What is your fear number on a scale of 1-10? It appears that for some of our neighbors their number is somewhere close to 93 out of that scale. In other words, off the chart.
It is not difficult to exceed the 1-10 scale of anxiety. There is plenty of press coverage of incidents happening in very ordinary places. We have home detection systems wired so that we can check on our homes as often as we want. Some press coverage concentrates on the violence. Others mention it, and after a while, it feels routine. Some fears have come from those caught up in ideas that people are coming to get them. We are living in a fear mongering culture. And that can be addictive.
Some who now live in fear also claim an affinity for churches and synagogues even if their attendance has become less than Christmas Eve and Easter. Although there are those that advocate an armed presence in churches, just in case!
That led me to Google – how many times would we find “be not afraid” in the Bible? After all, if the Bible is a source of inspiration and instruction, that is a good place to look. The answer is a surprising 365 times – enough to remind anyone every day of the year that they do not have to live in fear. The cycle can be broken. It may take some effort since fear addiction can be as inviting, and as deadly, as any other addiction.
This Sunday is “Good Shepherd Sunday”. It is a tradition in the church that the 23rd Psalm be heard on this Sunday (it is also in the lectionary for one of the Sundays of Lent).
In addition to reading a verse to “be not afraid”, this Psalm is another beginning point for breaking the cycle. Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Here are a few more choices as you move from fear to joy, despair to hope.
Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Matthew 6:25: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothes?”
John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Rev. Clara
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