From Fear to Compassion - Lent 2

 As I write this the sun is shining in my window, a small river of melting snow is running down our sidewalk, and there is a feeling of spring soon to come.  Earlier this week the wind was howling, making it difficult to concentrate with all the snow and debris being flung against our windows and walls. Emotions, too, can change like this week's weather. As we read through the Psalms, or the Gospel stories, we hear of people exuberantly praising God, people cowering in fear, people angry that God, or God in the form of Jesus, is not acting or reacting as they think appropriate. In our daily lives, too, we hear many messages of injustice, scarcity, even cruelty, mixed with joyful stories of births, healings, and kindness. How can we respond to this bombardment of messages, of emotions, of calls to action? Often we respond out of fear - fear that we will lose what is good, fear that what is not good will take over, fear that there will not be enough - enough safety, enough security, enough love, to help us make it through the rest of our lives. Today's passages challenge us to shift our focus from what we fear may happen,  to compassion for those in current need.

The four passages for this morning are, once again, very different from each other.  Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 is the story of God making a covenant to protect Abram and make him the father of many children. Abram was afraid he would have no heirs, but God reassured him that his descendants would outnumber the stars. Philippians 3:17-4:1 is a call from Paul to "stand firm in the lord" and not be distracted by trying to be cool or worrying about fitting in or being too comfortable. Luke 13:31-35 tells of a group of Pharisees that were concerned for Jesus' welfare, and Jesus' response that he had to finish his journey and do his work even if he was in danger. Jesus did not give in to the fear of his supporters but instead looked with compassion on Jerusalem, home of many who were acting out of fear, even to the point of eventually causing Jesus' death. The Psalm is a beautiful song of assurance that it is in God we have our security, we do not need to be afraid.

Each of these passages speaks to a different fear: fear for a legacy; fear of persecution; fear of discomfort or ostracism; fear of political enemies. The answer to these fears is the same - focus on God. God has protected us in the past. God is with us, protecting us in the present. God has promised to continue to protect us in the future.  We can rest in the Lord and open our eyes, and our hearts and our hands, to others who are living in real fear - of racism, poverty,  religious discrimination, war, and other terrible things. Though we are not immune from any of these things, and may have to suffer at some point, God calls us to trust, and to keep going.

I do find this difficult.  The concept is somewhat easy - but actually living life focussed on God, furthering God's kingdom and spreading God's love and not worrying about the basics like food, shelter, and safety is hard. We have been raised to be prepared, not to mention independent.  Our society encourages us to invest in our futures here on earth - collect more to ensure we will always have enough. We want to make sure we never have to worry about where our next meal is coming from or where we will sleep at night. Is this wrong? 

As in many things I think there is a balance needed.  I may be wrong, but I don't think God wants us all to live on the streets or beg for food or clothes.  I do believe God wants us to trust and not live in the fear and stress that we may never have enough. I do believe God wants our first consideration to be whether we can do what we are doing with integrity and compassion for others. God is with us and God will help us have enough, even if that is by a different definition than that of some of our society. I do believe God wants us to give to those in need and not just grow a fortune so we can live more luxurious lives.  God wants us to live in joy, knowing we are loved and protected, and willing to share God's love with others. God wants us to earn an honest living without having to lie and cheat or compromise our values to "get ahead." God wants us to trust God's love and protection, which can allow us to donate to those in need and still have enough. Focussing on God and all God has given us can help us redefine "enough" so we can make our choices, not out of fear, but in confidence. 

So let us continue to work at moving our focus to Christ, and to God's call to love. Let us continue to work on blocking society's messages of scarcity and insecurity and listen, instead, to God's message of loving protection and care. Let us continue to open our eyes to the needs around us, and open our hands with compassion, never letting fear be the deciding factor. 

May God be with you and grant you the peace of knowing that you will always have enough.


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