No Fear

In preparing for this Sunday's sermon on fear I was reminded of the famous Franklin Delano Roosevelt quote...."the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."  FDR uttered these famous words during his inaugural address on March 4, 1933....in the depths of the Great Depression and rumblings of war across the Atlantic.  With nearly 25% of Americans unemployed and great uncertainty about the country's future....surely widespread fear was rampant at that time.  I think it's easy for those of us, living in the midst of 2013, to forget that we are not the only generation that has struggled with fear and uncertainty.

On an interesting note....FDR was sworn in with his Bible open to 1 Corinthians 13....commonly known as the "love chapter".  Especially interesting given the discussion of "love vs. fear" that is part of this Sunday's discussion.

I also drew from an article I found entitled "The Physical and Mental Effects of Fear".  This article made the case, very convincingly I might add, that "fear" was the greatest threat to humanity (in our time).  It even made the bold assertion that being gripped by fear was more devastating than being a victim of nuclear fallout.  Using results from a study done by the World Health Organization, the article shared some amazing facts.  Many surviving victims of Chernobyl, Nagasaki and Hiroshima actually died of preventable cancers.  However, because those victims feared what doctors might find, many did not pursue medical treatment immediately after their radiation exposure.  Similar results have been found in groups of patients who have been found HIV Positive.  Many, who would later die of full-blown AIDS, could have been successfully treated with medical interventions early on.  But because of the fear of "what if".....

Probably the most striking paragraph in the article was:

Fear has manufactured a prison for them that is smaller than their potential boundaries.  According to a 2001 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, one of fear's sneakiest tricks is convincing us that the realm of possibility is more limited than it really is.  It causes risk-avoiding behavior.  It tells us that we are not good enough or smart enough and robs us of what could have been. 

Wow.  Pretty hard-hitting stuff.  So my question is....if fear is so debilitating to the human soul, then surely our Scripture addresses how we should deal with it, right? Fortunately, the answer is "yes". 

For this message, I chose three passages of scripture:  Psalms 122, 1 John 4:17 - 18 and Luke 8:24 - 26.  Using these passages of Scripture, three truths about fear - and freedom from it - can be fleshed out:

Focusing on others, especially through giving and sharing, frees us from fear.  (Psalm 122)
Wherever Christ is, fear is not.  (Luke 8:24 - 26)
Love is fear's worst enemy (1 John 4:17 - 18)

Our God never intended us to live a life filled with fear.  Much to the contrary.  Fortunately for us, Scripture has left us a blueprint for dealing with fear....and freeing ourselves from it. 

A little bit of fear might be healthy, but taken to extremes....only serves to separate us from God. 

Notes from sermon and audio file of message are below:

Sermon Notes - "No Fear" - January 27, 2013

Audio of Sermon - "No Fear" - January 27, 2013

Being Part of Something Bigger

Sunday, January 13th was a good day.  No....Sunday, January 13th was a great day.  On that day, two separate congregations worshiped together as a way of formally kicking off a unique partnership designed to share physical resources and put each congregation in a better position to survive and thrive.  Although both congregations are Southern Baptist in membership.....there are probably more differences...on the surface anyway....than similarities.  But with the help of a translator, a little patience and a genuine desire to be part of something bigger than each of us....we worshiped together.

Appropriately, Bro. Phillip Price - the person who took the first step in making this new partnership a reality - kicked off the service by welcoming both congregations.  As the dozen or so members from Orange Grove Baptist Church stood to be recognized, I was overcome (once again) by the faith of those church members.  Most have spent a lifetime nurturing and caring for the once thriving but now shrinking congregation of Orange Grove Baptist.  And through all of the ups and downs....persevering through hurricanes, flooding, loss of population in the community, schools closing and employers leaving.....still they stand (and remain) faithful.  In a couple of hours, this band of faithfuls will sign over the deed of the property God built for them.....the place many of them call their church home.  They were able to do this....because they truly let the Holy Spirit take the lead.  They did this because God gives us the will to put our self aside with a desire for something bigger than each of us.

And then as the congregation of Iglesia Bautista Fuente De Vida stood....much more in number than the first.....I applauded and wondered (still) how this group was able to get done all of the changes I saw before me.  When the church was flooded last Fall (compliments of Hurricane Isaac) the church had to be completely gutted.  Pastor Richardo and his congregation rolled up their sleeves and got to work.  New sheetrock, new tile throughout, a remodeled kitchen (new stove, sink, counters and tile) and fellowship hall.  Hardly a square foot was left untouched in the building that now passed the 45+ mark in age.  The bright, cheery colors throughout the Sunday School rooms matched the sounds of the nearly thirty kids and youth that had now filled the church building. 

The service began with a set of praise hymns....and the bongos, electric guitar and drums attested to the fact that there would be a little more "zip" in the service than we were accustomed to.  Pastor Richardo's wife shook a tambourine from the front row....where Heidi and I also sat .  I didn't understand much of the Spanish singing....okay, I didn't I understand any of it....and we did not have enough copies of the sheet music...but no worries....we had fun anyway.

