Clothesline 242 "Facing the Cross"

This week in our Lenten preaching series entitled Facing the Cross, we looked at something that we might deal with on a daily basis: Facing our Fears. And our Old Testament lesson was a perfect example of human fear.

Abram has a vision and a conversation with God: “Abram, count the stars in the sky, if you can. So shall your descents be!” That doesn’t sound very frightening, does it? Well, not on the surface…but look deeper. Abram is almost one hundred years old! And Sarah? About the same! How would you have responded to this proclamation from God? God and Abram go back and forth, and in the end, Scripture says, “Abram believed God.” And so, it happened. I will always wonder, however, what Sarah’s reaction was when Abram told her the news! This entire story certainly contains questions, uncertainties and lots of fears. But the mere presence of faith clears away the questions and fears, and God’s promise is fulfilled.

Now Abram’s story has a remarkable ending. He believes God; his fear is banished. He and Sarah indeed have a child, and his ancestors are more than the stars in the sky. But that was then; what about now? We sometimes have a lot of fear in our lives. Maybe it’s a diagnosis you recently received from the doctor. Maybe it’s an upcoming surgery. Maybe we have financial troubles, fear of the future with all its uncertainties. The list goes on and on, and all of them make up the swirling storms of life that bring us fear.

I remember all too well when I felt called to the priesthood. But I wasn’t in my late teens, entering college and feeling the call. I was forty years old, married with children and a full-time job, and I had never been to college! I might as well have been one hundred years old and being told by God that I was going to have a child! This was surely impossible, and I was confused and frightened.

Thankfully, though, I believed in God’s plan, and not surprisingly, it happened! Fears pale in comparison to the knowledge that none of them could have a hold on me because of the cross of Jesus. The “hold” could only happen if I let it!

So Lent is a time to challenge our fears. If we believe that Jesus is always near, we need only to call on him when we find life challenging or fearful. Seek his peace. He is bigger than any fear you could possibly have. And that’s a promise!