the same imperative, the same invitation: Come!

Except that they don’t.

Verse one does not begin with the same word that we find at the beginning of verse six. Verse six begins with the Hebrew word bw, which does mean “come”, but verse one begins with the word halak, which means “to walk” or “get going.” In other words, “Move!”

In this time of social distancing and sheltering in place, it is easy to feel like our lives are on hold, and in some ways they are. Meetings, events, and trips have been postponed or canceled. Even every day trips are now few and far between. In some very real ways, our lives are on hold. We’re not moving. We’re stopping. We’re staying. We’re waiting.

But our pilgrimage to God has not stopped. Our discipleship to Jesus is not on hold.

Psalm 95 still calls us to move, get going, keep walking together with Jesus toward God. Despite the disruptions, interruptions, and waiting, the invitation remains:

Move! Let us shout gladly, joyfully, out loud to Yahweh!

Let us shout to the rock of our rescue!

Greet his face with thanksgiving!

In songs let us shout out to him! (vv.1-2; Tim’s Personal Paraphrase)

Why? Why should we shout? Why should we sing? Why should we move? The next three verses remind us why:

For the Lord (Yahweh) is a great God,
and a great King over all other gods.
Whom to him in his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the peaks of the mountains also are his.
Whom to him is the sea, for he made it.
And the dry land, his hands did fashion it. (vv.3-5)

In other words, our pilgrimage to God, our discipleship to Jesus, is not on hold, because God is still king! He created and rules over all things and is worthy of our worship, devotion, and love. Don’t just sit there while you shelter. Move, shout, and sing.

And then, after that, take time to bow:

Come, let us bow and kneel,
bend the knee before Yahweh, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand. (vv.6-7)

In other words, our God is awesome. He’s good, caring, and strong. Deep reverence for him expressed with our bodies as we bow down is still appropriate. There’s no need to wait. Our shepherd still leads us! We’re still his people, and he is still speaking, which is why the psalm ends with one last buzz:

Drop everything and listen,

listen as he speaks (v.7b; The Message)

Yes, our lives, in some ways, are on hold. There’s a lot we can’t do, a lot that’s been canceled or postponed. But our pilgrimage with Jesus is not interrupted, delayed or rescheduled. Today is a still a day shout, kneel, and listen. Today is still a day to keep moving toward God.

Don’t wait for the buzz. Get going now.

Invitation to Pray

As we continue our journey through the pandemic together with Jesus, take a few minutes to read and pray Psalm 95. Then pray for those whose lives have, in real ways, ground to a halt: for those in the hospital, those in self-quarantine, and those now unemployed.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us to live from our faith, not our fears; to “be believing” not “fearing” as we follow Jesus through the season of Lent in a time of crisis. Shield us physically and spiritually, so that we may love even when we’re afraid. Help us to remember that your perfect love drives out all our fears. Amen.

Faith, not Fear – March 25, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

A People Walking in Darkness…

This morning I am thinking of Isaiah 9:2 (“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light”), because we are a people walking in darkness. There’s a lot we don’t know. How bad will this get? How long will it last? When will life return to normal? What will be “normal” for us after this? We have become, and will be, a people walking in darkness.

But we’re also a people who have seen a great light, “a people dwelling in deep darkness” on whom “light has dawned.”

No, I’m not predicting the end of the virus or the grand re-opening of our nation’s economy. Instead, I’m remembering that “a child has been born for us, a son given to us” (Isaiah 9:6). I’m remembering that Jesus is the light in every darkness, and every darkness will yield to the light that is Christ.

Because of Jesus, we know that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Because of Jesus, we know that God’s purpose for us is for us “to be conformed to the image of his Son (Romans 8:29). Because of Jesus, we know that he “who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all” will “also, along with him, graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:32). Because of Jesus, we know that “Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Romans 8:34). Because of Jesus, we know that nothing – not life or death, COVID-19 or financial hardship – “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).

Like the President, we are eager to see the light at the end of this tunnel, but we also see the light that is with us in the tunnel.

Invitation to Pray

Take a few minutes to pray for those dwelling in deep darkness right now; for the doctors and nurses running short on equipment, supplies, and hope; for parents in quarantine who can’t hold their children; for those walking in grief through “the valley of the shadow of the death” (Psalm 23:4), because they’ve lost a loved one to COVID-19. See them and pray for them, and then take a moment to read Romans 8:35-39 as an affirmation of faith that moves us to hope:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us to live from our faith, not our fears; to “be believing” not “fearing” as we follow Jesus through the season of Lent in a time of crisis. Shield us physically and spiritually, so that we may love even when we’re afraid. Help us to remember that your perfect love drives out all our fears. Amen.

