Fear Not, because of Righteousness

            For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.

            He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

            His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.

Psalm 112:6-8 ESV

Fear Not because of Righteousness

Those who are righteous have nothing to fear.  Bad news doesn’t worry them.  No enemy can stand up to righteousness.  Righteousness causes firm hearts, honor, and steadiness.

All it takes to have a successful, peaceful, victorious life is righteousness.  It doesn’t take cleverness, intelligence, experience, practice, common sense, family connections, a good plan, financial resources, true grit, courage, physical strength, health, a firm will, or anything else.   It takes nothing more or less than righteousness.

Why is righteousness the necessary ingredient? Why is righteousness the one element that can absolutely remove fear?  Perhaps righteousness lines us up on God’s side, so righteousness is always on the Right side.  Perhaps righteousness is what humans were created for, so righteousness has the effect of living our lives the way the Creator intended.  Perhaps righteousness gives our lives positive balance in the karmic scale so the universe smiles on our efforts and grants us happy faces and peace? 

Ok, that last one is not serious… but for whatever reason, Psalm 112 tells us that when it comes to life, it is righteousness that matters.  Righteousness wins.  Righteousness is the determining factor in facing enemies, reputation, confidence, and true peace.

Instead of encouraging us to “Fear Not,” that should give us MORE reason to be afraid!  I’ve tried to be righteous, and I’ve failed.  I’ve tried HARD to be righteous, and I’ve failed.  I am not righteous.

In The Wizard of Oz, the scarecrow declares that his life would be grand, if he only had a brain.  The Lion knows that HIS life would be stellar if he had courage.  The Tinman is sure that he would overcome all obstacles if he had a heart.  And while we discover at the end of the movie, that they do have those things, I realize that while I might have a brain, courage, and a heart, I do NOT have righteousness.

If I need righteousness for peace, success, or survival, I am in trouble.

And so are you.

But Psalm 112 actually DOES remove fear.

Because the righteousness that we can depend on is not ours.  The righteousness that is sure, solid, foundational, and that guarantees the defeat of ALL enemies is found in Jesus Christ.  And therefor it is absolute.  Therefor it is dependable.  Therefor it gives us the opportunity to FEAR NOT.

If we try to face down our fears by reaching deep inside to find that inner courage, strength, or even righteousness, we will end our day in failure and fear.  If we try to face down our fears by trying harder, thinking smarter, or changing how we feel, we will end our day in darkness and despair.

But knowing that it is RIGHTEOUSNESS for which God looks, and knowing that RIGHTEOUSNESS is found in Jesus Christ, the perfect God/Man can make fears wither and melt and become like smoke in a hurricane.

Even if I can be righteous for a minute moment, relying on my own righteousness just gives me another reason to fear.  I’ll fail again.  But Jesus has already proven His righteousness.  He has already won that battle.  He lived and died and lived again in perfect righteousness.  And so if HIS righteousness can count as MINE… than fear can disappear.

You see, I can be righteous and end fear.  But not by my actions, obedience, or willpower.  I can be righteous by accepting the exchange that Christ offers on the cross.  His righteousness for my unrighteousness.  My unrighteousness for His righteousness.

Fear Not… because of Christ’s Righteousness.

Fear Not because God's World is BROAD

Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (Psalm 118:5,6 ESV)

Broad and Narrow

It’s not unusual to read in Scripture of God’s help.  It’s what He does.  But Psalm 118 adds a twist.  “Out of my distress…” brings a specific word into focus.

Distress is not just a synonym for trouble.  Distress is a particular kind of trouble.  Distress refers to being constrained, being trapped, being pushed into a narrow confining set of circumstances. 

Have you ever felt that your choices were being taken away, so that the only choices you have left are bad ones?  THAT is distress.

Psalm 18 and Psalm 31 give us context, actually.  While we sometimes think God narrows our action-choices, He actually broadens our options.  He is King of the universe!  He has all of time in his demesnes!  His Law is not given to us to say, “DON’T do that!” But rather to draw us a map of all that we CAN do.  We get to know that there is ONE God, and He’s grand.  We get to know His NAME.  We get to know how He wants us to approach Him.  Every part of God’s Law shows us how grandiose it is to be in His Will.

It seems that right now our choices and options are severely limited.  And that feels like distress.    But Psalm 118 tells us that even in distress, that we have nothing to fear.  God’s broad love, power, understanding and map of the universe are the answer to our distress.

This, too, is a part of His fantastical plan for EACH of His people!  Maybe we shouldn’t be getting out and about… but that let’s us focus on our relationship with HIM.  Maybe we are feeling the pressure of economic restraint… but that let’s us be aware of what does not rust or decay.   Maybe we are stir crazy… but that gives us the time to form new habits, better habits, more God-focused habits.

And maybe this time away is exactly what we need to know ourselves better.  To repent of our wandering minds and hearts.  To know HIM more, and therefore experience less distress, because He is bigger than any state mandate, broader than any limitation, expansive in His love of YOU.

With Jesus in your living room… we have no distress.  There is so much to do!

Fear not, God is BIGGER than our distress.

Fear Not... GOD is our Refuge and Strength

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

(Psalm 46:1-3 ESV)

Fear Not because GOD is our Refuge and Strength

Earthquakes, mountains falling into the sea, and tsunamis are pretty scary.  I’ve never really experienced any of them, but my imagination can bridge the gap between the tremors, road construction avalanches, and stormy seas that I HAVE experienced and the terror that this Psalm describes.

