SUNDAY, JUNE 8, 2008

THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

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Dear Friends in Our Lord Jesus:

A famous radio play entitled "The Fall of the City," by Archibald MacLeish, tells the story of a city besieged by an approaching conqueror.

As the story is told, a mighty destroyer draws closer and closer to the city, and the people are thrown into an unbridled panic. They move about hysterically, but they seem to be paralyzed. In desperation, they turn chaotically from one means to another for protection. And, yet, all of their sources of "help" -- the power of words, the sophistication of weapons, the incantations of pagan priests -- fail to give the city the motivation it needs to resist.

No one is motivated to resist.

No one can decide what to do.

No one is spurred into action.

Finally, when the conqueror makes his entrance into the city, the people -- stripped of all hope -- fall down on their faces and surrender. Their resistance is gone. Their hope is gone. Their future is gone. Suddenly the destroyer reaches toward his helmet and pushes back his face visor. He lifts the mask and reveals that nothing is inside. Nothing. The conqueror was merely the people's own fear.

Is that surprising? It shouldn't be. You see, fear kept a whole generation of Hebrew people from entering into the Promised Land. Fear sent the apostles of the Lord into hiding after Jesus' arrest. And throughout history fear has trapped far too many people in paralyzed states of living.

The Lord Jesus came to give us LIFE -- abundant life -- and His words to all of us are very clear: “FEAR NOT! Let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1).

-- The Very Rev. Dr. Steve Sellers +