Peter Fitch, St. Croix Vineyard Sunday, November 29, 2015 Life Without Fear Peter Fitch, St. Croix Vineyard Sunday, November 29, 2015
Luke 1: 68-80 67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant— 70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—
Luke 1: 68-80 71 Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US; 72 To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant,73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, 74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear,
Luke 1: 68-80 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. 76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS; 77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins,
Luke 1: 68-80 78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, 79 TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, To guide our feet into the way of peace.” 80 And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Remember the story . . . Elizabeth unable to have a baby Zacharias unable to speak She says, he writes: “His name is John . . .” And then he bursts forth in prophetic speech
Today’s Focus 74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
Apparently, this is the point What God would like to see happen What God hopes for . . . That people, having been saved from their enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness all their days
So many questions . . . What enemies? What fears? What does holiness look like? What does righteousness look like?
Enemies and Fears Internal and external Real and imagined Circumstantial and existential Smart and dumb
As a pastor . . . I see the fight against internal fears helped from time to time by participation with God’s Spirit, replacing anxiety with love and hope and a sense of well-being Sometimes I see that a group of people are also able to help to heal bad circumstances or, at least, help in them
I also see . . . A growth in maturity and self-awareness as people wrestle with the words and ways of Jesus, leading them to become better able to manage besetting fears that have been with them all of their lives And I do see some existential victories, where fear of death or a sense of meaninglessness are replaced with a passion to live for God
One trick . . . Understanding “over-problems” Getting good at “Kingdom-catching” St. Paul said that the Kingdom did not consist of words but of power (1 Cor. 4:20) He also said that it was “not a matter of what we eat or drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17)
But what of the other kind of enemy? To understand how to break this power, we need to have some help from heroes Teaching forgiveness, breaking cycles of violence, working for understanding, making people feel valued and loved
Must we always live in fear of the outsider, the stranger, the person with a different ethnicity? Where does all of this hatred come from? Nelson Mandela says it is learned, and can be unlearned . . .
Desmond Tutu on the mechanism No Future without Forgiveness, p. 197 Classes and under-classes exist Victims internalize and then project outward the pain they feel God wants to heal this, too It begins by breaking the class systems of our world
All kinds of fear can be helped By community By vulnerable sharing By replacing negative emotions with positive ones By receiving a touch of God’s Spirit By getting to know people and by working for their good
What does Holiness and Righteousness look like? You tell me . . .