Tuesday - October 10, 2023

Kris Baker

SCRIPTURE

Matthew 6:33-34

 

But seek first his kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:33-34


WORDS OF HOPE


The Bible uses the phrase, “fear not” (or something similar) hundreds of times. Take a minute and think about how many of the choices that we make in our daily lives are motivated by fear. We work hard because of the fear that we won’t being able to afford food and shelter, the basic necessities of life. Then we work harder because we fear that we won’t be able to provide ourselves the extras in life that make us happy - meals out with friends, a vacation, a new car, or, in my case, the newest Lego set. We eat healthily and try to get enough exercise for fear that our bodies will fail us too soon. We occupy our grocery stores, sports venues, and schools with armed security because of the threat that the “bad guy” will get us. Fear is a constant undercurrent in our daily lives.

 

One of the many verses in that Bible that encourages people to “fear not” is Isaiah 41:10. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Assuming that we as Christians believe this, we must ask ourselves, does what we believe in our hearts show forth in our lives? Do we fear not? On Sunday mornings, in most churches across the U.S., armed security is as present as the Holy Spirit. And our buildings of worship that are a sanctuary of God’s love on Sundays are locked up tight during the week. Justifiably so. Because as a society, our experiences have led us to the realization that even in holy places, we fear for our safety; thus we choose to protect ourselves. And sadly, these actions are not rooted in irrational fears.

 

Today is National Confront Your Fears Day. It is a day that invites us to acknowledge our fears...and then to work to rise above them. Rising above our fears and having no fears are not the same. I have a terrible fear of heights. Nothing will ever change that. On a trip to Alaska, I was invited to take a helicopter ride to one of the glaciers. During the planning stages of that trip, I declined the invitation because of this fear.   When the actual day of that excursion came, I was given a second chance to go. In that moment, I changed my mind and said yes. I can say with one-hundred percent certainty that it was not the sudden disappearance of my fear of heights that caused me to change my mind. Neither was I overcome with a jolt of courage. In that moment, I was struck with a different kind of fear…the fear of missing out. As the helicopter lifted off the ground and began to soar high above the Alaskan landscape, my level of fear ascended as well. God could have screamed “fear not” three-hundred times during the fifteen minutes of that ride and I would not have heard a single one of them. That said, when all was said and done and I was safely on the ground, I was able to acknowledge that I had just experienced some of the most amazing moments of my life, a one-of-a-kind gift. The small voice saying “fear not” must have somehow gotten through to me in the moment when I made the decision to say yes to this second chance. 


Was my fear replaced by courage? Definitely not! It was replaced by the fear that I might never have the opportunity to experience this part of God’s creation in this way again.

 

As much as Scripture tells us to fear not, I don’t think we can do it. What we can do, however, is not let our fears paralyze us and keep us from accepting and experiencing the gifts of our lives. As author Ambrose Hollingworth Redmoon says, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.”  We must always try to listen to the still small voice of God, trusting it to guide us toward those things that are more important than clinging to our own fears.

 

PRAYER


Dear God, as I live my days in a world that elicits more fear in us than You would like, speak to me and guide me such that I may rise above my own fears and be, think, and do what is most important in your eyes. Amen

 

DEVOTION AUTHOR



Kris Baker

Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

Previous Posts

Friday - February 21, 2025

By Donna Jackson • February 21, 2025
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Thursday - February 20, 2025

By Jonathon McClellan • February 20, 2025
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Wednesday - February 19, 2025

By Hardy Haberman • February 19, 2025
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Tuesday - February 18, 2025

By Donald (Luke) Day • February 18, 2025
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Monday - February 17, 2025

By Thomas Riggs • February 17, 2025
SCRIPTURE I Corinthians 15:21-22 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. I Corinthians WORDS OF HOPE For seven years, I was a part of the Bethany Oratorio Society, a group of musicians that has performed Handel’s Messiah on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday since 1882 and Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion on Good Friday since 1929. This group of Kansas town folk, high school and college students, college faculty and hired soloists have kept this tradition alive for nearly 150 years. During my time in the Society, I was under the direction of Elmer Copley, a towering man of intellect, musical talent, and pastoral care. He directed the 400 voices, the master organist, and the orchestra with precision and passion. In the third part of Handel’s Messiah is sung Since By Man Came Death, a recitation of 1 Corinthians 15:21-22. Taking the librettist’s cue, the chorus starts in A minor and it sounds like a funeral hymn, singing of Adam’s fall and our mortality. Then suddenly, it switches to C major and is sung like a victory shout, singing of the resurrection through Christ. This is done twice for each of the two Biblical verses. Those two verses by Paul, combined with Handel's musical brilliance, powerfully proclaim a theology of resurrection. I recall how Professor Copley insisted that in the funeral sections of the song, we were to sing a hard letter “D” for the words “dead” and “die”. And we sang those words sforzando, meaning with a sudden strong emphasis. He wanted the audience to understand the sudden and vicious nature of death and how helpless we are to its power. He equally insisted that we should sing the victorious sections of the song with musical cheer and volume. The words “by man came also the resurrection” and “we shall all be made alive” are not to be sung timidly or clinically, but with the joy of knowing that in Christ we are alive. Juxtaposing death and resurrection twice, Handel musically switches back and forth between these two extremes. Going from Grave tempo, a cappella singing and complex harmonies in A minor to an Allegro tempo, with full orchestra and a simple harmony in C major. When space provides, give a listen to this chorus from the third part of Messiah, hearing the preaching of St. Paul, George Fredrick Handel, and Dr. Elmer Copley. Hear the finality of death and the joy of resurrection. Know the fall of Adam and the risen Christ. Feel the finality of grave and the celebration of the empty tomb. And if you sing along, don’t forget the hard “D”s and sforzando volume! PRAYER Lord God, thank you for the promise that in Christ, all will be made alive. Help me to live my life in a way that honors you and reflects the resurrection of Christ to those around me. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR  Thomas Riggs

Friday - February 14, 2025

By Rev. Dr. Gary Kindly • February 14, 2025
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