Submitted to Red Rock News for 12/13/24
- Rev. Dona Johnson |December 8, 2024
With the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that she, a virgin would conceive a child something unthinkable, (Luke 1:30-33), with God’s message to Joseph to not divorce Mary in order to carry out God’s plan (Matt. 1:20), and with God’s announcement to the shepherds their long-awaited Savior had been born (Luke 2:8-9), while all of these announcements brought great joy and celebration, they also brought much fear and panic. In fact, when God approached these chosen people, his first words to them were “Don’t be afraid” or “Fear not.” God first calms, reassures and comforts the people he calls. For who would not be frightened if he or she were confronted by a God or a heavenly being?
Fear is a human emotion. Fear is both real or imagined. Fear begins with those nagging questions that start out like this: “what if this happens,” or “what if that happens.” It is the “what ifs” that trip us up. Fear has a way of building on itself until it immobilizes us from moving forward. When God calls us to do something, there is always some amount of fear mixed with joy and excitement. Many times God calls us into the very places we fear the most. He also calls us to speak what we fear speaking, to forgive, and build relationships with those we dread the most. And why does God do this? God wants us to grow in faith. To rely on his power and not simply our own willpower. He also wants us to be free of fear. Naming our fears frees us to live not frightened of the “what ifs” or distressed over what we feel is an inconceivable or insurmountable task. As Jesus said, “With God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26).
Chris Hall, theologian and author of Desert Spirituality believes our fears are overcome with courage. He recalls a time when he was invited to fly to Bangkok to meet with World Vision, but when he arrived at the gate, he became so overwhelmed with anxiety that he could not muster up the courage to board the plane. Hall was too embarrassed to tell anyone about his fear of flying. He informed his provost that he did not make the flight. He revealed openly his fear of flying. Imagine a professional confessing this fear. What happened next, well, the university and World Vision got together and paid for Hall to take a fear of flying class. He discovered his greatest fear was air turbulence. The pilot teaching the class told him, “When turbulence occurs it’s not about the airplane, the airplane can handle it. It’s about the turbulence inside you.” With further digging, Chris Hall discovered that his fear of flying was connected to the deep-seeded fear and horror that struck him as ayoung ma when his father and mother filed for divorce. The pilot was right! It wasn’t about the plane at all. The next year, Hall was called to fly to the Philippines to give another presentation. Now he peacefully sleeps when flying.
The season of Christmas is about God becoming flesh to dwell with us, to walk with us, quell the fears that weigh us down and give us courage to face them. Our world is weary with fear. Some of us have a fear of dying or becoming ill. Some of us fear speaking in public, being alone or abandoned. Some of us fear the shameful parts of our lives, the sins we’ve committed and string of broken relationships we’ve left behind. Some us fear we are not good enough. While others fear being vulnerable and being judged for their weaknesses. Too, there are people who fear God and fear the church. And yes, there are still many of us who fear flying–aerophobia. The Cleveland Clinic estimates 25 million people have a fear of flying.
What fear(s) do you need to release to God? A good spiritual practice used to overcome fear, is to simply pray your fear out loud. Give your fear to God. Be open. Be honest. Ask God to give you the courage to overcome your fear. There is so much freedom to be gained when we face our fears. God can take any one of our fears and give us his peace in the midst of our turbulence. In Jesus’ birth, God reaches down and gives us a heart of courage to face them. Amen.
- Rev. Dona Johnson |December 8, 2024