The Psalm begins by declaring that God is both refuge and strength.  A place to hide and the source of all strength.  But it’s not just a listing of God’s statistics, like the back of a baseball card.  The point of a refuge and strength is that God helps.

In trouble… a very present help.

Because as terrifying as earthquakes, mountains moving, and tsunamis are, those things are also referencing some bigger troubles.  The symbols in this Psalm are as rich for the Israelites as a Bald Eagle, Uncle Sam, and a blind lady holding a set of scales might be for us today.  The Sea, the Mountains, and Shaking Earth brought more to mind for them than geological or meteorological events.

The Sea was the place of chaos and evil.  It was separated from the good earth early during creation week.  The Sea was where God’s Orderliness was least visible.  Jonah’s retreat into the Sea was not just a vacation, it was a rejection and desertion of God’s Way, and a setting of Jonah’s face and will against God.  

The Mountains are not just any old snow-crusted peaks.  These are the Hills of Jerusalem, especially Zion itself.  The place that most clearly represents God’s power and presence.  It’s God’s apparent headquarters.  THAT Mountain slipping into the Sea drew a picture of God’s Way, God’s People, God’s Rule slipping away into chaos, evil, and darkness.

It meant that God appears to lose.

This is even more clear when another Mountain is mentioned.  A shaking Mountain for the Israelites refers to Sinai itself.    The place and time of God’s MAKING of His people.  The place and time of God’s PRESENTATION of His Law and Laws.  And here, in this Psalm, we see that very place and time overwhelmed by the swelling Sea.

Sometimes it does seem that God is losing.  His Symbols falling, His institutions flailing, His people faithless.  But these words are meant to remind us that God is bigger and better and stronger and safer than His Symbols.  That HE is our refuge.  That HE is our strength. 

The Selah at the end is intended for us to move away from trusting in anything but God Himself.  He usually does use His usual methods to help, to assist, to fix, to lift.   But don’t mistake those things with God Himself.

Because Mountains will sometimes fall into the Sea.   Because the Mountain will seem to tremble at the power of chaos.

But God Himself is our refuge.   God Himself is our Strength.

And remember that Jesus established Himself over the Mountains by His cleansing the Temple… by the transfiguration… by Satan’s temptations… by His fulfillment of the Law… Remember that Jesus established Himself over the Sea by His calming of the storm(S!)… by His walking on the water… by His turning water into Wine.

Fear not… because even over the Sea and the Mountain is Christ Jesus.

Fear Not... Quarantine?

Though an army encamp against me,

my heart shall not fear;

       though war arise against me,

yet I will be confident.

One thing have I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after:

       that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

       to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to inquire in his temple. Psalm 27:3,4 ESV

Maybe, just maybe,  quarantine is the best place to weather COVID-19, the wild media, the economic terror, and the expanding government. If so, it’s a different sort of quarantine.

The contrast in this Psalm is about home.   On the one hand, the enemy army is encamped.  It has put down stakes.  It is now living, threatening, actively warring against the Psalmist right over there.  It has made a home that is dangerous for him, for me, for us.

But he finds hope: dwelling in the house of the Lord.  Look, in the midst of danger, the Psalmist seeks not a bigger army, or better weapons, or a ninja-hero.  He seeks the house of the Lord. 

It’s all about where you are settled.  Where you dwell.  Where home is.

He doesn’t cower under the bed.  He doesn’t turn off the lamps and peek at the army dwelling next door.  He doesn’t moan and weep and shiver and cover his eyes.

He wants to DWELL in the house of the Lord.  He wants to LIVE here.  He wants to GAZE upon the Lord’s glorious beauty.  He wants to be thinking about God instead of the army. 

And the Psalmist, while writing about a physical temple, already understands the enviable situation that we have today.  WE are the temple of God.  WE are where God lives, His house, His presence, His dwelling place!

And I’m not talking about a church building.  The contrast to the enemy dwelling at the gates is God HIMSELF, in Christ, through His Spirit living HERE.  With US, stuck at home but not alone… never alone… never forsaken. 

Fear not… we are quarantined with HIM.

Fear Not... Rejoice!

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; Zechariah 9:9 (ESV)

Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, John 12:15 (ESV)

Grumpy sleuths might look at these two verses and think that when the author of the gospel quotes Zechariah, he makes a mistake.

Zechariah says, ‘Rejoice greatly.’  The gospel says, ‘Fear not.’ 

But there is no contradiction because one of the opposites of fear is rejoicing.   Where fear reigns, rejoicing can’t be found.  Where rejoicing sings, fear is outcast.  This is one reason that God’s Word presents worship as an antidote to fear.

So yesterday, where the world felt fear, God’s people, in worship rejoiced!

So yesterday, when the world hid, God’s people, in worship rejoiced!

So yesterday, if the world timidly looked away, God’s people in worship rejoiced!

Are you afraid?  Then worship!  At any moment when the fear monster’s fangs are dripping near your throat, lift your eyes towards heaven instead and rejoice!

Are you afraid? Then worship!  If you are unable to find solace in corporate worship at the moment, then at least worship with a small ‘w,’ remembering God’s goodness, proclaiming God’s loving power, and opening your hearts to His comfort!

Are you afraid?  Then worship! Because the King has come… riding on a donkey’s colt… right up to your front door!

Fear not… rejoice!

Fear Not, but Listen

At destruction and famine you shall laugh, and shall not fear the beasts of the earth. (Job 5:22 ESV)

This sounds like an arrogant statement. Laugh at destruction and famine? Those are serious things! Not fear the beasts of the earth? What about a T-Rex? Or a Bengal Tiger? Or a snake???

But God is making an important point here. ALL of those things are physical things. ALL of those things are a part of creation. ALL of those things are visible, tangible, and cause our hearts to beat faster.

Our civilization, society, and neighbors tell us there is nothing more frightening than physical things that are known to be strong. Humans fear physics more than we fear metaphysics. (Hallowe’en antics aside.)

But God reigns both in the physical world AND the metaphysical world.

It’s not that destruction, famine, and beasts are not scary.

But God is more powerful, more in control, and higher on the chain of authority.

It’s not comfortable to think about this. But a few verses earlier God also tells us WHY something scary might be happening.

“Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.” (Job 5:17)

Telling us to laugh at scary things does not mean we should take them lightly. Because their power is nothing compared to God’s. But don’t despise them, either. Don’t belittle them. Don’t ignore them.

They are God at work. Disciplining. Teaching? Reproving? Guiding? Yes… not punishing… but getting our attention.

Fear Not those things, God says… but listen.

Knowing and Seeing

When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.  (II Kings 6:15-17 ESV)

Knowing vs Seeing

Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, learned the difference between what you can see, and what you can know.  That morning, when Gehazi’s eyes saw the army that surrounded him, he was afraid.  His senses (his sight, his hearing, maybe even his smell) convinced him that doom had arrived. 

But Elisha understood that there is a knowing beyond our senses.  Elisha understood that while our senses are indeed useful, and necessary, and tools for learning, God is more than what we can see, or hear, or smell, or taste, or feel.

And the difference between sensing and knowing is the difference between fear and peace.

It’s not that our senses are foundationally unreliable.  Those chariots were real.  Those horses were there.  That loud army was big, and skilled, and eager.  But our senses are not the whole portrait. 

Elisha understood that even though that big, real, active army was dangerous, the God who loved him was bigger, more real, and more active.  And I commend Elisha.  He chose knowledge instead of fear.  He chose the big picture instead of narrow focus.  He chose God instead of an army.

And he didn’t know as much as we do!  Because in between Elisha’s time and our time is Jesus.  Elisha hoped in a Redeemer, but from our perspective, the Redeemer has come.  Elisha had to trust that God’s Words were true, but we have seen that God keeps His promises.  We’ve seen what Jesus has done.

And if Elisha’s very small bigger knowledge was enough to overcome his fear… our bigger bigger knowledge stomps on fear, laughs at fear, shakes it’s head at fear, and ends fear.

We don’t face a high-tech army like Gehazi and Elisha did.  We don’t face an angry empire like Gehazi and Elisha did. We don’t face human military action like Gehazi and Elisha did.

But whatever you fear today, God has a bigger truth.  Whatever is making you ask, “Master, what shall we do???” God is already doing what you need.  Whatever physical, emotional, or spiritual worries wake you up in the middle of the night…

God says, “Do not be afraid… “  Because Christ has ensured that God is with you.

Fear not.

Superstitions and Fears

And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’ “ I Kings 17:13,14

Don’t Fear Superstitions

There is reality… and there is superstition.   Today, many people seem to be saying that God’s Word, God’s full involvement in every event here on earth, and even God Himself are superstitions. 

For Elijah’s friend, her reality might have been the danger of hunger.  And since her reality was so threatening, she was afraid.  Afraid for her family.  Afraid for her life.  Afraid.

But Elijah tells her that there is something more than her perceived reality.  In a way, Elijah is telling her that the TRUE reality (which reads better than REAL reality, but that is what I meant) is actually God.  HIS promises are more trustworthy.  HIS presence is more foundational.  HIS actions are more solid, more important, and more necessary.

He is telling her that in a way, her hunger is the superstition.  Her danger is the superstition.  The threats against her are the superstition.

Because God stands above them all.

Our fears come from superstitions.  Those things that we have come to believe, but that have no basis in God-fact. 

I can imagine the neighbors of Elijah’s friend mocking her.  Calling her superstitious.  Belittling her provision from God.   But they were believing in the superstitions of cause and effect (without God,) the observable being more important than the Invisible, and that tragedy is combatable by anything other than the One True Living God.

Don’t trust in superstitions.  Believe in God… and Fear Not.

Fear Not... (Like Mephibosheth)

 And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”( II Samuel 9:7)

God calls David a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22, I Samuel 13:14.)  So when David’s right acts are recorded in Scripture, it gives us a window into what God’s heart is like.

Mephibosheth (hereafter referred to as Mephy) didn’t have much to look forward to in life.  He was from a previous royal family that was now seen as a threat to the Davidic line.  He had no land, no inheritance, and probably few possessions.  Even the place where he is reputed to live Lo Dabar probably means, ‘no field.’  And he was crippled.  In a time before Federal Welfare, Mephy had no way to make a living, no way to defend himself or his household, and no way take part in his society.

