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Today’s scriptures have a lot to chew on, ponder and perhaps most importantly, say to the spirit of our own lives and world. The psalmist sings a vivid song of faith and John writes an account of witnessed faith.

There’s a part of me, that when I step back from the texts, says ho hum ho hum. Of course the Bible is going to speak about faith, faith in God, and faith that triumphs over every imaginable fear, physical and spiritual. The Bible is about people’s faith yesterday, long long ago yesterday. What about those of us living in 2006?

Our sacred texts contained in the Bible have survived and prospered throughout the centuries because texts like todays defy time. The human predicament seems to be unchanging. There are things in life that make us afraid.

Listen again to Psalm 46, a few more verses, with a tsunami, a major hurricane, a near miss adventure or bombs going off in subways and overhead in mind.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns. … God makes wars cease to the end of the earth; God breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; Yahweh burns the shields with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God!”

If ever I was caught in the terror of destruction’s calamity, I would pray someone had faith enough to wail, sing or preach this psalm. My imagination hears Dr. Martin Luther King’s passionate voice. “God is our refuge and strength!” Let these words of hope and trust roll down my head like sweet sweat. When the morning dawns, God will be with us, still. Perhaps God, you would help me utter such a prayer.

The Feeding of Five Thousand is a familiar story. All four gospels include it. Why do we remember this tale of a crowd, a long day, a young boy, a few fish and food left over? Because of its delightful abracadabra nature? Because we can identify with unexpected company stressing out the host? Because we are intrigued by the idea of letting go and getting more in return? Because feeding the hungry of our neighborhoods and world is a daunting maybe impossible faith mandate and Jesus doesn’t let us off the hook?

There is a thread running throughout this story that touches almost everyone – the fear of inadequacy.

What if there is not enough? Enough for me? Enough for them? What if there is not enough of me? What if I don’t meet expectations? What if I come asking and I am denied? What if I want to give and have nothing to give? What if my faith isn’t the kind that can relinquish my one small loaf, trusting that I will still be fed?

Does having faith mean not being afraid? I suppose it depends on how one interprets fear. Whitecaps cover the entire lake. It’s dark. We are straining into each pull on the oars to get to shore, in battle with a wind we know is stronger. We notice a figure, a ghost-like shape walking toward us. Cripes! It gets closer and we recognize Jesus. He says, “It’s just me. Don’t be afraid.” Ever get the feeling that this is Jesus’ favorite line?
Uncertain futures are front and center and he says, fear not. The government authorities are growing angry and he says, be not afraid. Death has come and he asks, Why are you crying?

Being afraid does not mean one has little or no faith. When we recognize danger, we are usually wise to also recognize fear. Consider freezing, blowing snow white-out travel conditions. I am more afraid, as a passenger, when the driver says they are not afraid! Fear can inspire caution. Fear, however, can also cause paralysis. Fear, real and imagined, stops us from trying. Perhaps even living.

I am afraid for our world. It seems as if we are brutally killing one another at an ever increasing pace. Has part of humankind gone mad? Are we engaged in a terrible custody battle over land, power and philosophy? Locally and globally, I am shocked by our lack of compassion and tolerance, especially when it is veiled by religious conviction.
Oh, it’s not new, people doing horrible things to one another. My lament is not new. I’m sure there are manuscripts Before the Common Era that record despairing commentary on the state of the world. But, this is our time. It is 2006 and I am afraid for our world.

What does faith have to do with fear? Faith is closely linked to trust. Sometimes in scripture’s translations the words are interchangeable. When first walking out on a frozen pond, fear is what you feel in your gut. Trust is what you know in your head because the ice is solid, you checked it. Faith is what allows you to keep walking.

Kurt Hahn was a middleclass German Jew who became an educator. His philosophies and learning models have helped shape hundreds of schools and community programs. Outward Bound is one such school. (Recognizing that there are several stereotypes and myths out there, let me say Outward Bound is NOT a survival school. Its focus is on relationships, inner and communal, challenging ourselves to be all that we dare dream.) While I never think of Hahn when I consider theologians who have impacted my thinking, I have been significantly influenced by his life and work. Perhaps it’s time to acknowledge this man as a mentor, both in my educational and theological outlook.

Kurt Hahn was dismayed by what he was seeing in society. He set out to create a curriculum that experientially linked action with thought. Hahn founded a school in post war Germany that emphasized training young men in greater moral independence, that is an ability to choose between right and wrong, and a continuing desire to improve their health through rigorous activity. Walking the talk of moral independence, Hahn was arrested and imprisoned for denouncing Hitler. He was released thanks to influential friends and he was exiled to England.

Prior to leaving Germany, Hahn witnessed the cruelty of soldiers in their treatment of others and one another. His experiences as a Jew and educator are obvious in his educational principles. Listen to what later became Outward Bound practice:

Action and thought would not be divided into two hostile camps [doing & thinking are inter-related. Isn’t that part of the attraction of the UCC?]; steps would be taken to build the imagination of the student of decision [decision makers with imagination!] and the willpower of the dreamer [dreamers that made dreams come true!] so that wise men [and women] of action would have the vision to see the consequences of their decisions; and that no boy should be compelled to opinions, but it was criminal negligence not to impel him into experience [life is not a spectator activity. We learn by doing!]
This is terrific Christian education.

I am running the risk of getting all excited about something that needs much more explanation or shared experience for you all to understand. My point is to share an example of a positive response rising out of a world seemingly gone mad. My association with Outward Bound helps me connect the dots between fear, faith and trust.

The expression, “outward bound” was originally used by seamen to describe the moment a ship left its moorings, committing itself and its crew to the unknown hazards and adventure of the open sea. Jesus was an Outward Bound recruiter and instructor. Follow me. Let go. Let God.

Bear with me one more time as I quote Hahn. “The aim of education is to impel people into value forming experiences …and to ensure the survival of these qualities:
An enterprising curiosity.  An undefeatable spirit. Tenacity in pursuit. Readiness for sensible self-denial. And above all, compassion.”

At Outward Bound we had many sayings, quotes that set the stage or captured a dimension of something that just happened. We teach and learn through coming to understand sayings, insights from many sources. As I read today’s scripture, this came to mind – “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” The author, William Shedd, was a 17th century Presbyterian theologian.

God has created us good to do good. When we stray from this call, we are mandated to find ways to return. In Jesus the Christ we are invited to be God’s hands, heart and feet in the world. Churches, their ceilings so often designed to resemble the hull of a ship, are for sailing.

The world is a mess. Prayer alone will not fix it. Let us together acknowledge our fears and move forward, trusting in God to be our strength and refuge.
Amen.

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