Faith, not Fear – March 24, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

Staples

March 24, 2020

“Why did you put the bread in the freezer?!”

Luke, our eleven-year-old son, was looking for pancakes. The bread in the freezer both surprised and confused him. He wondered if his father, notoriously absent-minded, forgot what he was doing when he put up the groceries.

No, I explained, it’s not a mistake. I did it on purpose. We’re stocking up on staples.

How about you? Are you stocking up on staples? Judging by the shelves at our local Publix, “the staples” in our community are bread, rice, pasta, milk, and eggs. Those seem to be the foods that we need most in these days of social distancing and infrequent shopping. I don’t know for sure, but I bet most of us have purchased more of those items than we usually do.

What about prayer? In a time of crisis, which prayers are staples? Some of us, I’m sure, find ourselves drawn to the twenty-third Psalm, because it helps us experience the good shepherding of God in our dark valley. Others, perhaps, have been praying the Lord’s Prayer more frequently and fervently, because it is, by design, all of our staples in one pre-packaged prayer. Still others, perhaps most of us, have been praying the “laments” without even knowing it, those prayers from the gut that shout at God “How long, O Lord?!” and “Do something good now!”

In addition to these prayers, I would like to suggest that you add a small prayer book to your list of staples. Referred to by scholars as “enthronement psalms”, Psalms 93-99 both celebrate and invoke the saving kingship of God, God’s “over-riding governance for good” in a time of crisis.

The first of those Psalms, Psalm 93, is one of my favorites. It begins with the affirmation that the Lord reigns and the world, therefore, is stable and strong:

The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting. (vv.1-2; English Standard Version)

The good news of God’s reign over all he has made is a message we need to hear, because the world, though good, was and is threatened. In verse 3, the Psalmist speaks of chaos in terms of the waters of a flood:

The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.

Every time I pray this prayer, I pause to reflect on and name the floods that currently “lift up their roaring.” Those floods may be conflict in the world, a natural disaster, or the state of our politics, but they also are the state of my heart. Am I anxious and fearful, hateful and vengeful? How about selfish, envious, petty, or small? The floods are lifting up, O Lord, the floods are roaring.

The good news for me, for you, and for us comes in verse 4:

Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
mightier than the waves of the sea,
the Lord on high is mighty!

In other words, chaos, injustice, and suffering (the floods) are real. They are not an illusion or a state of mind. Neither are they the Washington Generals, the Harlem Globetrotters’ “opponents,” who are really just props for the Globetrotters’ glory. No, the floods are real, vicious, and terrifying. But God is stronger. His throne is higher. Therefore, we have hope, come what may.

The Psalm ends with an affirmation: God’s decrees are trustworthy, and his house is holy (v.5). In other words, the gospel is good news, now more than ever, and God’s presence is promised to us at all times. We can always worship God.

Invitation to Pray

Take a few minutes to pray Psalm 93. Celebrate God’s reign, then take a moment to name the “floods” in your life and our world. After that, give yourself permission to shout verse 4 (at least in your head) as a joyful celebration and invocation of God’s saving reign. Finally, take a deep breath and then quietly read verse 5. God’s word is good news. His presence is promised. Come what may.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us to live from our faith, not our fears; to “be believing” not “fearing” as we follow Jesus through the season of Lent in a time of crisis. Shield us physically and spiritually, so that we may love even when we’re afraid. Help us to remember that your perfect love drives out all our fears. Amen.

Faith, not Fear March 23, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

Home

Where have you lived? In my childhood alone, I lived in Zanesville, Ohio, Glen Burnie, Maryland, Middletown, Ohio, and Butler, Pennsylvania. Since leaving home for college, I’ve lived in eight other places for a total of twelve. In fifty years of life, I’ve had twelve different addresses.

Or have I had only one?

The first verse of Psalm 90 reminds us of our true address: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.” Although God’s people had lived in Ur of the Chaldees, Haran in Assyria, the land of Canaan, Egypt, the wilderness, the foot of Mount Sinai, the Holy Land, Babylon, and Persia, they had only ever had one true address: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.”