And suddenly King David starts paying attention to him.  Mephy, already at the bottom of his barrel, already without prospect, already without hope has nothing left but fear.

Not often, but I’ve felt that way.  Sometimes fear is not a reaction to some impending tragedy, but is the only thing we have left.  Maybe job-less, maybe money-less, maybe health-less, but also hopeless.

And nothing left but fear.

But David shines.  He gives Mephy a job, money, health-options… but mostly:  hope.

He replaces Mephy’s fear with hope.ear not, he says… instead take this real, tangible, emotional, spiritual hope.

Today, the news, our logic, our expectations might be leading you to have nothing left but fear.  The economy is crashing.  Our prospects look dim.  We have lost community, lost security, and are losing the edges of civilization. 

But David and God say, “Fear not.” 

Behind the scenes, David had already declared what he was going to do for Mephibosheth.  He was going to restore him, empower him, and bless him.

And God has declared what He is going to do for us, His people, too.  Restore us (even beyond THIS crisis,) empower us (even beyond THIS crisis,) and bless us (even beyond THIS crisis.)

Fellow cripples, outcasts, adrift folk:   Fear Not!

Fear Not... Because God is Patient

And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.” Judges 6:10

Fear Not because of God’s Patience

The Israelites living in the times of the Judges fell into a pattern.  They would forget God.  God would send trouble to goad them back to Him.  They would respond in faith.  God would send a deliverer.  The people would worship God.  But then they would forget… and the cycle would start again.

God sent a prophet to the Israelites at the point where God had sent trouble… this time in the form of the fierce Amorites.  They were the toughest folk in the region.  And the people were instantly afraid.

And God tells them not to fear.  He reminds them of HIM.  The Lord, mighty.  The Lord, fiercer than Amorites.  The Lord, almighty!

But God also reminds them of why the Amorites were so active.  He reminds the Israelites that this is THEIR fault. 

And then God continues His redemptive cycle.

God, you see, is patient.  While I would probably let Israel get away with this cycle three times… or MAYBE four.  God is patient.  I imagine Jesus was remembering God’s cycle of forgiveness when the disciples asked how many times they had to forgive…

The cycle ended with Jesus.  The ultimate forgiveness.  The ultimate powerful WOW act.  It ended with Grace and Mercy.

“Fear Not” doesn’t mean ignore the trouble.  “Fear Not” doesn’t mean keep on with the same “not obeying God’s voice” that gets us INTO the trouble we face.  “Fear Not” doesn’t mean the Amorites will quickly go back home.

“Fear Not” means understand what God is doing.  Learn.  Change.  But know that God is patient.  Know that nothing, no one, no thing is bigger than HIM.  And He loves you.

And so, even in the midst of the cycle, God tells Israel to Fear Not.

And He tells us that, too.  That’s why this story is in His Bible.  Remember God’s patience.  And fear not.

Fear Not... because God!

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8

Fear Not, because GOD

I don’t have as many things to fear as the Israelites entering Canaan did.  They were about to cross the Jordan River and start the difficult process of taking the Promised Land.  Canaanites were good, well equipped soldiers.  Canaanites were cruel, ferocious, and BIG.

And more than that… they were right there physically in front of the Israelites.  Canaanites, Sihonites, Mideanites, and ALL the Ites were not just an idea.  They were not off there in the future.  They were NOT maybe-ites.  

If Israel was going to have the Promised Land, something real and practical and scary was in the way.

And Moses was quitting the leadership job!  The ONE man they could depend on was retiring.  The proven general, the experienced guide, the one who had proved himself over and over again was not going to help them with this next HUGE task.

When Moses tells them, “Fear Not!” he hit the nail on the head.

But look carefully at what Moses says.  Yes, Moses is declaring Joshua to be the heir.  He was expected people to listen to Joshua, to obey Joshua, to support Joshua.

But Moses doesn’t say, “Fear not, Josh’s a pretty cool guy.”

Moses doesn’t say, “Remember when Joshua held my arms up?  Let Josh hold YOU up!”

Moses doesn’t give Joshua’s credentials, resume, or skill list.

Moses says that Jahweh God… the Amighty… the Creator… the King of Kings… the MASTER will never leave you.  Even when you are facing giants.  Even when you are outnumbered, out arrowed, and out positioned.  God will help.  He might use Joshua, as He used Moses… but God will help!

And Moses tells us the same thing.  Don’t depend on medicine, or Social Distancing, or statistics, or wise leaders, or economic stimuli, or insurance, or caution, or courage, or experience, or science.

Depend on God.  He might use any or all of those things.  But the best (the only) cure for fear is to remember who God is… and trust Him.

And therefore Fear Not.

Shhhh... (fear not)

13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Exodus 14:13,14

“I wanna DO something!”  Whether because of stir-crazy quarantine, a sense of responsibility, or fear, we often have an overwhelming desire to act. 

And yes, in crisis, there is something for us to do.  Yesterday, some of us helped Valley Center Schools pass out lunches (donated by local eateries) to families.  Others have brought supplies to travel-bound folk.  And many have worked hard to ensure that ‘life goes on.”

But the Biblical response to fear is shouted here by Moses.  Simply put, he directs the people (us) to be silent.  That’s kind of surprising to us.  Be silent?  When there is so much to DO?  Further, ‘silence’ does not mean, ‘turn down the volume.’  It means be at peace.  Be at rest.  Stop fretting.

