Fight, Flight, or Faith? Philippians 4:4-7 - Day of Pentecost

Of all God’s commandments, the one I find most difficult to obey is this: do not fear. 

But wait—that’s not one of the Ten Commandments, and that’s technically true.

However, others in the Old Testament, God speaks these two statements more than any others: “I am the Lord” and “Do not be afraid.”

Think about how many commandments are broken due to fear: fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of missing out, fear of suffering and death… 

Telling someone not to be afraid is like telling someone you can avoid getting Covid by not breathing. Fear is an inevitable part of human experience. Jesus was afraid of his crucifixion. I’m sure he was afraid during his forty days in the dessert. Fear was always present, just as it is with you and me. 

What counts is what you do with that fear…

The words of Paul in today’s second reading from Philippians are among the most beautiful in all of Scripture, describe the faith response to fear:

Rejoice, for the Lord is near! Be kind and gentle to each other. Stop letting fear run your life, and instead commit yourselves to prayer and thanksgiving.

Normally, you respond to fear in one of three ways: fight, flight, or freeze. What makes anxiety so dangerous is in how much it influences your habits, thought-processes, reactions, and desires—without you ever realizing it. It makes you self-centered. It clouds your judgment and distorts your perception. You fear things that pose no threat. Neighbors become rivals and strangers become enemies. Change becomes a harbinger of destruction rather than an opportunity for growth. You flee for refuge beneath the altars of security, power and control. There, you sacrifice yourself and your neighbor.

How devastating it would be to learn how many of our habits, decisions, attitudes were rooted in fear.

If there’s anything in life to fight, it’s fear. That’s not to say that the world isn’t a scary place, and that you will not encounter dangers, toils, and snares. But there is a power that came upon you at the day of your baptism: the power by which God created all things; the power that raised Jesus from the dead; the power which has put death and Satan on notice. That power is the Holy Spirit. And yes, the Holy Spirit is more powerful anything or anyone that would cause you to fear.

It's time that we, as the Body of Christ, stop living under the dictatorship of fear and the tyranny of anxiety. Pentecost is what happens when fear’s power is broken. We are drawn together in prayer; in hope and celebration. 

We extend a hand of friendship instead of a finger of accusation. We reach for our bibles instead of our phones. Instead of hiding out behind locked doors, we go into the world with boldness to love God’s people, particularly those whom the world doesn’t love. We don’t give up the mission when it gets hard, and when our best efforts end in defeat. We learn from our mistakes and grow from our failures. When conflict inevitably comes, we pray and listen to each other and to the Lord. 

Pentecost happened during the most anxious time for the Body of Christ. The Church grew and thrived even with the might of Rome against it, because the Holy Spirit gave them a faith that was stronger than fear.

I want to challenge you this week to think about all the ways you live under the dictatorship of fear, and how it influences what you give your attention to, how you steward your gifts of time and treasure, and how you relate to the kinds of people you’d prefer to avoid. Faith believes that where there is fear, there is God; where there is danger, there is deliverance; where there is death there is resurrection. 

What do you have to fear when the Lord is near? Rejoice in the Lord always. Let your gentleness be known to all. Stop being anxious and never stop praying. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.