Where have you lived?

Where DO you live?

Because of our union with Christ, the apostle Paul opened some of his letters with a reminder that his readers had two addresses: one physical, the other spiritual. “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi” (Philippians 1:1). “To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae” (Colossians 1:2) “To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:1). These early Christians lived in Philippi, Colossae, and Thessalonica, but they also lived “in Christ Jesus,” “in Christ,” and “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” God was their dwelling place.

Because of social distancing and the encouragement to “shelter in place,” many of us feel like we’re suddenly living in a strange land. We’re at home and uprooted at the same time, and we have no idea how long this will last.

But we know that God has been, and will be, our dwelling place through this and every season of life. Even more, we know that God has been, and will be, a dwelling place for us. According to Beth Tanner, a professor of Old Testament Studies at New Brunswick Theological Seminary, verse one doesn’t just say that God has been “our dwelling place.” Instead, it says, that God has been “a dwelling place for us in all generations.” In other words, God isn’t just with us, God is also for us. We are in him, and he is for us. He is our shelter, our hope, our salvation, and our joy.

When did “the prodigal son” know he was home? When his father ran to him, embraced him, and kissed him; put a ring on his finger and a robe on his shoulders.[i] God’s grace, undeserved and unearned, is our true home in every generation and every season of life, even when home has become a strange land.

Where have you lived?

Where DO you live?

Where will you find shelter?

Invitation to Pray

As we begin another week of social distancing, let’s pray for those who can’t go home: for students who have to stay on now largely empty campuses, travelers who’ve been quarantined upon their return, and Americans abroad who can’t find a way to come back to the States. May God be a dwelling place for them and their families.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us to live from our faith, not our fears; to “be believing” not “fearing” as we follow Jesus through the season of Lent in a time of crisis. Shield us physically and spiritually, so that we may love even when we’re afraid. Help us to remember that your perfect love drives out all our fears. Amen.

[i] Luke 15:20-24

Faith, not Fear – March 20, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

Selah

March 20, 2020

I need to confess.

In the Tuesday edition of Faith, not Fear, I left out a word from the fourth Psalm. Here is verse four as I reproduced it:

When you are disturbed, do not sin;
    ponder it on your beds, and be silent.

Now here is the verse as it actually appears in the NRSV:

When you are disturbed, do not sin;
    ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Selah.

As you can see, I left out the selah. Truth be told, I routinely skip the selahs in the Psalms. There are seventy-one selahs in the book of Psalms, and I’ve skipped every one of them.

What is selah? What is it, exactly, that I have been skipping? What sin am I confessing?

There’s no real consensus among modern scholars about the meaning of selah, but there was a clear consensus among the ancient Jewish scholars who translated their Bible from Hebrew into Greek. Two hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Jewish scholars in Alexandria produced a Greek version of the Bible known as the Septuagint. When those ancient Jewish scholars translated selah from Hebrew into Greek, they used a Greek word that means “intermission.” In other words, selah is telling us to pause, calling us to stop and take a breath, to stop and reflect on what we have heard and on what we have said. Selah calls us to stop and be present to God.

Have you been skipping the selahs? Do you need to confess?

Our life together with social distancing has blessed us with selahs. We’ve been blessed with the gift of unhurried time with our families and our God. The twenty seconds is takes to wash our hands is a selah, an opportunity to pray the Lord’s Prayer or the twenty-third Psalm or sing a few verses from our favorite hymn. Don’t skip the selahs that we have been given. Take a walk, play a game, or just sit and talk with your fellow inmates (i.e. your family). Call a friend. Be present to people. Unhurried. Open. Set the alarm on your phone to go off at 9:00, noon, and 5:00. When it does, take a deep breath and then whisper the words of Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Selah.

Invitation to Pray

In addition to the above suggestions for embracing the selahs in our lives, take a few minutes to sit quietly and listen to “Come and Listen” by David Crowder, a song inspired by Psalm 66:16.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us to live from our faith, not our fears; to “be believing” not “fearing” as we follow Jesus through the season of Lent in a time of crisis. Shield us physically and spiritually, so that we may love even when we’re afraid. Help us to remember that your perfect love drives out all our fears. Amen.

