Have no fear little flock. It is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
We in America tend to hear the scriptures as lessons for us as individuals. We find it difficult to assume a group perspective (it's a cultural thing, not a criticism). We have to work at considering what Jesus might be saying to us 'as a group' and in this case, as a faith community.
Jesus' message "Have no fear little flock" is a message which speaks to us as members of the body of Christ. It acknowledges that, even as we turn towards Jesus as individuals, we are also now members of Jesus' 'flock' joined together through the Holy Spirit around the presence of the risen Jesus.
As Jesus makes his way towards Jerusalem in the gospel of Luke, he gathers the crowds close for teaching, to prepare them for those days when they will be the carriers of his message of hope. These words are for the church that was yet to be formed. Have no fear. There is nothing easy about that commandment. First century believers were to face persecution and death with a courage we can only imagine.
Letting go of our fear. Trusting only in God. Allowing the power of God's love for us in Jesus to cast out our fear - this is hard work. It is no easier for our communities of faith in the 21st. century than it was for that faithful band of believers in the 1st century. They faced the power of Rome as an oppressed people. We face a shifting society where American culture has pronounced organized religion and whatever spiritual life it offers as 'irrelevant'. We watch our communities of faith shrink and find it hard to talk about our faith with new generations. We worry about the future of our congregations; we fear their death.
What did the earliest believers do when faced with not just the death of their communities, but their own death as well? They prayed. They shared a meal of thanksgiving. They told one another the stories of Jesus. All this so they might find the courage to trust when the future seemed impossible.
Let us pray for one another in our fear. Let us pray for insight and courage to step forward. Let us share the living bread at the communion table. Let us tell one another the stories of God's love for us in Jesus - so we might find the courage to be faithful and to trust, that the future of our congregation is in God's hands - the very one who in Jesus said,
As Jesus makes his way towards Jerusalem in the gospel of Luke, he gathers the crowds close for teaching, to prepare them for those days when they will be the carriers of his message of hope. These words are for the church that was yet to be formed. Have no fear. There is nothing easy about that commandment. First century believers were to face persecution and death with a courage we can only imagine.Letting go of our fear. Trusting only in God. Allowing the power of God's love for us in Jesus to cast out our fear - this is hard work. It is no easier for our communities of faith in the 21st. century than it was for that faithful band of believers in the 1st century. They faced the power of Rome as an oppressed people. We face a shifting society where American culture has pronounced organized religion and whatever spiritual life it offers as 'irrelevant'. We watch our communities of faith shrink and find it hard to talk about our faith with new generations. We worry about the future of our congregations; we fear their death.
What did the earliest believers do when faced with not just the death of their communities, but their own death as well? They prayed. They shared a meal of thanksgiving. They told one another the stories of Jesus. All this so they might find the courage to trust when the future seemed impossible.
Let us pray for one another in our fear. Let us pray for insight and courage to step forward. Let us share the living bread at the communion table. Let us tell one another the stories of God's love for us in Jesus - so we might find the courage to be faithful and to trust, that the future of our congregation is in God's hands - the very one who in Jesus said,
Have no fear little flock. It's the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
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