Mark 16:8 (NIV) Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
In the oldest versions the Gospel of Mark ends here. Think about it: The oldest gospel ended with the Greek word that points to our fears?
We are familiar with this Greek word—phobos. It is the root of the English word phobia. A phobia is more than simple fear; a phobia is an extreme or irrational fear. Some fear is is in fact, quite healthy, and anything but extreme or irrational. I wonder if we, like the women at the empty tomb, are still afraid. If so, what are we afraid of? And are those fears healthy or perhaps extreme or irrational.
Frank Herbert in his novel Dune addresses the idea of fear. He sees fear as the “mind-killer.” Fear brings “total obliteration,” and he says we must “face” our fears. Herbert is speaking as a keen observer of the human condition. His insight is valuable. Irrational fear does in fact kill our minds, numbing us to possibilities. It is also important to face our fears.
What drove the fears of the women at the empty tomb? They had wondered who would roll away the stone, and instead, they are told to go and tell Jesus disciples “and Peter” that Jesus has gone on “ahead” just as “he had told you.” Were they afraid because the stone had been rolled away? That doesn’t seem likely. I wonder if it was the imperative to go and tell others what Jesus had said, both to those who knew him, and Peter, the one who had denied him. But most important, tell them what? He was alive and risen. It was all true. Did they feel inadequate to the occasion? I wrestled with that for years. Who me? I am sure I thought: “Surely you are kidding. I am not adequate to that task.”
Marianne Williamson writes: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…we were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us...and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” What if she is right? What if our fear is not one of inadequacy, but rather one of potential power just waiting to be unleashed? In all honesty, part of my love for Bonhoeffer is that he seemed, through his Christian walk, to find a way to give me permission to allow my own inner light to shine. I think the early church grew because they had seen this beautiful, wonderful light and wanted others, whether slave or free, man or woman, Greek or Gentile, to experience this light.
Fear needs to be named, and in naming it we gain power over it and can marshal the resources to defeat it. Nelson Mandela writes: “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
The recent survey done by Hilltop to examine our readiness to parent the birth of a new church suggested we were close to ready. But it also suggested that we still had some fears that needed to be named and conquered. Trust me: fear can be healthy. I think we should channel our fears on this new start in healthy ways, first by naming them, and then so ordering our spiritual lives so that we are strengthened by them.
Loss of friends and financial readiness appear to be two of the named fears.
I think our great-great-grandparents would sadly shake their heads over those fears. Many of our ancestors left St. Joseph, Missouri in Conestoga wagons. expecting to never again see the friends and relatives they left behind. Our friends now will set out on an epic adventure, but they are not really going very far. We can still bowl on Tuesday nights with them.
More distant ancestors left Bristol, England in the 1700s who were “all in.” No McDonald’s. No Chipotles. No Starbucks. No break down lane to fix the canvas rigging if something went horribly awry. But they were “all in.” Financially we are actually only “in” for about 20 cents on each new church investment dollar. Others stand behind us. We are incurring risk, but others are confident we can do this. If others believe in us, why should we be afraid?
I hope that when the good news story of Hilltop is told, the last words said about us are not those that point to our fears. Sharing the good news of God’s Grace manifest through Jesus Christ is a story worth taking some risk to tell. Go. Tell.
Selah, Pastor Dennis
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