Faith, not Fear – March 19, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

Life Together, Even Now

March 19, 2020

Have you heard about the applause in Spain? Like Italy, Spain has imposed a nationwide quarantine. People are required, with few exceptions, to stay in their homes. They are honoring the lockdown, but at 8:00pm each night since the quarantine began, people are leaving their homes to stand on their balconies and porches and applaud. This loud and lengthy applause is their nightly tribute to the country’s health care workers.

Have you heard about the singing in Italy? Back on March 12, day three of Italy’s nationwide quarantine, people across the country stood on their balconies and porches and sang their national anthem together.

How about the personal trainer in Spain? Have you heard his story? He’s been leading exercise classes from the rooftop of his apartment building. Men and women of all ages follow along from the balconies and roofs of neighboring buildings.

Psalm 133 is a “song of ascent”, a song the people sang on their way to Jerusalem for one of Israel’s three pilgrimage festivals (Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles). It is one of the shortest psalms. It’s also kind of gross.

How very good and pleasant it is
    when kindred live together in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
    running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
    running down over the collar of his robes.
It is like the dew of Hermon,
    which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord ordained his blessing,
    life forevermore.

I don’t know about you, but I am not drawn to the image of oil on Aaron’s head, so much oil that it runs down his head and onto his beard and over his collar. What a mess! But although it is messy, it’s a beautiful mess.

The Psalm reminds us that it is “good and pleasant” when we dwell together as a family. In other words, we need community. We thrive in community. Even the introverts.

One of the challenges posed by COVID-19, and any lethal virus, is that the primary strategy for containing it, social distancing, pulls us apart when we need to be together. As Stanford Professor Jamil Zaki recently wrote in the Washington Post, “Following earthquakes, bombings and terrorist attacks, people pour out of their homes to help strangers, ignoring lines of class and race that typically divide them. Such altruism helps helpers. By doing for others, they assert community and find a sense of purpose in uncertain times.”

We’re not faced with an earthquake, a bombing, or a terrorist attack, but we still need “to do for others”, “to assert community.” How good and beautiful it is when kindred dwell together in unity! It’s like oil on the head, the beard, the collar. It’s like morning dew. It’s like the Spanish applauding at 8:00pm. It’s like Italians singing their national anthem to each other from their balconies. It’s like an old woman, a young man, and a boy all doing squats, because a stranger on a rooftop told them it was time to do their squats.

In a time of social distancing, we must also keep connected. We must call, text, and FaceTime. We must talk to our neighbors (if we have neighbors). Some have found ways to gather online and watch a movie or hang out with family and friends. This time of necessary social distancing is also an opportunity for creative community. How will you “do for others”? How will you “assert community”? Feel free to lead a song or a round of applause or a set of squats.

Invitation to Pray

Written by John Chrysostom, one of the early church’s greatest preachers, the “Prayer of St. Chrysostom” is an ancient prayer shared by almost every Christian denomination. It is still used every week in Orthodox churches. It’s in our United Methodist Hymnal and in the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer. Take a few moments to offer this prayer with your own voice and from your own heart. As you do so, remember that this prayer is shared by Christians around the world and through time. Although we’re not praying in the same place, we are gathered in the same Christ.

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us to live from our faith, not our fears; to “be believing” not “fearing” as we follow Jesus through the season of Lent in a time of crisis. Shield us physically and spiritually, so that we may love even when we’re afraid. Help us to remember that your perfect love drives out all our fears. Amen.

Faith, not Fear – March 18, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

A Prayer for the Morning

March 18, 2020

“You don’t drink coffee?!”

“No.”

“Ugh. I could never start my day without a cup of coffee.”

The summer before my junior year of college, I worked for a moving company. Most of our jobs were local, moving people from one town to another in Western PA, but when we moved a family from Pennsylvania to Ohio, we had stay overnight. In the morning, our crew chief found a diner. We all ordered breakfast, but my co-workers were shocked when I didn’t order coffee to go with my eggs. That just couldn’t imagine starting their day without a cup of coffee.

How do you start your day? What do you need to get yourself started? Since that summer thirty years ago, I have learned to drink coffee, but that’s not the only thing I need to get started.

Yesterday I wrote that Psalm 4 (a night prayer) and Psalm 5 (a morning prayer) change the way that we relate to time. They help us live in rhythm with God. Psalm 4 helps us yield, to surrender our worries and concerns to the good providence of God, so that we may rest in God’s loving care. Once we have slept, Psalm 5 helps us start. It prepares us for action, as all morning prayer does.

