September 9, 2007 Message

“What Was I Scared Of?”
Psalm 31: 9-16; Matthew 26:36-39
A message based upon the series, The Gospel According To Dr. Seuss by James Kemp.

James Kemp, in his book, The Gospel According To Dr. Seuss, suggests: "For most people, the most uncomfortable human emotion of all is fear." I wonder how many of us have found that to be true.
Since we were children, we have had fears. Most children are afraid of the dark. Some fear being left alone. Some are afraid of snakes and spiders. And a few are afraid of ani-mals of any kind, even the cute and cuddly ones.
And almost every child at one time or another has been afraid of the bogeyman that represents all those things in the world that we don't yet know about but would be afraid of if we did. I think that was probably my greatest fear as a child. It wasn’t anything I could see, but rather the things that I might see. So the simple solution for me was to shut my eyes. It made perfect sense then - if I couldn’t see it, it wasn’t there! Do you remember the things you were afraid of?
As we grow older, we still feel afraid at times, although the objects of our fear, or at least most of them, change.
• Teenagers may fear rejection or failure or being left out.
• Young adults may fear never being able to find a husband or wife or a fulfilling job.
• Many parents who thought they had overcome their fears find themselves living their children’s fears or fearing for their children's safety and wellbeing.
• Older adults typically fear losing their independence, their health, their mobility, or their ability to support themselves financially.
What are some of the fears you have today? All of us, regardless of our age, struggle with being afraid of something. And often those fears are the very things that hold us back from accomplishing what we want in life?

What Was I Scared Of? is a story about the fear that paralyzes a young creature – the fear of the unknown. Although this is a story for children, it is also a story to which all of us can relate, as we too struggle with the same feelings.
The cute creature encounters the scary-looking pants on a dark path in the night and quickly turns and runs away as fast as he can. He tells himself he's not afraid of the pants, but it doesn't work. Every time he sees them, he is still afraid and runs away.
The little guy's fear of the green pants effects his life. He doesn’t go to places he used to go anymore. He doesn't do some of the things he likes to do, because he does-n't want to risk meeting up with the green pants. He can no longer go to Grin-itch to fetch Grin-itch spinach. He can't go fishing, because "green pants" knows how to row a boat.
I think many of us can identify with the little guy in the story. There is probably some sort of fear keeping us from doing what we would like to do. Perhaps there are places we would like to go, people we would like to know better. Maybe we feel that God is calling us to a particular kind of service or ministry. But our fears hold us back. Possibly it's fear that life could get too complicated or too busy. Maybe like the little creature, it's just the fear of the unknown standing in our way, keeping us from accomplishing our full potential.
Kemp notes that 'theologically speaking, the opposite of fear is faith.
Having faith does not automatically remove fears, but it does provide the discipline, the confidence, and the courage to move forward in spite of our fears. Our faith reaffirms for us that God is ultimately in control of our lives. Trusting God’s will, our fears, though real, need not paralyze us and keep us from doing what we should.
It is hard to imagine the fear Jesus must have felt in the garden called Gethsemane. He told his disciples, Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, "This sorrow is crushing my life out. Stay here and keep vigil with me." Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, "My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this.”
But he did not run from his fears. Rather, he faced them head on, praying: “But not what I want. You, what do you want?"
Dr. Seuss also helps us to understand the secret to overcoming our fears is not to run faster or farther in the oppo-site direction but to face them. Someone once said, “the best way to get rid of an enemy is to make that enemy a friend.” That goes for our fears as well.
That is what the little creature in the story did, although it was more by accident than choice. Yelling and screaming, he thought his life had come to an end. "But then a strange thing happened. Why, those pants began to cry! Those pants began to tremble. They were just as scared as I!"
The next thing he knew, he has a new friend. In the facing of his fear he discovered those ‘empty pants’ was not as bad as he'd thought. In fact, those ‘pants’ didn't need to be feared at all.
What might happen in our Christian lives if we, too, faced our fears instead of running from them?
Would we be freed to do the things we've always wanted to do but were afraid to try? Or perhaps something that we once enjoyed doing but are afraid to try again?
Our fears may indeed be keeping us from effective Christian min-istry, especially if in response to a new neighbor’s need we hear ourselves saying, "I'm already busy enough, and I'm afraid that if I help, it will take up more time than I have to give."
When we have always had a heart for the poor but are afraid to volunteer to take meals to the homeless because the shelter is located in an unsafe part of town.
Or when we would like to donate blood, but are afraid of the the needle, even though others have told us it really doesn't hurt that much.
Or when we would like to go on a short-term mission project, but we’re afraid of coming back with some rare, incurable disease, even though others have made the trip safely.
Fears limit our ability to reach our potential as individuals and as the church. We must recognize that the kingdom of God is not a passive institution but a proactive one. Christ did not call us to sit in our living rooms and watch TV, to be content only with having our per-sonal affairs under control.
Rather, Christ calls us to go out into the world to make disciples, to bring justice to our communities, and to look after the hungry, the widow, the orphan, and the prisoner. We cannot fulfill this calling if we are paralyzed into inactivity by a fear of getting hurt, or making mistakes, or getting involved in messy or complicated situations. That is the path of fear, not the path of faith.
Think about what your fears are. What is holding you back? What is keeping you from being all you can be and all you would like to be? Name them, face them, and then move on in faith knowing a person’s fear is often more imagined than real.
Dr. Seuss’ little creature, as a result of facing his fears, not only got his old life back but he also gained a new friend. So don't keep run-ning. God wants your faith to overcome your fear. Trust today that God’s will be done. Imagine the difference it will make in your life or in the lives of the people you care about?