Moses’ silence is put in context through his earlier words. 

He directs us to ‘stand firm.’  That’s not a lazy, couch-dwelling rest.  Not yet.  Standing implies that we already have a place to be.  Firm implies that we need to keep doing something that we already have established.

And what are those ‘silent’ responses to fear? He urges us to ‘see the salvation of the Lord.’ I suppose Moses might simply be giving the Israelites theater seats at God’s upcoming destruction of Pharaoh, however he actually has a more continuing, repetitive, constant concept in mind.  Seeing is believing.  Seeing is noticing.  Seeing is understanding. 

Moses tells us to face fear with the bastion of God’s Salvation.  He’s saved your rotten sinful despicable soul from a deserved eternal death… surely He can handle some ancient Egyptian chariots.  He’s pulled our feet from miry clay… surely He can bring some ex-slaves to a pleasant land.  He’s fixed Adam’s time-breaking rebellion… surely He can feed some wandering Israelites over a few miles of wilderness.

Moses reminds us to face fear on the firm footing of God’s Salvation.  We do that in silence before Him.  We do that in prayer.  We do that in worship.

Jahweh saved the murderous Saul, changing him into redeemed Paul… surely He can handle a tiny virus.  Jahweh saved the boy David, making him into a Psalm-singing King… surely He can handle the giant economic catastrophe on the next hill.  Jahweh saved my rebellious, self-centered heart, pulling my eyes to Him.  Surely He can handle unemployment, and tyranny, and monsters, wherever they dwell.

Fear not.

Fear Not: Grace and Mercy

Fear Not because of God’s Grace and Mercy

And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. (Genesis 21:17)

Hagar’s son, Ishmael, was afraid.  And even though he was not the child that God would be using to begin His people, and most especially, the Messiah, God protected Ishmael.  In fact, it was an unrighteous shunning by Sarah that put Hagar and her child in danger, but it was an act of God that helped them. 

We expect God to be Gracious and Merciful to His people.  We humbly expect it (because of His promises) and we receive it.  But here we see that God is even merciful to those not His people.  That is how amazingly merciful He is! 

We observe, of course, that Hagar cried out to the Lord.  She turned to Him for help.  But when we see that the Lord heard HER… it can comfort us.   The One True God of the Universe does not just give Grace and Mercy in a nepotistic way.  He IS Gracious.  He IS Merciful. 

So fear not.

Fear Not

Someone has said… that there are 365 “do not fear’s” in the Bible.  I am not sure that number is right, but for the next while, I am going to send those out in our usual methods.

God says, “do not fear,” because…. HE DOESN’T WANT US TO BE AFRAID.  And more than that, because HE is God, we don’t have to be afraid.

Here’s today’s DNF:

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” Genesis 15:1

Abram was tempted to be afraid because it didn’t seem like God was keeping God’s promises.  There were no descendants, yet.  God’s blessings seemed hidden at best.  But God says to Abram (even before He changed Abram’s name to Abraham!) “Fear not!”

God then says that He is Abram’s shield.  A shield defends us from enemies (whether the enemy is our sin, the effects of our sin, the world, or even Satan.)  And with GOD as our shield, why do we need to fear?

God also reminds Abram of the essence of God’s promises:  “Your reward shall be very great.”  God repeats Himself, maybe because He knows we are prone to forget.

Fear Not

Fear Not

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

Every knee and every tongue bowing and confessing means that He is Lord over all.  Perhaps another way to say this is to shout, “EVERYTHING BELONGS TO JESUS.”

Or…

I could have quoted: 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:15,16.)  All things are created BY Him, through Him, and for Him.

It's all about Jesus.

Everything that happens to us, around us, by us, or near us happens to bring attention to HIM.  Because He is worthy.  He is the KING.  He is God Himself.

If we believe that, it is obvious that we can turn every situation into a situation about, towards, for, and under Jesus.

Today, in the light of our community’s fear, fears, sickness, contagions, economic woes, relational woes, loneliness, and attention to odd details…

… let’s remember that it ALL is happening to direct us to King Christ.

… let’s remember that it ALL is happening so that every knee will bow.

… let’s remember that it ALL is happening so that every tongue will confess His name.

Starting with our tongues.

What if we combated the under or over exaggerating media by speaking God’s truth.

Examples:

When someone mentions the expected mortality rate, express joint concern, but note that death for us believers is a thing of (painful) joy.  We are heading to heaven!?!?!?  What do we fear?

When someone complains about the fear-mongering of the media, express dissatisfaction, but note that fear in this world inexorably leads to faith in King Jesus.

When someone express fear… of financial trouble, occupational upheaval, educational disasters, government bailouts and takeovers, illness, disease, plague, or (and) disaster, express acknowledgement that those things are GIANTS, but that we have HOPE in the Giant-Killer.  And I don’t mean little David.  I mean the one David trusted!

Remember these words this week, and SPEAK them:

Fear not, for I am with you;

be not dismayed, for I am your God;

                I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

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Yesterday, in the sermon handout were some suggestions.  Here are some of them, with explanations.

