Journey from Fear to Peace

Finding Your Spiritual Journey

"Journey From Fear to Peace"

Pastor Jerry

Matthew 28:1-10

 

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I was recently listening to a Christian radio pastor who was preaching about the Coronavirus Pandemic, and he asked the question, “Do you know what God’s most persistent commandment is? Or in other words, do you know what one commandment God makes most frequently?”   I started offering up mental answers in my head, playing my own sort of guessing game…well it’s love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, and mind and strength…or love your neighbor…maybe it’s go and sin no more… well slowly but surely I started to run out of guesses.  And that’s when the pastor said, “The answer is Don’t Be Afraid!” Don’t be afraid!  Are you ever afraid? Are you afraid of failure, of rejection, of meaninglessness, of not being loved, or afraid of a health problem …or …afraid of death from the coronavirus outbreak.  Many of us live our lives in fear. Do you understand why God has to continually remind us not to be afraid? It’s because we are afraid over so many things.  God appeared in the OT to tell Abraham that his barren wife Sarah was going to conceive, and the first words out of God's mouth were, "Don't be afraid." In the New Testament, the angel of the Lord appears to Mary. The first words he says? "Don't be afraid." The same thing happens to the disciples in the boat during a storm … “Don’t be afraid!” or even to the women at the tomb…the same phrase is uttered more than 360 times in the Bible…”Don’t be afraid!”  So why is it that God wants us not to be afraid?  Could it be that God is concerned with those who live in fear because it takes away their ability to live?  In fear …you never really learn how to live. Just look at the two Mary’s who went to the tomb…they were afraid. Both the angel of the Lord and Jesus have to say to them, “Don’t be afraid.”  They had discovered that Jesus had been resurrected, but they still had no idea what was going to happen next.  Would there be more arrests?  More crucifixions?  Sure it was great that he had risen and all, but now what…now what were they supposed to do?   I think Jesus would say, “Hey folks let’s face it we are all going to die, aren’t we…so don’t be afraid that your life is going to end; but rather be afraid that it will never begin.”  Be afraid it will never begin! I’m reminded of a story about one life that had the potential to never begin.  It takes place in an old church during their Easter celebration.  Early on Easter morning everyone gathers in this huge sanctuary and at the end of their sunrise service the lights dim and then the pageant begins down the center aisle. And so on this one particular Easter pageant the congregation begins to sing "He Lives" and the procession begins, being led by the angel of the Lord, followed by Mary and the disciples who come to the tomb, and find the stone rolled away. Sitting near the center aisle is a family known to everyone in the church, a family who are wonderful foster parents. Many a child who has been unwanted, abused, or just plain hurting, has been placed in their home by the state. And sitting with this foster family this day is a little 4-year-old girl with two broken arms and a bruised face. It's the first time she's ever been in church. And when she hears "the singing," sees the candlelight, and then sees the procession led by the angel of the Lord and followed at the very end by little angels, she is so swept up in it all that she just steps out into the aisle and joins the procession towards the tomb. Well, in the back of the sanctuary is this church's head usher. And when he saw this little girl step out to join the pageant, he kind of panicked and became afraid and thought, "Oh, my goodness she will mess up everything," and he began barreling down the aisle to put a stop to it all. Well, the 17 year old girl who was dressed as the angel of the Lord, seeing what was about to happen, reached out for the hand of this 4-year-old battered child, and she said, "Don't be afraid. It's okay. Come up here. I have something to show you." She leads this little child up to the tomb, and she says, "This is where Jesus was laid when he had been beaten and crucified to dead.  But he came back to life and we're celebrating his new life, and you're perfectly safe here. You don't have to be afraid." And then the 17-year-old angel of the Lord said to the little girl, "The first time I came to this church I came with your foster family, and I was hurting, and I had been beaten, and I was so scared. But I learned that they are a safe family and that this church is safe and that here you don't have to be afraid." She then asked, "Would you like to hold the hand of Jesus?" And the little girl’s eyes just lit up. So the angel of the Lord lifted this 4-year-old girl onto her lap. She reached into the tomb, took the hand of Jesus, and the angel of the Lord placed the hand of Jesus into the hand of a battered child and said, "Don't be afraid." And it was one of those moments when God did a miracle in the hearts of His people. The Risen Lord was there! It changed lives! Friends, it’s Easter Morning and Christ has risen, and he's aware that many of us bring fears with us today…shattered hopes and dreams, the loss of a job, the loss of a relationship, or the loss of a loved one. Some of us come to this place carrying a whole garbage load of guilt, Some of us come concerned about what the future holds, or about a health situation, or the threat of war, or some other situation. And God’s words are the same for us today as they were on that very first Easter morning…"I'm with you. I will be with you always. I'm here to deliver you into the world of hope, so don't be afraid."  The message of Easter is that there is no tragedy that God cannot redeem, and there is no loss the Risen Christ cannot overcome, so whatever your situation, and whatever your circumstances hear the words of God…don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid! Jesus is alive …and He is here with you! Let us pray... “Lord Jesus, be risen in my heart today.  Shine your light into my darkness, extend your peace into my anxious heart. Dispel my confusion, fear, and doubt. Overcome all my reluctance or procrastination. I confess that I am a sinner and need a Savior. I turn to You right now, and I claim your sacrifice on the cross as payment for all the wrong things I’ve done, and your resurrection from the dead as the basis of my life from this moment on. I ask you to come into my heart, and take charge of my life, I will follow You. ” “Lord God, thank you for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  Thank you for calling us out of my fear and into your wonderful Peace. Help us to live in the care of the shadow of your wings, day by day and moment by moment, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Make us all, every one, a true bearer of your Peace, a herald of the resurrection, in Jesus’ name, amen.”