02-28-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
February 28, 2024
In yesterday’s Etching, I asked about the emotion you first felt when finding yourself needing a reset in life. Some of you referenced fear, while others talked about hope or even relief. As I thought about those three specific emotions, I found myself resonating with all of them, as there have been different times in life with entirely different resets that brought different reactions. There are times when you are so fed up with your current reality that a reset, even when you’re not too sure what it’s going to look like, sounds good. There have been folks who have gone through a period of grief, and once on the other side, they have talked about needing to find a new way forward, but even in that uncertain reset, there is hope. Today, I want to ask a second and somewhat related question to what I asked yesterday, and if it's ok, I might reference some of the responses in my sermon on Sunday. When the possibility of a reset is before you and there is some trepidation or even fear, what do you do with passages of scripture that seem to suggest we as people of faith should not fear (Isaiah 41:10 & John 14:27)? Do you believe that God expects us to have no fear, especially since fear is less a choice and mostly a survival response that begins as a chemical reaction inside the brain that triggers the nervous system? How does faith help you deal with fear?

In the daily grind of life, especially in those moments of anxiousness, I pray for the capacity to hold tightly to the conviction that I am loved unconditionally by you, O God. Amen.