This week’s Gospel lesson led me to do a quick internet search on the top 10 fears that people have.  I’ll make the connection in a minute, but bear with me for a while as I share the list.  Before I start, does anyone want to try to guess what might be on the list?  (Give people a chance to make guesses.)
 

     If I asked you what this Gospel story was about today, many of us would agree that it’s about a widow.  It’s about a funeral procession. It’s about Jesus raising a widow’s son from the dead. If we were going to get a bit more theological, we would say it’s a story about God’s grace and Jesus’ compassion. It’s about the gift of life that is given to this boy and his mom that they didn’t necessarily deserve, earn or even ask for.
    These things are all true about this story, but as I studied it this past week, it was the word “fear” that jumped off the page at me. It wasn’t joy, happiness, or wonder that seized all of these miracle witnesses upon the raising of the boy from the dead. It was fear. At first, it seems like a strange emotion tucked into the midst of this story. Yet, on second thought, it’s no wonder! 
     Think about it. Which one of us hasn’t felt fear as everything we’ve known to be true has been turned on its head? Which one of us hasn’t felt fear when we’ve totally been taken by surprise even when the surprise has been good? What I’d like us to think about today is how we deal with the fear that exists in our own lives.
      A couple years after college, I had a very bad break-up with my college boyfriend. Everything I knew, all the things I was dreaming about for my future, my whole life felt like it had been turned upside down. Not in a good way like in our Gospel story, but in a terrible way. To say that fear seized me is not descriptive enough. I was terrified! 
     This fear worked a couple of different ways in my life. First, I experienced a paralyzing fear. It kind of shut me down. I went through the routine of my life, but didn’t really feel anything. My couch became my favorite place. I cried a lot and asked, “Why?” a lot. It also was a time in my life that I have felt God’s presence the most clearly. 
     After existing in this paralyzing fear for a while, I remember knowing at a gut level that I was in a place I didn’t want to stay – couldn’t stay. So, one day I consciously made the choice to trade my paralyzing fear for propelling fear. And I wrote a list.  It was a list of everything I could do with my life from the very straightforward and simple (volunteer at a local crisis nursery) to the very crazy and unimaginable (sing back-up for Sarah McLauchlan – one of my favorite singer/songwriters). 
     Also on the list was something quite in the middle which entailed doing a year of volunteer work which I ultimately ended up doing. I remember talking to my dad in my discernment process about this. The year of volunteer work included quitting my accounting job, moving to a new state and leaving friends. Still emotionally upheaveled because of the break-up, he pointed out that those were the stable things in my life. Did I really want to risk leaving them behind? 
     It was with great propelling fear that I answered, “Yes.” It was a risk I was willing to take. The beauty that came from that decision is a whole other sermon or 10.  _
     The Bible speaks of both responses to fear. It speaks of the paralyzing fear that shuts down the women at the empty tomb at the end of Mark, the women who leave and say nothing to anyone because they were afraid. It also speaks of the forward propelling fear that leads a frightened Mary to respond, “Here I am,” to the angel who has terrified her by telling her she is the chosen one to bear God’s son. 
     Sometimes we’re left to wonder what Biblical characters in the Bible did with their fear like in the story for today. Did the boy raised from the dead hole up in his home with paralyzing fear, or did he allow his fear to propel him into the future and embrace his second chance a life? Did the widow keep a low profile and let the town people gossip about her or did she allow the surprising miracle to turn her weeping into dancing and praise and belief and faith?
     Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” In other words, fear can be a starting point for wisdom and belief. It also is often a clue that God’s presence is immanent. Almost every angelic greeting in the Bible includes the words, “Do not be afraid.” 
     So, what are you afraid of? More importantly, what do you do with your fear? Do you let it paralyze you or propel you forward into transformation and new life and re-creation? My guess is that you do both. Both responses are part of all of our realities. 
      It’s dwelling too long in the paralyzing fear that is the main danger. Staying there too long only serves to shut down and limit God’s work in the world. But, for a short time, paralyzing fear can protect us, help us feel safe, and even quiet us enough so that we might hear God’s voice in our lives. God’s voice inviting us to trade our paralyzing fear for propelling fear. God’s voice drawing us back to life again. God’s voice filled with grace and compassion beyond our wildest dreams. 
      What do you do with your fear? Whatever your path is through it, may you know God’s presence and protection until you are propelled into new life.  Amen.

     


Are any of you afraid of anything? (Give kids a chance to answer.) Is anyone here afraid of Jesus? People in the Gospel story were afraid of Jesus. He had done something so amazing, so surprising that people were afraid of him because they had never experienced anything like that before. Sometimes we’re afraid of things that are new. It’s OK. Being afraid is a normal part of life. Remember that when you’re afraid, you can always talk to an adult – your mom or dad, a teacher. You can talk to me. And remember that Jesus is always close to you, especially when you are afraid.