Dominion Streaming Site

http://www.dominioncovenantchurch.com/stream
We are planning to have corporate worship this Sunday at Jubilee.  11:00 am, like usual.  If you are sick, or unable to worship with us, I recommend the above streaming site.  It is Dominion Covenant Church, in Omaha, NE.

We might decide to return to worshipping in the Pennings’ livingroom to facilitate offering streaming of the worship service. 

Prudence and compliance (not fear!) might cause us to limit our other public gatherings.  So we’ll be making a decision soon regarding JubiWednesday and the like.  I’ll keep you posted.

Lunch Distribution for Valley Center School District

We have been asked to serve as a distribution site for Valley Center Public School lunches, if they cancel school (which is likely) and still need to provide lunches for schoolchildren.  The school would provide the food, we would simply provide a location (one of five or six around the Valley Center area) for pickup.  And maybe some people to help pass out the lunches to cars.

Wash, wash wash

Not because of fear, but because of reasonable precaution:

-          Wash your hands as if you just picked someone else’s nose.

-          Wash your hands as if you shook hands with someone from KSU or KU (whichever side you don’t like.)

-          Wash your hands like you just accidentally used your fingers to mash Hot, Hot, Hot Peppers.

-          Wash your hands like there might be Covid-19 cells on them…

COVID-19 and Jubilee

Dear Saints

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

As matters in the world are developing quickly around the coronavirus Covid-19, the leadership of Jubilee wanted to address our church community with a few principles and several applications along with some counsel at this time.  Please take time to read this thoroughly. 

The Covid-19 outbreak is a rapidly changing and developing situation in our world today and one with which we need to stay current and in good communication.  I have spent a good bit of time this week in trying to sort through the hype and overreactions in order to find good data from which we can make wise decisions that will glorify God.  I counseled with a fairly broad group throughout the week and read a good bit of material about how this virus is affecting the world and our immediate culture around us. 

As it turns out, while this is a serious and apparently threatening event, it is also a great opportunity for us to see God shine forth in glory.  It is also an opportunity for us, His people, to reset some of our ways and our thinking.  Though we do not relish the difficult trial this virus is causing, God is sovereign and, in ways known to Him, this is a good thing for God’s people and the Church, even when the ‘goodness’ is not yet clearly understood.we are today, let me remind us of a few principles that will help us.  Please take time to read this in full so we will all be on the same page including some measures I will get to toward the end.

I.                   Biblical Principles and Applications to Govern our Spirits

1.  God is sovereign and in control of this situation.  He has a purpose behind this virus and He will be glorified.  Everything God does is for the good of His people. The Psalmist clearly declares, “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!” (Psalm 84:11-12) This is a time to soak in the Psalms and allow God to encourage you in His promises and in the Truth of Who He is.  This is about Him more than about us!

2.  This is a time to love, and not to fear.  “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18).  This biblical love is what sets God’s people apart from the rest of the world.  “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) Love will be expressed in sacrificial service.  Some of you will be called to the front lines of this viral war.  In doing so, do it as unto the Lord serving the Lord gladly.  Others will be called on to help the elderly and those who are weak.  We are all called and saved to love God, to love our neighbor, and to love one another.  The more you love, the more fear is driven out.  During the terrorist crisis, we often said, “don’t do THIS or the terrorists will win.”  Our enemy this time is the broken creation, AND our enemy is fear itself.  Don’t let fear win. Especially when Christ has already assured us of His victory.

3.  This is a time to pray, repent, and be grateful to God.  “Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-- meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:5-8).  During the coming weeks God will likely show us ways in which we can repent of sins, perhaps some of which we were not even aware.  Hopefully, this will be a time of reflection, of putting things in perspective and a time of great spiritual growth.  As we pull together in greater community to serve one another we will see more clearly our past faults and negligence, our ungrateful hearts, and our prideful self-reliant presumptions. Hopefully, we will see how much we need one another to the extent that we become more thankful for our community and every individual member that makes it up. Rather than gossiping and fault finding with one another’s weaknesses, or criticism for how ‘they’ are dealing with the crisis, instead we can be thankful for the good and strength each member has and brings.  Rather than being so wasteful with the material goods we’ve grown used to, let us learn how to be better stewards and less wasteful of the things we do have and have previously taken for granted. Even, for example the tendency to hoard might be seen as selfishness and therefore needs to be avoided.

II.                 Current Update and Status Report of the Coronavirus COVID-19

Dr. Matthew Clark (a CPC elder in South Carolina) has been watching epidemics and studying them as a point of personal fascination for over 20 years.  He sent an email to the CPC elders, and I thought his comments worth passing on to all of us.

[From Matt’s email]

Today’s study has brought me to today’s conclusions . . . This coronavirus pandemic, if the reports are not fabricated, is by far the most significant global public health episode since the 1918 influenza pandemic.

The best info I can get my hands on:

1. This disease is very contagious. Worse than seasonal influenza but not as bad as measles. Over the course of time, without an effective vaccine, most of the population will be infected, guesses are around 50-60%.

2. The United States has failed to contain this virus. Community spread is underway. The cat is out of the bag.

3. High risk of death is amongst the elderly and also those with underlying medical problems. This virus is not as dangerous for the young and healthy. While the overall case fatality rate is between 2-4%, that number is much, much lower for the young and healthy and much higher for the elderly and the sick. (14.8% in patients aged ≥80 years;  8.0% in patients aged 70-79 years; 60-69 years of age (3.5%) Under 60 years of age (less than 1%).

