Looking Evil in the Eye Again!

Updated March 3, 2025 from an earlier post and column published on May 17, 2022

Don’t you wish sometimes that you could just gather up all the evil in the world and just dump it into a rocket-ship and fire it into the sun or something? I don’t know about you, but this has (again!) been one of those weeks for me.

In Luke 8:26-39, we see what Jesus did for a man who was possessed by demons and it sure seems like Jesus bundled up all that evil and sent it away… into a herd of swine that ran headlong into the water to drown! After yet another mass shooting, this time at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, where the gunman chose violence after reading fear-filled screeds on-line and elsewhere filled his writing and conversation with all kinds of hateful language and the bizarre idea that “white culture” is being “replaced” by immigrants and people of color.

I don’t know about you, but I sure would like to send all this evil far, far away!

We Episcopalian Christians take evil seriously! Every time we baptize someone, the candidates, or their parents and sponsors, have to answer two questions:

“Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God?” 

And:

“Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God?”

And to both questions we respond, both for ourselves and (often) for the person being baptized:

"I will with God's help."

Yes. We Episcopalians do really and truly believe that these evil powers, these demons, are real and that they wreak havoc in our world. Most people scoff at such an idea…or at least whistle as they pass the graveyard… which is fine until a guy who dresses up his anger in political non-sense takes a semi-automatic firearm into a nightclub and shoots over ahundred people, killing forty-nine. Or until a guy who decides to call himself“death to traitors” kills a member of parliament in the UK. Or until a guy stalks and murders a young singer before a concert. Or, as happened last week, an angry, fear-filled coward stakes out a supermarket in a mainly blackneighborhood, dresses himself up in body armor, and then systematically kills ten people. Or when our President and Vice-President decide to trap and humiliate another country's president, Volodymyr Zelenkey, who is seeking help from our nation to deal with the foreign army that invaded his country three years ago... and then laughs it off as "good television." 

When you see all that, then evil becomes very real, doesn’t it?

The spiritual powers that rebel against God and corrupt and destroy the creatures of God show themselves mainly through fear and hatred.  These are not only emotions, but they are a spiritual state. It is very easy to be tempted to confront evil with more evil…to pile on fear in response to fear, to prejudice in response to prejudice, to meet violence with violence.

But if you really want to fight evil and win, Jesus shows us how: we do the things that evil hates!

Jesus does that in Luke's Gospel. When confronted with a madman who screams at and threatens people, who throws himself to the ground and roams among the dead in a cemetery, as if he were a first century version of someone steeped in the dark web. 

But look at what Jesus does: Instead of doing some sort of violence against the man, Jesus confronts the evil… he meets evil, looks it in the eye, names it, and then casts it out!

Look again at Jesus’ dialogue with the man possessed:

Jesus says, “What is your name?” And the man can’t even answer. The demon within him responds, “Legion.” A legion was a Roman military unit, terrifying in its power and the number of heavily armed soldiers who could overrun another army or a country. What possessed this man was not a simple fear, or a hatred of a single thing—the demon that ripped this man’s life apart and separated him from all society was a whole constellation of fears, they manifested in hatred of life itself, and even when the Life of the World invited him to life, he cried out, “DO NOT TORMENT ME!”

People rightly responded in horror and pain to the awful events last week and people had many names for the evil that we witnessed: “terrorist,” “white supremacist,” “self-hater,” “deranged.” The names were Legion, just like the man who dwelt in the tombs in Gerasa way back two thousand years ago confronting Jesus, the incarnate love of God, who stood calmly before the face of evil, looking it in the eye.

Jesus was not distracted by the evil but sees it for what it is…He even dialogues with it. But he stays focused on healing the man possessed instead of playing evil’s deadly game. The demons can’t take it. They flee from the man and away from Jesus and jump into that herd of swine.

What drove these demons out of the man…what made life unbearable for the evil Jesus faced…was the power of Jesus’ love. It was Jesus’ unflinching, realistic, clear-eyed love that made these demons want to take up residence somewhere else. Jesus was doing the things that evil hates!

Which is what Jesus is teaching us during this terrible week: if you want to cast out demons, do the thing that evil hates.

Evil hates justice and thrives on division. Seek reconciliation. 

Evil loves it when we are silent about injustice and marginalize the poor. Speak up and work on behalf of the oppressed and outcast. 

Evil drives us to be selfish and care only for ourselves. Cast out evil with compassion.

Evil wants us to be alone and cut off. Drive evil crazy with your prayer, your trust in God, and your life in Christian community.

Evil flourishes when we hate in God’s name. If you really want to cast out demons, love.

Evil feeds on our resentment and our list of wrongs. Cast out evil. Forgive.

Evil wants us to focus on scarcity. Fight evil. Be generous.

Evil grows when we get caught up in anxiety. Cast out a demon. Let go of needing to control every outcome.

Evil needs violence—in every form, physical and emotional—so fight evil and live peaceably.

