Isaiah 43.1-7

Even though it happened twenty-five years ago, I can remember the conversation as if it happened just this past week. I was sitting at a table with a handful of people from the parish I served, listening to them discuss the things they feared. One was afraid of elevators, another feared driving on freeways, a third was afraid of praying out loud in front of people, and a fourth feared large dogs. As I listened I thought, “What is wrong with these people? Why are they so fearful? I’m not afraid of things like they are!”

Twenty-five years later, I have discovered lots of things that make me afraid: serious illness, certain kinds of people, worries about my children, and the future. Some of you today have similar fears, others of you have your own set of fears, rational or irrational, on the surface or deep within. Fear is a fact of human life, and has been since the first man said these words to the Lord God in Genesis 3.10: “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” Yes, we all fear something or someone, but the good news is that we do not have to let those fears control or paralyze us. In John 14.27, Jesus makes this promise to everyone who follows him: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

So how do we overcome fear in our lives? How do we experience the freedom from fear that Jesus promises his followers? Our first lesson today from Isaiah 43 gives us some important help in that area. Twice the Lord speaks through the prophet and says “Do not fear” to the people of Israel. But 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…(verses 1,2). And again, towards the end of the lesson, Do not fear, for I am with you…(verse 5). These words are addressed to a people who have been defeated, taken into exile, and left seemingly without hope for the future. God reminds them of two things which, if fully grasped and believed, will drive away their fears.

GOD’S POSSESSION OF THEM

The first thing is God’s possession of them: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine...(verse1). For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...(verse 3) Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life (verse 4). In these words the Lord reminds his people that they are his special, loved and cherished possession---he created them, he led them, and he saved them from all sorts of calamities. He is the one who controls the destinies of all the nations. How can they fear anyone or anything if they grasp and believe this?

Now what God said over 2500 years ago to his Old Covenant people, the Israelites, he also says today to us, his New Covenant people. He has redeemed us and called us by name in his Son, Jesus Christ. When we are baptized into his people, the Church, we become his, precious in his sight. Whenever we are afraid of someone or something, we need to remember the words in our baptism service, which the priest or bishop says as he marks our foreheads with the sign of the cross: “N., you are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ’s own for ever” (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 308). God’s possession of us through his Son Jesus Christ is the first help for us to overcome our fears. The second thing is God’s presence with us by the Holy Spirit.

GOD’S PRESENCE WITH THEM

In Isaiah 43, the Lord speaks through the prophet and reminds the Israelites that he is always with them, wherever they go, whatever dangers they face. 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…(verse 2). Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and form the west I will gather you…(verse 5). Whether they feels God’s presence with them or not, God is always there. He is in the deep waters with them, he is in the fire with them, he is in the distant lands with them, and he is even in exile with them.

Now what God said to his Old Covenant people through the prophet, he also says today to us, his New Covenant people. Because he has given us his Holy Spirit in baptism, he is always with us, wherever we go, whatever we face, whether we feel his presence or not. Whenever we are afraid of someone or something, we need to recall Jesus’ words in Matthew 28.20: “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” I had a vivid experience of this presence with me during my last trip to New York City in the summer of 2003. Fletcher and I were waiting to visit the Statue of Liberty when all the power went out in the city, and in lots of places throughout the northeastern USA. As we walked up Sixth Avenue, not knowing what was happening and fearing a terrorist attack, I sensed the presence of God clearly directing me in a way I never had before: walk this way, go to the ferry there, get in this line, talk to that person, go with her to spend the night, take the train here the next day, etc. I knew God was with us, and I was not afraid. Our host in New Jersey told me when I finally got back to his house the next day, “You did everything right!” It was God’s presence with us.

What is it that you fear the most today? Whatever or whomever you fear, listen again to the Lord’s words to you from Isaiah 43: 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...We can overcome our fears if we grasp and believe God’s possession of us and God’s presence with us.

The Rev. David Montzingo, Associate Rector
St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church
San Diego, California, USA
© 1/07/07, all rights reserved