Case fatality rate was elevated among those with preexisting comorbid conditions—10.5% for cardiovascular disease, 7.3% for diabetes, 6.3% for chronic respiratory disease, 6.0% for hypertension, and 5.6% for cancer. And, In Italy, where the death toll from the virus stood at 52 as of March 4, the fatalities were all in people over age 60.)

4. Total societal lock-down stopped the disease in China and other eastern jurisdictions with experience with SARS from the past. Such lock-down is underway in Italy.

5. The economic and social and political impacts of societal lock-down are mostly negative and unpredictable.

6. The American health care system will be unable to care for all these severely ill folks if they hit the hospitals all at once.

My Conclusions at this point:

1. Total societal lock-down including cancellation of Christian worship is NOT necessary to avoid deaths.

2. Loving shepherding instruction of the church, helping everyone to see the wisdom of the elderly and the sick staying home and allowing the young and the healthy to watch after their needs until things settle down.  But, this will be a voluntary decision for each individual and family.

3. Public Christian worship goes on. Using technology will be temporarily acceptable for live streaming the worship.

4. Stay home if you’ve had fever with respiratory symptoms within the last 14 days.

5. Considering cancelling all other Foothills activities at this time, other than worship, until things calm down. Considering…

III. So What?

Remembering that the situation IS fluid, but being guided by the above thoughts, Jubilee is proceeding along these lines:

1. We plan, as usual, to Worship the One True Living God tomorrow, the Lord’s Day, 15 March.  Our Prayer Meeting is planned for 10 am, and our Service of Worship for 11 am.

2. While this is a ‘topical’ sermon (shudder,) the sermon will be based on Romans 12:1,2; James 5:13-15; I Samuel 7:7-13 and will address a Biblical perspective guiding our reaction to Covid-19.

3. When you arrive at Jubilee, please wash your hands.  When you leave, please wash your hands.  This is an added step to our morning, and I trust you understand the value.

4. If you are ill, or experiencing symptoms… stay home, of course.

5. As we spend time together in an enclosed space, be aware of the medical advice to keep a reasonable distance between us.  Let’s not hug, let’s not shake hands, let’s not embrace.  Let’s stay the recommended five feet from each other.  Including in the sanctuary.  We have plenty of room to spread out, and use those pews that we never sit in.  (Families can, of course, sit together.)

6. At this point, JubiWednesday will continue.  However, if you are a regular attender and are not coming, please let me know so I can prepare the right amount of food. (Or if you are planning to visit <hooray!> let me know so I can prepare the right amount of food.)  This might change in our fluid situation, AND as the grocery store runs out of raw ingredients.

7. If you believe the threat of Covid-19 should keep you home, please know that the rest of us honor your decision.  We will miss you, AND I am working on some way to stream our worship time.  But not this week, yet.

8. Let us pray, and pray, and pray, and be open to opportunities for service that the Lord will be placing before us. (I’ll be talking about some of these that have already come before us tomorrow.)

These things are being done ‘for now.’  As circumstances change, our reaction necessarily will change.  But I hope this is a good beginning.

C.S. Lewis wrote, in a different era, with a different threat: “The first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb, when it comes, find us doing sensible and human things -- praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts -- not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs.”

So… I hope to see you tomorrow!

In Christ

Tom

How's Your Little Eye?

I see with my little eye…

Remember that game?  Parents sometimes use it to distract children from the dullness of road trips, the lack of ‘toys,’ or to just have something ‘to do.’

But that game was more profound than we might think.

Looking through the car window, our eyes pick up an almost infinite number of things.  But we don’t SEE everything. 

SEEing is more than the accumulated effect of receptors, neurons, and brain cells.  

Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot are excellent examples of this.  Holmes often shakes his head at Watson and declares, “you do not SEE.”  Poirot uses his ‘little grey cells’ to notice, to analyze, to understand.

And we see what we choose to see, what we want to see, what we are used to seeing, what we expect to see, what we are told to see, what we think we see, what we used to see, what we ought to see…

I’m trying (it’s hard!) to see what God sees.

He knows more, understands more, comprehends more, apprehends more.  And His view is truth.

On a big scale, the national tragedy is, in HIS eyes, not what is seen.

On a smaller scale, that stranger is, in HIS eyes, not what is seen. 

I’m trying to see things as He does… to therefore love as He does… to therefore know as He does.

That’s what I am seeing with my little eye.

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Saving Daylight

Daylight Savings

Two important announcements about THIS Sunday

First… it’s Second Sunday Dinner Time.  We are planning to have International Foods.  Hope you can come!  Even if all you have are ‘Murrican Foods…

Second… even though it is Daylight Savings Time, do NOT set your clocks ahead.  We will have a clock changing moment after we eat.  So we can have an extra hour of sleep! 

 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15, 16 ESV)

In 1986 a radio station in Chicago started a contest as a joke.  The winner of the contest would be the person who was able to conserve the most sunlight.  Listeners called in all day with their descriptions of their efforts.

One caller set mirrors up throughout his house, all aligned to bring sunlight into the house and get it “caught” in a spiral of light.

One caller put jars of water in every window, theorizing that the water would “hold” the sunlight for hours after the sun went down.