The psalm begins with a plea for God to hear (“Hear my words, Lord! Consider my groans!”) and then reassures us that we are heard (“Lord, in the morning you hear my voice.”). In other words, the day seems to begin with our weary groans, but in reality, it begins with God’s refreshing grace. Yes, the day came too soon. The alarm is too loud. The coffee’s not ready and neither are we. But God was with us and listening before we woke up. His eyes were on us when our eyes were closed. “Lord, in the morning, you hear my voice!”

Psalm 5 reassures us that we are heard and then invites us to offer ourselves and our day to God in hope:

Lord, in the morning you hear my voice.
In the morning I lay it all out before you.
    Then I wait expectantly. (v.3; CEB)

The phrase “lay it all out” translates a word (‘arak) for preparing a sacrifice, placing an offering on the altar before God. At the beginning of the day, we lay ourselves out, presenting our gifts, appointments, and tasks before God through prayer, asking God to take it all and so something good, create something beautiful, shape our day as a witness to the gospel.

In his book Letters to Malcolm, C.S. Lewis wrote that “The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.” Psalm 5 gets us ready for the day by contrasting “that other, larger, stronger, quieter life” that flows from God’s presence with the smaller, weaker, louder life that shouts at us constantly from the world all around. The louder life is wicked (v.4), evil (v.4), arrogant (v.5), violent (v.6), and dishonest (v.6). It leads to destruction, though it promises life (v.9). The quieter life is grateful (v.7), humble (v.7), receptive (v.8), and joyful (v.11). It leads to life, because it is open to the God who covers us with his favor like a shield (v.12).

How do you start your day? What do you need to get yourself started?

As we keep connected with God and each other through Scripture and prayer in a time of crisis, may we joyfully enter the presence of God, because of his abundant, faithful love (v.7), and ask God to lead us in his righteousness, making his way clear to us (v.8). May we offer ourselves and our day to God, so that we live from our faith, not our fears.

Invitation to Pray

Sometime this morning, read and pray slowly through Psalm 5. Then offer this pray from the “Morning Office” in The Book of Common Prayer:

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to the beginning of this day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purposes; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

As you did with the psalm, read and pray slowly through the words of this prayer. As you do so, pray for those who have been hoarding and panicking, asking God to reassure them of his abundant, faithful love.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us to live from our faith, not our fears; to “be believing” not “fearing” as we follow Jesus through the season of Lent in a time of crisis. Shield us physically and spiritually, so that we may love even when we’re afraid. Help us to remember that your perfect love drives out all our fears. Amen.

Faith, not Fear – March 17, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

A Prayer for the Night

March 17, 2020

When I was a child, Daylight Savings Time drove me crazy. I could not believe, could not understand, how it was possible, or even desirable, for us to change time. My parents tried to explain it, but I just couldn’t get it. “You mean that we’re going to pretend that it’s eight o’clock, even though we all know that it’s really seven?”

“No.”

“What?!”

The whole thing was disturbing. I had assumed that time was fixed, that the universe or God had determined absolutely that it was six, seven, or eight. Little did I know that human beings get to choose how they will keep time. Neither did I know that human beings get to choose how they relate to time.

Psalm 4 (a night prayer) and Psalm 5 (a morning prayer) change the way that we keep time. Even more importantly, they change the way that we relate to time. They help us to live in rhythm with God.

The night prayer comes first, because for ancient Jews the day begins in the dark and ends in the light. In other words, each day reflects the grace of creation when God took a dark watery chaos (Genesis 1:2) and, through the power of his word, brought order and light (Genesis 1:3-4). “There was evening and there was morning, the first day” (Genesis 1:5). Just because it comes first, before the morning prayer, this prayer for the night reminds us that the darkness has yielded – will yield – to the order and light of our loving God.

Psalm 4 changes the way we keep time, but even more importantly, it changes the way that we relate to time.

The psalm begins with a loud demand (“Answer me when I call, O God of my right!”) and ends with a quiet yielding to the providence of God (“I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.”) In other words, it begins where we are (anxiously demanding) and ends where our hearts long to be (quietly resting in the good care of God). The verses in between help us make that journey by shifting our attention from our enemies (“How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?”) to our God (“But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.”). In addition, the psalm invites us to stop focusing on what we don’t have (”There are many who say, “O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!”) and, instead, give thanks for what we do have (“You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound.”). The center of the psalm, verses 4 and 5, invites us to bring our worries and concerns before God through prayer and then leave them there:

When you are disturbed, do not sin;
    ponder it on your beds, and be silent.
Offer right sacrifices,
    and put your trust in the Lord.

