I remember reading an article which said that in 1973,
26-year-old director Steven Spielberg was hired to make a movie based on Peter
Benchley's novel about shark attacks called Jaws.
The movie was so scary, and I can testify to that, that even to this day,
millions of Americans panic, when they hear that a shark might be present in
their beach area. But studies clearly
show that on average less than one American dies each year from a shark
attack. So to relieve you of this fear,
I'm giving you a list of other things more likely to take your life:
- Trampolines account for an average of 1.1 deaths per year.
- Roller coasters take 1.2 lives per year.
- Free-standing kitchen-range tip-overs cause 1.3 deaths per year.
- Vending machines account for 2.1 deaths per year.
- Riding lawnmowers take 5.2 lives per year.
- Fireworks cause 6.6 deaths per year.
- Skydiving accidents account for 21.2 deaths per year.
- Getting crushed by a television or furniture causes an average of 26.4 deaths every year.
- Smoking, poor diet, lack of physical activity and alcohol kill 87% of Americans prematurely.
- Bathtub drownings and lightening strikes are far higher than shark attacks.
The article concludes with this challenge: “So face your fears, get off the couch and
go for a swim.” I hope I have now
calmed your fears about going into the ocean.
Fear is of course something common to all of us. We all know what its like to be afraid. According to scripture, the antidote to fear
is courage. What is courage? The ability
to do something that frightens you. The
ability and willingness to face or confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty or
intimidation. Yes, living can be
hazardess to one's health as they say.
Life is no place for cowards. A
life well lived requires many things – including courage.
We think of physical courage. The courage to rescue someone from a burning
car or house. The courage to physically
stop someone who is hurting another person.
We think of moral courage. The
courage to speak up for what is right despite opposition, to speak the truth
when others are silent, to take a stand, when others shy away. And there is spiritual courage. To courage to believe and trust in God, when
things are collapsing around you, the courage to believe in God's love and
mercy amidst disappointment and loss.
Yes, the quality, the attribute of courage is essential for
life. Courage means different things to
different people. For one person it is
tackling a seemingly overwhelming problem or dealing with the fear of
failure. For someone else, it is simply
getting out of bed and facing the day.
It takes courage to be a parent, to raise children or to work or look
for work if you are unemployed, or to get out of a rut and try something brand
new.
We all know what it means to be afraid, to have a failure of
nerve. Two little boys walked into a
dentist's office. One said: “I want a tooth taken out and I don't want
any gas because we're in a hurry. The
dentist said: “You're quite a brave young man.
Which tooth is it? The boy turned
to his smaller brother, and said: “Show
him your tooth, Tommy.”
Who comes to mind when you think of courageous people? I think of the men and women of our military
who put themselves in harm's way in service to our nation. I think of police and firefighters and
lifeguards who put their lives on the line every day for you and me. I think of acts of heroism like that of the
young man who heard the cries of those three women in Cleveland who had been
kidnapped and held captive for 10 years and broke down the door and freed
them. I think of Christians living in
hostile environments surrounded by radical Muslim neighbors who continue to
claim the name of Christ as Lord and Savior and worship at a local church. I think of Muslims who stand up for
Christians despite intimidation by other radical Muslim neighbors. But it also takes courage to introduce
yourself to a stranger, or to reach out and help someone in need in a modest
way. Who or what comes to your mind when
you think of courage?
Both of our lessons this morning are stories about fear and
courage by the people of God. In our
O.T. Lesson we learn that the great prophet Moses, who by the power of God had
led the Israelites out of Egypt
has died. After wandering around in the
wilderness for 40 years, the people are poised to enter the promised land. The Lord decides to call a successor. God calls Joshua. Joshua as you might expect is filled with
fear at taking on such a daunting task.
Wouldn't you be? I mean how does
one follow in the footsteps of the great Moses?
Seeing the fear in Joshua's heart, the Lord speaks to Joshua: “My
servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to
cross the Jordan
In our N.T. Lesson the disciples suddenly find themselves
caught up in a storm out on Lake
Galilee
The Sea of Galilee has long
been notorious for its storms and this is true today as well. Terrible squalls appear without warning, even
when the sky is clear. The disciples are
frantic. Their fear is clearly justified. They knew the boat could capsize and they
would be lost at sea. The disciples see
Jesus asleep in the stern. They cry out:
“Jesus, wake up, don't you see what's
happening, don't you care that we are going to drown, help us before we all
perish.” Jesus awakens, hears their
cry and commands the wind and sea to be quiet.
And the wind ceases, and there was a dead calm. Jesus says to them: “Why are you afraid? Have you
still no faith?
As followers of Jesus, there are times when out of obedience
and love, you must find courage, the courage to speak up for Jesus, for your
faith, to let others know you are a follower of Jesus, that you are doing
something because Jesus is the Lord of your life. The courage to say something, to intervene in someone's
life, to be frank and honest with someone.
Like saying to your child, “no”, even if they get angry with you, even
if they say: “I hate you.” Or saying to a friend, or family member,
to a neighbor, or colleague, to somebody that you care about: “I must tell you that I think you are making
a major mistake. You’re on the wrong
path. I care about you so much that I
must tell you this. I can't stand by and
let you hurt yourself or someone else.
It may upset you or offend you.
It may put a strain on our relationship, but its because I value our
friendship that I must be honest with you.”
If you see somebody doing something wrong or behaving in a
way that hurts themselves or others, as followers of Christ we have a duty to
speak the truth in love. We are not much
of a parent, we are not much of a friend, if we stand silently by and do
nothing. And saying or doing something
we know requires courage.
I like what a preacher wrote: “A
young man had gone bankrupt due to a failed business venture. He told this preacher he had lost
everything. The preacher replied: “Let me correct you You haven't lost everything. You had something before you had a
business. You had a dream and you had
the nerve to try to make it happen. You
haven't lost that. Nobody ever loses
courage. Courage isn't something you
lose because courage is always an option.
Courage is a choice. And by God's
grace, it is always there for you to choose.
My friend, God wants you to choose courage? Will you choose it?”
In The Wizard of Oz Dorothy you recall performs brave
deeds for the mysterious wizard who rules Oz, in the hope that he will use his
magic to send her home. Later she finds
out that he is no wizard, but merely a circus performer, who has convinced the
people that he is a wizard. Dorothy has
three companions, a scarecrow who wants brains, a tinman who wants a heart, and
a cowardly lion who wants courage. The
wizard pretends to give these things to them, but the irony is that they
possessed them all along without knowing it.
The wizard helped them find what was inside them all the time. My friend, look deeply into your heart, you
too will be surprised that by God's grace, Christ has given you more courage,
than you ever imagined.
I believe these two biblical stories inspire hope when we
face times of fear. They tell us that
God is present with us in the midst of the storms of life and when we are
called to take on some project or task or mission. They are an affirmation of God's promise - “Be
strong and courageous, do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God
is with you wherever you go.”
Pray for boldness.
Courage is not the absence of fear.
It is acting in spite of your fear. It is doing the right thing in spite of your
fear. Courage is doing something, despite being afraid out of love: your love
God, your love for some person, your love for the truth. Following Jesus requires courage and courage
comes from trusting in Him:
Scripture says: “For
God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of courage, of love and
of self-discipline.” Be strong and
courageous. Amen!
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