“Words for a Frightened World”

Religion in Daily Life C By the Rev. Edward Chinn, D.Min. Rector, All Saints’ Church 9601 Frankford Ave. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19114 Written 24 April 2002

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Although it was more than a half a century later, Jesus’ friends remembered the sense of what he had said to those frightened men in the Upper Room. Those words are still appropriate for us who live in a frightened world. “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” said Jesus. “Trust in God; trust also in me . . . I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:1, 6, NIV).

First, “Trust in God.” The thought of God can be the most energizing, fortifying thought that can lay hold on the human mind. It is the God of Jesus of Nazareth in whom we can trust. This is the God who raises the dead. “The resurrection of Jesus,” says Canon Tom Wright of Westminster Abbey “is the revelation of perfect love, God’s perfect love for us, his human creatures.” With this God in mind, think about the most frequent command in the Bible. What do you think it is? “Be good”? “Be holy”? “Don’t sin”? “Don’t be immoral”? No, the most frequent command in the Bible is this: “Don’t be afraid.” “Fear not!” These are the first words spoken by the messenger to the shepherds at Christmas (Luke 2:10). Likewise, these are the words to the women who came to the tomb on the day of the Resurrection (Matthew 28:5). These are the words for a frightened world today: “Trust in God . . . Do not be afraid” (John 14:1, 27).

Second, Jesus says, “Trust also in me.” It is easy to dismiss Jesus as an idle dreamer. However, I think that Jesus of Nazareth is more realistic than we give him credit for. Writing in The Philadelphia Inquirer (April 21, 2002), Trudy Rubin discusses the terrible destruction at the town of Jenin on the West Bank. Two-story concrete apartment buildings were flattened by Israeli military bulldozers. “Sometimes,” wrote Rubin, “people were still in the buildings.” Just who are the realistic persons? Rubin wrote: “So it is tit for tat. Palestinians bomb Israel, and Israelis make them suffer so much that their kids are bound to take up resistance and become suicide bombers. Where does the circle end?” The Philosopher in the Bible said, “I have thought deeply about all that goes on here in the world, where people have the power to hurt each other” (Ecclesiastes 8:9). To our frightened and frightening world, Jesus says, “Trust also in me . . . I am the way.” Surely no one can come to know the Father, the God of love, unless they walk the way of love that Jesus embodied and taught.