The Only Thing We Have to Fear…
Jesus said to wind and the sea, “Peace. Be still.” And he said to his disciples in the boat, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” There is a mantra that I have heard since the day I arrived here: “Go slowly.” “Don’t go too fast.” “Don’t make too many changes.” “We like things just the way they are.” I have heard these words. I appreciate them. I can also understand them. I kind of like the way things are, too. They are very familiar now and very comfortable. But I am not convinced that God calls us to the familiar and the comfortable. No. In fact, the more scripture I read, the more I become convinced that God calls us to step into the boat, as Jesus and his disciples did, to go to new places… despite the storms that may arise and rage around us as we travel. The more scripture I read, the more I am convinced that God calls us to stand on the front lines and confront our worst fears… our own Goliaths… even if they are nine-and-a-half feet tall and trained to fight… to confront our worst fears, trusting only in God to lead us forward to victory. Christ does not call us to stay where we are, but to follow him wherever he leads us.
In the dark days of the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt had the chance to set the tone for his presidency in his Inaugural Address following his election in 1932. In that memorable speech, he said these words: “…Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself … nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life, a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory.” So, today, loosed by the texts from both the Old and the New Testaments, I stand before you to share with you words of frankness and vigor and trust that you will meet me with the understanding and support that this church needs to face its fears and move into the dynamic and exciting future that our Lord has planned for us.
The Session of this church has just hired two architects to create for us a plan for the development of our property here on North Harbin Drive. Kim Houp and Tom Dance are both consummate professionals and they are eager to begin working on the task that has been laid before them. They want to talk about buildings… and parking lots… and classrooms… and sanctuaries… and kitchens… and storage spaces… and asphalt… and bricks… and mortar. But it is not bricks and mortar… or buildings and parking lots that define a church. A church is defined by its ministry practices. How does the church glorify God in the community in which it exists? How does it make disciples who are eager to go into the highways and byways of life, baptizing and teaching others all that Christ has commanded us? How does it reflect the love of God in serving those in need here in Stephenville… and around the world? Those ministry practices, more than any buildings that architects can design, define a church and draw others into a life of joyous ministry and self-giving love and faith.
Here is the question that I want you to ponder today: Would our community say it missed our congregation if the First Presbyterian Church of Stephenville were not here? Would our community say it missed our congregation if the First Presbyterian Church of Stephenville were not here? Second question: What do we see as our congregation’s call beyond the doors of this church? What ministry practices do we engage in as a church that make an impact on our community and the world in which we live? Can those who are outside these walls see that the ministry practices we engage in as a church are done for the purpose of glorifying God… of making disciples and reflecting God’s love in service to others? Can they see it? Does it make a difference?
You know, at this point, I’m beginning to feel like one of Russell Smith’s lions. I would like to run out of the arena. But I feel compelled to call all of us to accountability at this time… and our accountability is only to God. When I look at the ministry practices of our church, I find that the majority of all that we do is done for the needs and desires of those who sit inside these walls. My question to you… and my question to me… is this: Is that what God is calling us to do? Are we being good stewards of all the gifts and the resources that God has given us? Are there things that God is calling us to do as a church that we are not doing… because we are afraid… because we think we are too small as a church… because we have tried those things before and failed… because they make us uncomfortable … or because we don’t want to take the risk? Are there things that God is not calling us to do that we are doing… because they are easy… or because we have always done them… or because we simply like to do them for our own pleasure?
David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." And he went… taking only a sling and five smooth stones. He went in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, trusting that the Lord would deliver Goliath into his hand, so that all the earth might know that there is a God in Israel. Jesus said to his disciples in the boat, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” The battle is the Lord’s… not yours.
We need to take a hard look at the ministry practices of our church. We need to lift each of those ministry practices to God and prayerfully ask if we are doing all that God is calling us to do through those practices… or whether any of those ministry practices might be accomplished in a different way to reach those whose lives desperately need that ministry. We need to ask whether there are any other ministry practices that we should be doing to fulfill our vision of glorifying God by making disciples and reflecting God’s love in service to others. Are there other paths that Christ is calling us to consider that we have not yet explored? When was the last time that we asked God what he wants us to do… and listened carefully for a response?
“Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” What is it that keeps us from exploring these things? Is it our fear of the unknown? Is it our fear of the commitment that might be asked of us? Do you know that research shows that we, as humans, are actually more afraid of success than we are of failure? When we try something totally new, we usually expect to fail. What would happen if we actually expected to succeed instead? What would happen if, instead of condemning and ridiculing failure, we rewarded people for trying something… something that might not work, but would take us down the path of being one step closer to success… so that, like Thomas Edison, we could say that we have only 9,999 more attempts to go. Are we willing to go to bat 8,399 times and strike out 1,330 times to get the 714 home runs that are waiting for us? Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China, said, "Many Christians estimate difficulty in the light of their own resources, and thus they attempt very little, and they always fail. All giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His power and His presence to be with them." I, as your pastor, stand before you today and tell you that I would rather attempt to do something great for God and fail, than attempt to do nothing and succeed.
William Carey was a cobbler from Nottingham, England. When he was twelve years old he was baptized and joined the Baptist Church. Carey had little education but he was bright and he supported church outreach. When he was thirty-one years old he was asked to preach a sermon on missions. He challenged his listeners by quoting Isaiah 54:2, which says, "Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitation be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes." More than two hundred years ago, that shoemaker's sermon launched the Christian world missionary movement. Carey's motivating message was based on the sovereignty of God. He was known for saying, "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God." Carey himself was asked to go to India and put into practice exactly what he preached. God blessed his ministry there. Carey quickly learned Urdu and other Indian dialects and he carefully studied the ways of the Indian people. He translated the Scriptures into their languages. Carey likewise trusted God to use him to reach and touch the hearts of people all around him. He expected great things of God, and he dared to attempt great things for God. As David did before him, Carey did all his work in God’s name. He knew that the battle was the Lord’s and that God would give him the victory. And Jesus said to the disciples in the boat, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?”
What great thing is God asking us to attempt in his name? What is Christ calling us to do as a church? What would we do for God if we knew we could not fail… if we knew that we had 10,000 attempts to get it right… or 8,399 times at bat? What great thing is God asking us to attempt in this place… at this time?
David knew something that the disciples did not know. They looked at each other and asked, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" David, on the other hand, told Goliath, “I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts. This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. For the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand." David knew that God was on his side. And, with God at his side, he could not fail. And Jesus said to his disciples, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” I think President Roosevelt was right: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Let us face our fears together and trust that God will lead us into that awesome future that he has planned for us. Let us "expect great things from God and attempt great things for God." For 1 Thessalonians 5:24 tells us that “the one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” Amen.
1 Samuel 17:32-49; Mark 4:35-41