God Meets Us In Our Fear
I think Mary’s in today’s gospel text are some of the most courageous words one can utter to God.
Here I am, a servant of the Lord. Let it be with me, according your word.
I think it is impossible for us to fully understand the wild implication of this exchange between Mary, a young, unwed-but-betrothed girl, and the angel, Gabriel.
I mean, there is the unwed part.
The betrothed part.
The young girl part.
The female in a patriarchy part.
The political upheaval that would have shaped her daily life part.
And into the midst of all of that…Gabriel says
Do not be afraid.
As if.
As if.
As if…
It is humanly possible to be without fear in the face of such a message, such a call.
The scriptures contain “do not be afraid” or some version of that HUNDREDS of times. There is a popular suggestion that it is 365 – turns out that might be a little bit of a stretch….but suffice to say, Gabriel’s words to Mary are not novel in scripture.
Fear not.
Do not fear.
Have no fear.
Be not afraid.
I wonder why our scriptures include that reassurance so often?
Because really, has it ever stopped the people of God from having fear?
I mean, if your spouse is angry with you, how many times does “don’t be mad” work for you? Or if someone is experiencing depression, how often does “be of good cheer” work?
The text in Luke tells us that Mary was “perplexed.” The Greek word from which that is rendered is a version of diatarasso, a word that alludes to being disturbed or agitated.
Yes, I have to imagine she was disturbed, agitated.
Do not be afraid.
When I think about Mary’s situation, and about the sheer frequency of assurances in the story of God’s people about not being afraid, I think about how we often hold fear alongside other things.
I mean, right now, take a moment to think about things that you are afraid of. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
And if NOT being afraid was a prerequisite for living our lives, many of us would spend much of our life frozen, incapable of action. So I think that to be without fear is impossible.
As humans, we often have a hard time thinking beyond binaries.
Like – did Mary cease to be afraid the moment she showed the courage to accept what was happening.
Is courage somehow a thing that doesn’t exist alongside fear?
Like they are on a spectrum and if you are one you cannot be the other?
I don’t think so. Having been pregnant myself, I know how many moments of fear show up – in the process of gestating, birthing and raising a human being…
And all that fear in me was without some angelic visit and the disruption of all sorts of societal moral codes and expectations.
What if fear exists alongside courage?
Is that possible? Is it not just possible but likely? Maybe more than likely, more like inevitable?
What if fear and courage are not binaries on a spectrum but they regularly co-exist?
And if that is true, then maybe the biblical counsel to “be not afraid” is part of how God is with us.
Alongside our fear.
Right there with us.
Whispering comfort
…don’t be afraid.
Fear not.
I am with you.
Always.
Even to the end of the age.
Have you ever felt called to do a really scary thing? To step out in faith toward an unknown that perhaps would mean risk to your well-being, your wholeness, your life as you know it? And while you still felt that gut clenching fear - like the moment before the roller coaster takes a 90 mph plunge – you took a step into the thing…
Perhaps Mary sets the example. Yes, we can be afraid. And we can say yes.
Many of us have felt a level of fear for three years of pandemic reality.
Many encounter fear daily – because of skin color, because of financial instability, because of health, because of age, because of gender expression or sexuality.
And then, in a different way, maybe we feel God drawing us into a thing that scares us – a new way of being a disciple, a new way of being the church, a new way of leading people, a new way of understanding Jesus.
Can we stand in the quaking fear and amazement of what it means to be called by God to bear Christ in the world?
Can we stand in the quaking fear and amazement of what it means for each one of us to be called by God to bear Christ in the world?
And in spite of our fear, can we summon our courage to say, “Here I am, a servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according your word.”
I pray it is so.
I wonder if we might practice. Let’s try it together…
Here I am, a servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your word.
Here I am, a servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your word.
Here I am, a servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your word.
May it be so.
Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment