Do Not Be Afraid

August 10, 2008
The Rev. Susan J. Latimer

Peter was impetuous. He was often the first one of the disciples to respond to Jesus. I imagine Peter as a great big man who gave huge hugs – a man who was loyal and steadfast, and ready to do anything that Jesus asked of him, on a moment’s notice. And so I love the part of this Gospel story where Peter asks Jesus to order him to walk on the water. Only Peter…..

The disciples had been having trouble with their boat all night long. Jesus had sent them on ahead and gone up the mountain to pray, and then the next morning he caught up with them. They were terrified, with good reason. Here he was coming across the water – they thought that he had to be a ghost.

But then he spoke to them: “Do not be afraid”.

How many times do we hear that message from God in the Scriptures?
Gabriel said it to Mary when he announced that she would be the mother of Jesus. An angel sang it to the shepherds at the time of Jesus’ birth.

Over and over God tells us, “Do not be afraid. I am with you”.

So Peter gets out of the boat, and by some miracle, he is walking towards Jesus. But then the wind whips up, his fear gets the best of him, and he begins to sink.

“Do not be afraid”, God tells us. Why do we hear this message over and over?

Perhaps because God knows that a human being who is afraid can get into a lot of trouble. I am not suggesting that we try to ignore our fears altogether. It is part of being human to feel afraid. Some fear can even be helpful – it may help us drive more carefully, for example – or eat a healthier diet.

But sometimes we let our fears take control of our actions. And when that happens, when we act out of fear and forget to act out of love, we really make a mess of things. We get into all kinds of sins – things that “hurt or destroy the creatures of God” – ( BCP definition ).
Fear without Love to temper it will lead to Sin.

It seems to me that our country has been running on fear for far too long.

Much of the media and the political campaigning over the past seven years has been targeted towards people’s fear –

Fear of terrorists
Fear of immigrants, and now,
Fear of rising oil prices and an uncertain economy.

It seems to me that after September the 11th many people in this country were so afraid that they were willing to give up many of the normal checks and balances of government, all for the promise of safety. This abdication of leadership and responsibility has resulted in an unprecedented war, numerous human rights violations, and even, according to some analysts, a country that is less safe than before, and the high price of oil itself.

It is said that Perfect Love casts out fear. Fear is such a strong force, such a strong motivator, that it needs a powerful antidote. Only God’s Love is strong enough to be the antidote to so much fear…..

No one can know the complexity of motivations of another person. But I can’t help but think that the decision by our Archbishop of Canterbury to refuse to invite a duly-elected Bishop of our church, The Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, to Lambeth, was at least in part due to fear. Fear of change, fear of loss, fear of schism, fear of criticism, fear of those who are different – all these fears are strong in many parts of our Anglican communion. But there is also much love and much courage.

The Bishops of Province 1, the Northeast, my old province, arranged time and space for people who were willing to enter into dialogue to meet Gene, outside of the “official” structure of Lambeth. I have not heard the outcome of these meetings, or even much of Lambeth – moving has taken up so much time and we are not yet hooked up to internet or television at home!

So some of you may have news of Lambeth that I have not yet received.

But my guess is that much good happened there. Because the format for Lambeth was discussion working towards a consensus, and not a legislative model with “winners” and “losers”, the possibility for building relationships and understanding was increased.

In a time of great fear, in our nation and in the Anglican communion, communities of faith like St. John’s stand as witness to the transforming power of God’s love.

The world needs more spaces where people of all races and sexual orientation are welcome, and all are valued as unique individuals.

The world needs more spaces where true dialogue can take place.

The world needs more communities whose focus is on the healing of the world.

I am here, as your Rector, by the grace of God, and because I want to spend the second half of my priesthood in a place like this with people like you - a congregation that takes risks, works for justice, stands for equality, cares for all, and still wants to do more.

Thanks be to God for the witness of this congregation.

Amen.