A Sermon by Pastor Tom Lacey . . .

Living Fearlessly

Matthew 10:24-39

Preached at Congregational Church of Boca Raton, June 22, 2008

Grandpa told this story to his grandson. It was during the 2nd world war, when a member of the French aristocracy, Count Jacque de Ladde, had been arrested by the Germans, who suspected him of being one of the top people in the resistance movement. He was tortured for days on end; no sleep, no food, little water, but not a scrap of information passed his lips, such was his resolve. Finally the Germans realized that this brave man was not going to tell them anything, so they gave him an ultimatum: If he didn't tell them what they wanted to know within 24hrs they would behead him. As you can guess, the Count said nothing, and the order was given for him to be executed. He was taken and placed on a block. One last time they asked him to confess, once again he defied them, and with that the officer gave the nod to the executioner, who raised his axe high above his head and swung down with all his might. At that very moment the Count cried out, "I'll tell you everything!" but it was to late, the momentum was too great, and so died the Count and his secrets with him. I looked at my Grandpa when he'd finished telling the story, and he looked down at me and said, "Grandson, there's something important you must learn from that tale." I said, "What's that Grandpa?" He replied, "You must never hatchet your Counts before they've chickened."

Our text is about having courage, and lots of it. The number one fear that people list in surveys is the fear of speaking in front of an audience. It even beats out death in most surveys. There are people who would rather walk on fire than give a speech. Of course that doesn’t make much sense to me, but we each have our own fears. Does anyone here get nervous flying? Maybe you agree with the person who said, "I like terra firma—the more firma, the less terra." The premier science-fiction writer Ray Bradbury of Los Angeles won a top award in 1968 from the Aviation/Space Writers Association for a Life magazine article he wrote in praise of space exploration. But Bradbury didn't attend the association's awards meeting in Florida. He refused to fly. In an interview done aboard Air Force I, former president Ronald Reagan was asked if he had overcome the fear of flying. "Overcome it!" he retorted. "I'm holding this plane up by sheer will power." Courage is the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution. Living fearlessly, while not entirely possible, really means living life courageously. Face the little risks life throws at you with courage and string them together like pearls of victories. Don’t let fear deter you from making the right choices. Find the faith it takes for you to follow God’s lead. As scripture says, “the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid.” Ps.27:1 “Be strong, and quit yourselves like men(—or women).”

What we want to see this morning is that to live with fear is to live defeated. Life simply takes bravery. It takes courage. It takes strength. It takes belief and confidence.

 To let fear deflate your spiritual repertoire is to puncture a hole in hope. Don’t be afraid to take the risk. When you have your direction, follow it. Keep passionate about your path and God’s place in your life.

Jesus' instructions to his disciples prior to their first mission continue in today's gospel reading. He has been telling them about all the dangers and hardships they may have to put up with and ends by saying (in effect), "What do you expect? A disciple is not greater than his teacher. If the world gives me a bad time, it will give you one too." Mt 10:24-25. So what does Jesus do? Sell them life insurance? Give them bullet-proof vests? Teach them how to diffuse conflict? Hardly. Instead he says, "Don't ever be afraid of your enemies and critics. Even though it's not obvious now, the truth will come out finally. So, speak up; shout it out; stand and deliver." 10:26-27 The truth is however, it's all we can do to get to church on Sundays and we're supposed to be shouting the word of God from the housetops? No way. We're afraid. But Jesus doesn't quit. "Stop being afraid" (that's the force of the verb.) "Stop being afraid of people who can kill the body but not the soul." Now we are seeing a glimpse of what the first Christians faced and they were supposed to keep on keeping on. For us, we may face frowns and sideways glances from people if we pray in public before a meal and so we often don’t. So to us and to all who would be Christians, Jesus says: "Don't fear people; fear God, the one who can kill both body and soul.” 10:28 The point is: people can hurt us only temporarily because life comes from God.          

I wonder how many of us are limited by our fears. Fear of rejection... fear of failure...fear of looking foolish...fear of being hurt...fear of being alone... fear of commitment ...fear of being taken advantage of ...fear of change...fear of being criticized...The list goes on and on. Now, listen to the Good News for the day: "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart without your Father's will. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” The secret to overcoming fear is to realize how much God loves you. Jesus uses the analogy of tiny sparrows. In the eyes of the ancient world, a sparrow was inexpensive and monetarily worthless. Matthew has two sparrows being sold for one penny: “Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.” That is a message, that is the good news that we ought to take with us, live within us, and share among us and all. It is God’s word either spoken or lived that heals the wounded and the worried.

The bloody "ethnic cleansing" in Sarajevo in the 1990s left hundreds of children with serious emotional problems. American army nurses serving in Sarajevo reported that hospitals were often filled with children who needed both physical and emotional care. In one hospital, there was a nightly struggle to get the children to sleep. As soon as the lights went out, the children began to cry. The nurses couldn't seem to find anything to comfort them. Finally, one nurse suggested that the children's fears might relate to a lack of security. What could they do to make the children feel more secure? They hit upon the idea of giving each child a piece of bread to hold at night. For children who knew the pain of near-starvation, this bread represented security to them. That night, all the children fell asleep peacefully, each clutching his or her bread. The Lord is “the Father of all mercies and the God of all comfort.” 2 Cor.1:3

Of course fear can play a positive role in our lives. There are things in life that are legitimately fearful. We need that built-in voice that tells us, “Don’t go there. Danger is lurking.” We want our children to fear running into the road. We want our teenagers to fear driving at high speeds. Fear keeps us from doing dumb and destructive things. Fear can also teach us to depend on God. Most of us have short memories. We go along living our lives as if we are in control of our universe, and then something traumatic happens, something we can’t handle on our own. At times like that we reach out for God. But what if the traumatic something never ends. Then we would either have to live in fear or live by faith. Choose faith. Hold on to courage. “Be strong in the Lord and the power of God’s might.”  Eph. 6:10

Early in the spring of 1905, Civilla Martin and her husband were spending some time in Elmira, New York. They forged a deep friendship with a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nearly twenty years. Her husband was confined to a wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while the Martins were visiting with them, Civilla’s husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle’s reply was simple: “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” The beauty of this simple expression of faith gripped Civilla Martin’s heart and she wrote a poem which she mailed the next day to Charles Gabriel, who put music to it. Singer Ethel Waters made the resulting song famous, so famous that she used its name as the title for her autobiography. Perhaps you have heard it: Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home, When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He: His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, For His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me.“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear, And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

It is God’s desire to be for us. Scripture tells us this when we hear why God chose Israel. “The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all people, but God chose you because God loved you.” Dt.7:7-8 You are not on your own. So take up a banner of bravery. Live fearlessly for what is right. Pursue what is your divine right to obtain: Peace that comes from courage and hope that lives in truth.  

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