As we keep connected with God and each other through Scripture and prayer in a time of crisis, we need to yield to the loving care of God. We need God to lead us from our loud demands to his peaceful rest. We need to remember that we get to choose if, in our hearts, the light yields to the night or the night to the day. “There was evening and there was morning, the first day.” And then a second. And a third. Today and tomorrow.

The darkness is real, but the light is on its way.

Invitation to Pray

Before going to bed, read and pray slowly through Psalm 4. Then offer this pray from the “Night Office” in The Book of Common Prayer:

Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake. Amen.

As you did with the psalm, read and pray slowly through the words of this prayer. Take time to think of those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, of those who are treating them, and of those who are grieving because of this virus.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us to live from our faith, not our fears; to “be believing” not “fearing” as we follow Jesus through the season of Lent in a time of crisis. Shield us physically and spiritually, so that we may love even when we’re afraid. Help us to remember that your perfect love drives out all our fears. Amen.

Faith, not Fear – March 16, 2020

“Do not be fearing, only be believing”

Mark 5:36 (DLNT)

with Thanksgiving

March 16, 2020

It is hard to give thanks when we feel anxious, when our minds are preoccupied with an unending stream of unnerving what-ifs: What if we go out when we should have stayed in? What if we slip up and forget to wash our hands? What if we don’t wash them long enough or miss the space between our fingers or completely miss our thumbs? What if our two-week shutdown becomes an eight-week long crisis? What if we need food, but the stores are all closed? What if they’re open, but they’re all packed with people? What if someone I know, someone I love, starts showing symptoms?

When the church in Phillip heard Paul’s exhortation to be anxious about nothing, “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6), I wonder if any of them shook their head in disbelief. The encouragement to pray made perfect sense, but to do so “with thanksgiving”? How could they give thanks when they were faced with so many unknowns? Why should they give thanks when their faith in Jesus was making life harder, and their founding pastor (Paul) was in prison awaiting trial; a trial that could end in his execution?

It is hard to give thanks when we feel anxious.

But it’s when we feel anxious that we need to give thanks.

As studies have shown, people who start their day writing down three (or more) things for which they are grateful show a significant decline in anxiety. In other words, it is when we feel anxious and do not feel grateful that we need to give thanks.

Psalm 100 can help us give thanks when we need it most.

In the season of Lent, I’ve been praying this Psalm each morning, because it’s a call to prayer and to praise. Verse four, in particular, has caught my attention:

Come into His gates in thanksgiving,
His courts in praise.
Acclaim Him,
Bless His name.

According to Robert Alter, “The gates are the threshold, the point where the pilgrim crosses from the zone of the profane into the sacred precincts of the Temple.”[1] In other words, this psalm called the people to sing songs of thanksgiving as they entered the Temple and drew near to their God.

As I have prayed this psalm in the last few weeks, it has struck me that verse four can be heard (and prayed) in two different ways. It reminds us to give thanks when we “cross the threshold” and draw near to God. But it also invites us to draw near by giving thanks. We give thanks when we cross. And we cross by giving thanks. We approach with thanksgiving. We approach by giving thanks.

It is when we feel anxious than we most need to give thanks, because gratitude uproots us from the weed-infested soil in which we are languishing and replants us in the presence of God.

Invitation to Pray

Write down three or more things for which you are grateful and then enter God’s presence, cross the threshold, by giving thanks. Once you’ve entered his presence, “let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Please pray, in particular, for those most vulnerable to COVID-19: older adults and those with chronic medical conditions. In addition, please pray for Allison Evans’ son, Kyle Corbin. Kyle’s been sick with “a very bad virus” (not COVID-19) and is slowly getting better, but he has been ill for over a month.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us to live from our faith, not our fears; to “be believing” not “fearing” as we follow Jesus through the season of Lent in a time of crisis. Shield us physically and spiritually, so that we may love even when we’re afraid. Help us to remember that your perfect love drives out all our fears. Amen.

[1] Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary. Volume 3: The Writings (W. W. Norton & Company, 2019), p. 234.