Dear St. Paul’s Family,
Evangelist Dwight L. Moody once stood before a class full of students, holding up an empty glass jar. "How can I get the air out of this glass?" he asked them.
One man shouted, "Attach a vacuum to it, and suck the air out!" To which Moody replied, "That would not remove all the air, and would potentially shatter the glass.” After a number of other suggestions, Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the jar.
"There," he said, "all the air is now removed."
The epistle of 1 John would envision our lives like that jar, and would name fear as that invisible yet formidable presence that fills us like captured air in a fragile glass. These fears would not just include mere phobic reactions to things like snakes and heights, but fears of the deepest, darkest, most existential kind. These are the kind of fears that Sigmund Freud said are shared among all humanity: a fear of death and our own mortality; a fear of being overwhelmed by forces beyond our control, and a fear of being hurt in our relationships. The jar analogy is apt: try removing these fears on your own, and you have equal chance of destroying yourself as you do of conquering your fears. No wonder the Bible contains 365 instances in which someone is told, “Fear Not!”
Against this, 1 John 4:18 offers this as the only solution:
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.
The word for love in this instance is the Greek word agape, commonly understood to be the highest, most divine kind of unconditional love. Only when we are filled with that kind of love, the perfect love of God, can our deepest fears be displaced and our spirits renewed.
This may sound cliché, but regardless of what your deepest fears might be, remember that God loves you. And furthermore, there are those in your life who love you unconditionally, regardless of your weaknesses and shortcomings. Their support and care can sustain you, even in the toughest fear-filled times. And most importantly, you have the capacity to share that same agape love with others, thereby giving you new passion, new meaning, and a new way to displace your fears with service and purpose.
Charles Wesley captured this beautifully in one of our most cherished hymns:
Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven to earth come down;
Fix in us thy humble dwelling;
All thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
Pure unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation;
Enter every trembling heart.
Join us this Sunday as we continue our series on 1 John with a focus on 1 John 4:16-19. The sermon is titled, “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” and will give us a chance to claim the light and hope of Christ to vanquish our deepest fears. Join us for the journey, and let’s live in the light of the resurrection.
Love, indeed,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org
1 John 4:16-19
16 God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.
19 We love because he first loved us.
20 Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.
21 The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.
GRADUATION SUNDAY
Join us as we celebrate this milestone in the lives of our graduating seniors. If you are aware of church members who are graduating from college, graduate school, or any institution of higher learning, please let the church office know so we can acknowledge them Sunday.
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