February 19, 2004
north shore�s lenten series: facing our fears
Holy Fear. Fear of the LORD. Fear not. Be not afraid. As Christians, we have many ways of speaking about fear and how it is to build our faith. Moses hides his face in fear of seeing God. A saint of the Church, Theophan the Recluse, said, �We should always hold fast to the fear of God. It is the root of all spiritual knowledge and all right action.� Julian of Norwich says this: �There is no fear that fully pleases God in us but reverent fear. It is soft, because the more we have it, the less we feel it because of the sweetness of love.� For Moses, Theophan and Julian, fear, wisdom and love are the same.
As much as this is true, we also know that for many of us, speaking of the fear of God is experienced as cruel or punishing. Don�t the angels say to the shepherds �Do not be afraid; for see � I am bringing you good news of a great joy for all the people?� This is often the word from the messengers of God for the faithful. �Do not be afraid.� Emmanuel, God with us, meets us in our own places of fear. Does God even want us to fear? Perhaps, nevertheless, we know that awe and fear of God have a place, the Spirit has a wildness to it, and Jesus� teaching challenges us to our very limits. How then, as Christians, are we to understand fear?
This Lent, in the English-speaking Congregation, we will have a preaching series about Facing Our Fears. We will explore how God transforms our fears. We will explore internal and external sources of fear. We will explore how we too are transformed by our fear and awe of God and God�s great mystery. Each Sunday will have a different focus, each asking us all to search our selves and our relationships with one another.
2/22 Facing Our Fears
2/29 Facing Our Fears: Death and Dying
3/7 Facing Our Fears: Skeletons in the Closet
3/14 Facing Our Fears: Terrorism and War
3/21 Facing Our Fears: Constant Change
3/28 Facing Our Fears: Financial Insecurity
4/4 (Palm Sunday) Facing Our Fears: Failure and Disgrace
4/11 (Easter) FEAR NOT
For centuries, the Church has used Lent as a time of fasting and prayer. It is a time to recall the ministry of Christ and his journey to the cross and his atoning sacrifice. It is a time to recall our own place within that journey as recipients of grace and healing. It is a time to stand in awe, in fear, of this incredible gift of salvation. This Lent, let us pray for one another, that our worldly fears may not overcome us, that instead we may be transformed by a reverent fear of God. �The fear of God is a fountain of life.� (Proverbs 14:27)
Posted by tripp at February 19, 2004 10:45 AM