20 Apr 25

Marie

Courage

Luke 24.35-42. The challenge to trust in the midst of our fear is the essence of faith. The invitation is to live beyond our fears, in the sweet spot of intimacy with the one who would be wounded and die rather than be without us.

Luke 24.35-42

Then they told what had happened on the road and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see, for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. Yet for all their joy they were still disbelieving and wondering, and he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

Reflect

Rev Marie writes…

I spent much of my early Christian life trying desperately to do the right things, to be sure I was a ‘good Christian’ and in that effort, I believed my doubts and fears were evidences of my lack of faith, my weakness and ‘not-enoughness’. They were even sin.

Then I learned that doubts are not the opposite of faith but an element of it, and an invitation to question and make the decisions to trust, that are the essence of faith. It seems rather obvious now, but still I missed it for years. It takes no faith to trust the things we are sure of. To sit in a substantial chair is pretty easy — to trust my friend who says a rickety looking one will hold my weight takes more faith in my friend than in the chair!

After a while, I got that, but still — passages like today’s made me feel so judged by Jesus.

I heard exasperation in Jesus’ voice, “How can you be afraid? What’s the matter with you?!”

But then a couple of years ago I read that there are 365 ‘Fear nots’ or some version of that, in the Bible I began to look at the “don’t be afraid” and “fear nots” in the Bible. That intrigued me, so I started to watch for them and made an amazing discovery. In every one I found, there was a promise or an invitation attached. The very first one occurs when God speaks to a terrified Abram and says, “Fear not, I am your shield. Your reward will be very great.” (Gen. 15:1). Though the danger of war is real, God is inviting him to trust, saying, “Take this chance, trust and then see what I will do!”

Seeing this, and many other ‘fear nots’ as an invitation rather than a rebuke has changed how I feel and respond. Now I read today’s Scripture so differently. I see Jesus with a gentle smile, not a frown. And I watch as he offers his wounded hands and feet to his terrified disciples. He helps them in their doubts and invites them to move from terror to joy. He offers himself.

And he continues to do that every time we are afraid. Sometimes we fear real danger – as we should. And sometimes our fears grow from past experiences that colour situations that are actually benign. Still, the invitation stands and the challenge to trust in the midst of our fear is the essence of faith. The invitation to live beyond our fears, in the sweet spot of intimacy with the one who would be wounded and die rather than be without us stands.

Do

What is it that you fear? For each of us it is likely to be something different. Allow your fears to come to mind one at a time and speak them out and after each one say out loud, “I will not fear for the Lord is with me.”

Pray

Dear Lord
You know the three-in-the-morning fears that plague me.
You know the real dangers I face,
and the brokenness from my past
that makes me afraid even when I need not be.
And you know my shame when I feel my fear as weakness.
Help me to hear your, “fear not, little one”
as your promise to be with me.
Help me to bow in worship so I remember
that, “he that is in you is greater the he that is in the world.”
I want to know you.
May my fear be a pathway to intimacy with you.
For your joy and glory I pray
Amen.

Think

There are 365 ‘fear nots’ in the Bible, one for every single day of the year and John reminds us in his first letter that ‘Perfect love casts out fear’. What do you think he means by perfect love?

Fabbed 4 times.