Fear and Assurances A Different Response June 21, 2009

I Samuel 17
Mark 4:35-41
PEACE.
BE STILL
KNOW THERE IS A GOD WHO LOVES YOU.

On September 11th 2001, on a surreal bright blue day, terrorists struck fear into the world.
Had it been storms and fog, we might not have been in such shock as the Today Show and Good Morning America televised as Airline planes rammed into buildings, Skyscrapers designed to defy gravity crashed to the earth, Offices filled with people trading in economies were crushed.
On Father's Day 5 years ago, we awoke to news that there had been a Drunk Driving Death, and the parties we all had whispered about and knew not how to stop, suddenly were very present.
We had each been taught to invest in the stock market and the real estate market as a hedge against inflation. Suddenly everything of economic value dissolved, and fear created fear and CASH BECAME KING.

It is hard for us to remember the time before.
We have lived with one Gulf War after another.
Companies so afraid of their stockholders' dividends they raid their retirees' pensions and lay-off those who are the means of earning. The word BAILOUT has been added to our vernacular.
Like the family of one with a chronic illness, we long for them to become healthy and quit being ill so we can return to our routine.
Whether, terrorism, or war, stock market bubbles or housing assessments, cancer, responsibility for our children and for our parents, we know FEAR too well.

The question is how to win? How to stop being intimidated and overcome by our fears?
In order to do so, we must quit trying, quit trying to be like everyone else, and choose to act for a greater hope.

The story of David and Goliath is so much a part of our culture, we know it to be the story of an underdog, Rocky Balboa against Apollo Creed the Heavy Weight Champion of the World; a dozen years ago the American Women's Gymnastic Team against the Gymnasts of the USSR; anyone who challenged the Reagan, Clinton or Bush Families in the last several elections. But we need to take the Bible out of cultural adaptation. This is not simply, “The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth”, “Slow and Steady wins the race”, the “LITTLE GUY ALWAYS WINS”.

The context here, is that the People of Israel, the Holy Nation of God, desired to be like everybody else, they wanted a great army others would fear, they wanted strength and force and power, they wanted to wage wars and win, they wanted a king because other nations had kings. The people put their faith in Saul who was the biggest and most powerful among them, most like the bullies, kings and heroes of other nations. Then the Nation of Israel went into battle against the Cannaanite Nation of the Philistines, the weapons and army of Israel fighting against the weapons and armies of the world, Saul who was the biggest and most powerful in Israel, a man like the heroes of other nations, went into battle against the Giant Goliath of Gath.

The story of David and Goliath is told on four different levels,
David challenges Goliath; doing so,
David also challenges King Saul who is like Goliath in size, power, weapons and priorities;
David challenges his Family, his older brothers, his whole Nation, rebuking them for being afraid, for allowing this uncircumcised Philistine to insult the Living God;
and YHWH, the God of Israel, of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who SAVED the people from Egypt's Pharaoh to the Promised Land, went into battle against all the gods and idols of Goliath. Goliath's gods represented FEAR and INTIMIDATION, Gods of War, Gods of Power, Stability hiding Behind what everyone fears.

Painstakingly, the story illustrates that everyone wants David to put on the ARMOR of WAR, to be protected in DEFENSES of BRONZE, Helmet, Chain-male, Breastplate, Boots, Shield Sword. But the child David cannot even walk hidden under all these defenses.
SO instead he goes to the stream, the WADI, and takes 5 Smooth Stones and his Sling.
Attempting to use fear, Goliath intimidates and bullies, calling out insults, planting images of what will happen when David is helpless. But, without defenses, David charges Goliath and strikes first, killing him with one blow, without even having a sword in his hand.

I don't know, personally, I never identified with stories of Ancient Bronze Warriors, of shepherd boys with a slingshot, but the story from Mark of Jesus by the Sea of Galilee is much like Skaneateles Lake. Nearly all of us have known days of relaxing on a boat. Feeling the waves rock and comfort you to sleep. We also know too well, that the Water and Weather can change very quickly, becoming frightening, causing us to fear our death.

Demonstrating the POWER OF FEAR, Mark narrates that the Disciples were Fishermen, not Shepherds and Carpenters, but professionals acquainted with the sea.
They had their skills, which they tried, becoming more and more lost.
They had seen Jesus accomplish Miracles, they had each been called and heard him teach/preach.
They claimed him to be A Messiah, the Son of God. The problem with Messiahs is that rarely can they measure up to what we want of them. We have a way of killing our Messiahs and our Wounded. Faith in Messiahs cannot match our intimidation and fears.

They awaken Jesus, demanding to know “DO YOU NOT CARE?”
But rather than our having made him a Messiah, Jesus is God in our midst, God with us, who does care.
He commands the Wind, he calms the Sea.
Once there is PEACE, he does not go back to sleep, he does not ask where they are going and what's next, he challenges each disciple to question: THINGS WE TAKEN FOR GRANTED, OUR NORMAL.
DO YOU BELIEVE, WILL YOU TRUST ? or
Will we be buffeted by fears, ignoring what is going on all around us, until intimidated then seeking defenses?

We each of us have our patterns that are routine to us.
For some, we take for granted that there will be screaming, others would die a thousand deaths rather than let someone know what was really going on with them.
We cannot live in fear. We cannot live believing enemies are out to get us, that airplanes will fall and buildings collapse. But neither can we ignore circumstances, we cannot ignore our children. There are stories that Date-Rape Drugs have been used in our community.
The question is not whether such things could happen, or who is responsible, but what we will do in faith, how we react.