One contestant shut all the curtains in his house so he would “use” less sunlight.

I’m pretty sure they weren’t serious.  Daylight Savings?  How can we save daylight?

Of course, the idea behind Daylight Savings is not to save light.  It is to reduce energy costs or something.  But the concept of “Saving Daylight” reminds me of Paul’s instructions to us to “redeem time.”

Time, like sunlight, cannot be saved in a bottle.  Its value is not in the keeping of it, but in the using of it.

How do you use your time?

I worked for a while in an electro-plating company.  We plated metal parts with chemicals to increase strength, reduce effects of weathering, and prevent oxidization.  And at the factory, because of the expense of the chemicals boiling in the vats, I learned that every second counts.   A minute spent in daydreaming was not merely sixty seconds.  It was hundreds of dollars.

Our time is valuable.  Not just because it can be used to make money.  But because everything we do matters. 
Think about how much of your day is spent for yourself.  Compare that with how much of your time is spent purposefully for God… or purposefully in serving someone else… or in helping make someone smile… or in easing someone’s burden.

Paul tells us to redeem our time.  He meant that we are to use it the way God wants us to use it.  And while He might not have told us in His Word exactly what job you should have, or exactly what hobby to develop, or exactly who to be friends with… He DOES tell us how our time should be spent. 

He has shown you what is good; and what does He require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

How do you spend your time?

Beneath the Snowbank

Beneath the Snowbank

I rejoice at Your Word As one who finds great treasure. Psalm 119:16

We don’t get much snow building up here in Kansas.  But sometimes, along a ditch or next to a shady tree, some snow can accumulate.  And it reminds me of the treasures that I used to find in spring, when REAL snowbanks slowly disappear.  The melt-off of snowbanks alongside the roads is mysteriously exciting.  When the hard-packed snow and crunchy ice disappear there are usually treasures to be found.

Once, on an early springish day while walking along the street, I saw a wide variety of wonderful objects.  They had probably been missing since January.  The owners had probably given up ever seeing them again; or forgotten that they exist.  And now the warm spell has brought them back.

In one yard I saw a hammer, two plastic cars, a Dr. Pepper can (empty… I checked,) a small pile of pennies, and an assortment of odd pieces of metal.  What a treasure!  I wished it were my yard. But all I’ve found beneath the snowbank in my yard was dirt, stones and a plastic Mountain Dew bottle.  And I don’t drink Mountain Dew.

But all those freshly revealed treasures at the bottom of the snowbanks reminded me of two things.

First, humans are often like those snowbanks.  Hidden beneath our dirty, unpleasant, badly behaving exteriors are treasures.  While we may be more snow-covered than we like, we were originally created in God’s image.  Somewhere down there is something even better than hammers and Mountain Dew bottles. 

We forget that in the “winter” of our lives.  And sometimes it takes a change of season for the hidden treasure to be revealed.  But it is there.

This change of season is only found through God’s Messiah.  When we surrender to Him, the snow can melt off…  and those beautiful treasures can show up again.  We can be what humans were created to be.  But without the melt-off found in Christ’s presence… the treasures remain hidden.

Second, the Psalmist reminds us that God’s word is like that hidden treasure, too.  Sometimes we notice the snow covering the treasure more than we notice the treasure.  We notice that the Bible is long.  We notice the language is more difficult than an average CNN newscast.  We notice that it takes some thinking to understand what It says.  We notice that understanding takes work.  All those things are like snowbanks.

But underneath is some great treasure.  In the Bible we find hope.  In the Bible we find grace.  In the Bible we find value.

All it takes is Spring.  Or at least a melt off.  Isn’t it time for Spring in your heart?

The Season and the Redemption of the World

People used to fuss about Christians celebrating pagan rituals at Christmas.  Maybe some people
still do.  I remember wondering about that druidic, lit, house-central Christmas tree.  Could this be an act of false worship?

I remember wondering about holiday gatherings at the time of the Winter Solstice.  Could we be accidentally taking part in evil rituals?

I remember wondering about Mistletoe, Yule logs, Christmas Lights, certain odd songs, and even presents.  While claiming to be celebrating the Incarnation, were we unwittingly falling into ancient God-denying practices?

But I’ve come to realize something.  Romans 1 tells us that the CORE of God-knowledge is found in every human being.  And while those long-straying druids, Celts, and pagans had certainly moved FAR from the
gospel over the centuries, perhaps they were actually looking for something that they sensed was necessary and true.

The wonder at the evergreen could be an acknowledgement that mankind KNOWS that life should be eternal.  The gathering of friends and family during the longest nights could be caused by the awareness that it is not good for mankind to be alone.  The decorations and lights might be the result of our desire to make clean and beautiful what has become, through sin, dark and ugly.

I am not saying that the druids were secret Evangelists.

But I am saying that ‘all truth is GOD’S truth.’  I am saying that these reachings were the result of the human need for the gospel.  I am saying that while they might have been the result of centuries of rebellion,
they also were clearly a statement, however unintentional, of the basic truth that we need a Savior.

And perhaps most profound of all… while some of us get tired of hearing Christmas songs from October to January, we need to realize that we are hearing on every radio station across the country, the essence of
the gospel.  Even when sung by people who have no idea what they are singing.

Just like those druids.