Jose was a superb interpreter (going back and forth between English and Spanish almost effortlessly) so the service moved along with ease.  I was honored to deliver the sermon on this special occasion.  Actually "special occasion" sounds so trite.  Sunday was the kind of day one always remembers. 

With Jose as my interpreter, the sermon flowed.  I was further put at ease knowing that the baptismal sitting directly behind me was full of warm water...awaiting our candidates for baptism...one of which was my youngest daughter Anna.

No one can remember the last time the baptismal had been used....and judging from the amount of dust, cobwebs, leaves and dead bugs I cleaned out of it on the Thursday before....it had been a long while.  Just two days before the service, we didn't know if the heater worked.....or whether it would even hold water.  There were a couple of times when I thought....surely....we'll need to postpone these basptisms.  "This just is not going to work".....I thought.  How shallow is my faith sometimes.  Not only did the baptismal hold water....but, miraculously, the heater worked.  Pastor Richardo borrowed some baptismal robes from another church...and we were in business.  Inch-by-inch and step-by-step.....God challenges our lack of faith...at least he does mine.  I'm reminded of Mark 9:24 - "I do believe.   Help me overcome my unbelief."  Needless to day, it was another unforgettable experience when Pastor Richardo and I each baptized new members of our respective congregations....one of them being Sister Anna....my 8-year old daughter.

I delivered a sermon on Paul's teachings on unity and love.  Appropriate....I think....since those are the things that put all of us together on that particular Sunday.  You can follow this link for the complete notes from the sermon.  I've also pasted the closing comments from the sermon below.

Sermon - 1/13/13 - Paul's Idea of Church

Today, I believe Paul is looking down on us from Heaven…and smiling. In an age when we hear of so many divisions in the Church….churches splitting up…..congregations at odds….churches closing….today represents a step in the right direction. Today, our congregations are an example of what Paul’s vision of love and unity can do.

I don’t know why God uses frail, imperfect human beings like us to work out his plan…..I just know that he does. Paul…just like us….was one of those frail, imperfect people.

Over the past six months, we have prayed and sought God’s will for both our congregations. We have been faithful….and patient….and God has blessed us with folks like Brother Phillip (and many others) who have been with us every step of the way. If we continue seeking God’s will as we have done these past months, both our congregations will reach this community for Christ.

Fresh New Start

Today was the first Sunday of 2013 so the whole "new year, new start, new you" theme (made popular by Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, etc.) was on my mind this week. I'm also looking forward to next Sunday when I'll get to baptize my youngest daughter (Anna).  So with all that swirling around, it was easy to gravitate toward the first part of Romans...specifically Romans 6:4-10. In the last part of verse four, Paul writes about a "new life" that comes about through baptism....at least that's how it is worded in the NIV. 

I started the sermon by describing some of the baptismal rituals of the first and second centuries.  I had fun scaring Anna....saying that many candidates for baptism were immersed in their "birthday suit", in cold water...and in something that looked like this:

That picture, of course, is of an excavated ancient baptismal.  Shaped like a cross...which was not uncommon.  Anna felt better when it became clear that the baptismal directly behind me would be full of warm water next week...so that she could be "baptized with the Holy Spirit" in relative comfort!  Haha.

As with most of my sermons, there was a measure of historical backdrop...even some information about Jewish baptismal customs.  During my research for the sermon, I learned that Jewish rabbis often referred to a man's "first-born" child as the first child born after his baptism.....even if the man had previous children!  That's how serious Jews and early Christians were about the idea of a totally "new you".

The Apostle Paul was also very serious about baptism.  For him, it was more than just an "event"....or a ritual....or symbol.  It was real.  Participatory.  In union with Christ.  In baptism, according to Paul, we take part in the death and resurrection of Christ. Not simply transformed....or changed.....or altered.  New.  Our old self dies and a new self emerges. 

Now to be clear, it's understood that the physical act of baptism is not synonymous as salvation.  But Paul's words are certainly to be understood as what takes place in our hearts when we accept the gift of salvation.

I closed my sermon with a excerpt from C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity:

The Christian way is different:  harder and easier.  Christ says:  "Give me All.  I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work:  I want you.  I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it.  No half-measures are any good.  I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down.  I don't want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out.  Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked -- the whole outfit.  I will give you a new self instead.  In fact, I will give you Myself:  my own will shall become yours." 

Methinks C.S. must have been reading Romans 6:4 - 10 when he penned those words!

Links to notes and audio recording of sermon are below.  Later this week, I'll have another post on "standing still" which was a part of this Sunday's sermon as well.  I'll also provide some information on next Sunday's joint worship service with Iglesia Bautista Fuente De Vida.  Will be a great day!  Stay tuned and have a great week!

Sermon notes from "Fresh New Start" - January 6, 2013

Audio Recording of "Fresh New Start" - January 6, 2013