First Lutheran Church

January 9, 2022 – The Baptism of Christ

Isaiah 43:1-3aBut now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. ”Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Sermon “Fear and Faith”

Rev. Greg Ronning

“Be not afraid, I go before you always.” “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” -  “Be not afraid.”

One of the most frequent commands found in the bible, one of the most basic of encouragements from God found in the bible, is, “Do not be afraid.”  You’ve heard me say that before from this pulpit and you will hear me say it again!  In my New Revised Standard Version of the Bible the phrase, “Do not be afraid,” appears 149 times; the phrase, “Have no fear,” appears 225 times; and the words, “fear not,” appear 424 times.  God does not want us to live out of fear, God does not want us to be motivated by fear, God does not want us to make choices based on fear; God does not want us to be afraid.  “Be not afraid.”

Instead, we are called to choose life, to embrace the possibilities of the kingdom; to live according to the dreams, passions, and vocation God has placed in our hearts; to allow ourselves to be graced; to step away from the tyranny of the law and into the freedom of the gospel;- we are called not to fear but to love! 

Yet, we are afraid. We live in fear. Despite the gift of faith that is undeniably ours, despite the wonderful promises of scripture that we claim, despite the ongoing witness of our baptism, despite God’s loving presence in bread and wine, despite the fact that we hang out with faithful people who do faithful things, despite the fact that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses; - we are still afraid!

And why not?  Of course we are!  There are so many things “out there” of which to be afraid! So many things we “should,” without question, fear.  In fact, the experience of fear is actually very critical to our survival as individuals and as a species. Fear is not always a bad thing.  Clinical Psychologist Zachary Sikora reminds us, “Fear is a natural and biological condition that we all experience.” … “It’s important that we experience fear because it keeps us safe.”

Fear is experienced in your mind, producing a strong physical reaction in your body. As soon as you recognize fear, the middle part of your brain, the so-called reptilian part of your brain, goes right to work. It alerts your nervous system, which sets your body’s fear response into motion. Stress hormones are released. Your blood pressure and heart rate increase. You start breathing faster. Even your blood flow changes — blood actually flows away from your heart and into your limbs, making it easier for you to start throwing punches, or run for your life. Your body is preparing for that “fight-or-flight” response.

So it is that all “fear” is not bad, and that some fear is absolutely necessary! For example, fear of wild animals like bears and mountain lions, is not a bad thing!  It turns out that fear is a very complex human emotion that can be positive and healthy, as well as negative and unhealthy.  There are some things we should fear, and some things we should not fear.  But how do we know the difference?

Max Lucado, the popular author, and pastor from at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio Texas, writes regarding the difference between “healthy fear” and “unhealthy phobias, ”or in his words the difference between, “prudence” and “paranoia.”

“The step between prudence and paranoia is short and steep. Prudence wears a seat belt. Paranoia avoids cars. Prudence washes with soap. Paranoia avoids human contact. Prudence saves for old age. Paranoia hoards even trash. Prudence prepares and plans. Paranoia panics. Prudence calculates the risk and takes the plunge. Paranoia never enters the water.”

When it comes to “fear,” Lucado believes it’s a matter of “Prudence vs. Paranoia,” “healthy fear vs. unhealthy phobias.”

To be paranoid, is to feel threatened with little to no evidence that you are in danger.  To be paranoid is to exaggerate circumstances, to be delusional. To be paranoid is to be distrustful, unreasonable, self-centered, and obsessed. "In paranoia, your fears become amplified and everyone you meet becomes drawn into that web. You become the center of a threatening universe. "Paranoia leads to a downward spiral.

Lucado chooses “prudence” to describe the opposite of paranoia, and to be honest I am not a fan of that particular word.  It seems a little “too safe” to me!  Too safe for the radical disposition of the gospel.  However, prudence can also mean, to be wise, to be shrewd, to discern, and to be canny. (Astute, clever, sly, wily, crafty).I like those words better, they’re more adventurous, more like how I imagine Jesus, they describe a “faithful fear response,” the opposite of paranoia.

My favorite line in Lucado’s contrast of “paranoia” and “prudence,” “unhealthy fear” and “healthy” fear, is the last couplet, “Prudence calculates the risk and takes the plunge. Paranoia never enters the water.”

I like that phrase because that is the invitation that is before us this morning, an invitation to “take the plunge!”  Today we celebrate the baptism of Christ, Jesus’ submission to the waters of baptism, the waters of death and life.  Today we are invited to remember our baptism, to continue our baptismal journey, to lean into the consequences of our baptism, to let go and to trust in the goodness of God, to let go of our worldly conflicted understanding of self, to claim that bold heavenly declaration, “You are my [child,] the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

You see, phobia, unhealthy fear, is not able to enter these waters; phobic fear cannot let go of the world, phobic fear cannot trust in the goodness of God, phobic fear cannot envision a kingdom without privilege, phobic fear cannot love neighbor let alone the stranger, phobic fear cannot give up control even when things are out of control, phobic fear cannot surrender its selfish nature, phobic fear cannot give up its desire to “save” myself. Phobic fear, unhealthy fear, cannot begin to enter the waters of baptism.  It’s just too risky!

So it is that the scriptures remind us, and encourage us, time and time again, “Be not afraid.” So it is that the Spirit exhorts us, “Calculate the risk and take the plunge,” “Be wise, be shrewd, discern, and be canny.” “Be faithful in your fear.”

Today, on The Baptism of Christ Sunday, we are invited to “confirm” our baptism; to confirm that we are nothing less and nothing more than the beloved of God, to confirm that we have been redeemed and set free from this world’s paranoia to live abundantly in the Kingdom of God, to confirm our calling to love and to serve our neighbors with our time, talents, and treasures.  To confirm that we have walked away from this world and its fears and stepped deeply into the waters of baptism, into the realm of the kingdom.  To confirm that we are alive in Christ.

In the sixth chapter of Romans, St. Paul’s reminds us of the radical nature of baptism, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.  … But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

“Be not afraid, I go before you always.”  The final word does not belong to fear or paranoia, the final word belongs to Christ.  The final word belongs to the waters of baptism.  And in Christ you have taken “the plunge,” in Christ you have been made alive, in Christ you are beloved.

May this truth set you free from unhealthy fear and make you ever bold in your faith. Amen.