Jesus shows us, in his unflinching encounter with a legion of demons and on his journey to the cross, that he had God’s power and God’s authority which allowed him to confront evil on God’s terms. By simply living and doing what he was called to do; by teaching, healing, forgiving, listening, and by welcoming the stranger and being a companion to the outcast he was doing all the things that evil hates…and drove evil crazy in the process! They wanted to run away! When Jesus was crucified, it looked as if evil won. But, in fact, as we see in the resurrection, evil was defeated. Forever!

And we saw it, too.

We saw it in every candle lit, every prayer offered, every first responder who put themselves on the line to care for wounded, injured, and dead. We saw it in every act of love, every grieving person hugged and cared for, every frightened person embraced. Once again, one man chose to do unspeakable evil. And once again, when the chips were down, thousands upon thousands chose to do the good.

I wish we could sweep up all the evil in all the world and sent it off in a rocket-ship, far, far away. But you know what? God beat us to it! Jesus has already defeated evil and put death to flight on the cross and in his resurrection. And when we do as Jesus told the man he healed to return to where we live and “declare how much God is doing for us,” we are demonstrating that no matter how much hate, how much violence, how much cynicism and fear is out there, we have, through our baptisms, the Eucharist and the power of the Holy Spirit in this community, the power cast out evil in wonderful, surprisingly practical ways of compassion, holiness and calm.

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Check out the response by Bishop Sean Rowe, Bishop of Northwest Pennsylvania and Bishop Provisional of Western New York to the mass shooting on Saturday, May 12, 2022 in Buffalo, New York, which is within the Diocese of Western New York.  (The text may be found here.)

The Ongoing Work of Casting Out Evil

Don’t you wish sometimes that you could just gather up all the evil in the world and just dump it into a rocket-ship and fire it into the sun or something? A few weeks ago, I asked this very question in the e--newsletter column right after another public mass-shooting… the one at the Tops Supermarket in Buffalo in May. Today, we are still processing the shock of a public shooting Thursday evening at a pot-luck supper at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of having to speak to this violence over and over again.  I hate having to repeat myself. But the persistence of evil and the recurrence of gun violence seems to find its way into every corner of our society, even an Episcopal parish, not so different that our own, having a pot-luck supper.

Back in May, as it happens, I talked about how Jesus confronted evil in the Gospel appointed for today. Whether that is a “God-incidence” or not, I don’t know. But I am going with it.

The gospel today we just heard is all about what Jesus did for a man who was possessed by demons and it sure seems like Jesus bundled up all that evil and sent it away! Right into a herd of swine who then ran headlong into the water to drown. After yet another mass shootings, and news everyday of some kind of violence, hateful language and controversy, I sure would like to do as Jesus did and send all this evil far, far away!

We Episcopalian Christians take evil seriously. Every time we baptize someone, the candidates, or their parents and sponsors, have to answer two questions: “Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God?” And: “Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God?”

Yes. We Episcopalians really and truly believe that these evil powers, these demons, are real and wreak havoc in our world. Most people scoff at such an idea…or at least whistle as they pass the graveyard… which is fine until a guy who dresses up his anger in political non-sense takes a semi-automatic firearm into a nightclub and shoots over a hundred people, killing forty-nine. Or until a guy who decides to call himself “death to traitors” kills a member of parliament in the UK. Or until a guy stalks and murders a young singer before a concert. Then evil becomes very real, doesn’t it?

The spiritual powers that rebel against God and corrupt and destroy the creatures of God show themselves mainly through fear and hatred.  These are not just emotions, but a spiritual state.

And it is very easy to be tempted to confront evil with more evil…to pile on fear in response to fear, to dish out prejudice in response to prejudice, to meet violence with violence. But Jesus shows us time and again in the Gospels that if you want to fight evil and win, we must do the things that evil hates.

Jesus does that in today’s Gospel. When confronted with a madman who screams at and threatens people, who throws himself to the ground and roams among the dead in a cemetery. Instead of doing some sort of violence against the man, Jesus confronts the evil…through dialogue!

Jesus says, “What is your name?” And the man can’t even answer. The demon within him responds, “Legion.” A legion was a Roman military unit, terrifying in its power and the number of heavily armed soldiers who could overrun another army or a country. What possessed this man was not a simple fear, or a hatred of a single thing—the demon that ripped this man’s life apart and separated him from all society was a whole constellation of fears, they manifested in hatred of life itself, and even when the Life of the World invited him to life, he cried out, “DO NOT TORMENT ME!”

People rightly respond in horror and revulsion to the awful events like last week’s and people typically use many names for the evil that we witnessed: “terrorist,” “foreigner,” “self-hater.”

But this time, not so much. When a 70+ year old guy who comes to pot-luck suppers and the occasional church service shows up with violent intent, we are speechless. It defies the neat categories.

Jesus sees this in the man in today’s gospel. He says his name is Legion, because the things that drove him to tombs in Gerasa, two thousand years ago were beyond counting, let alone understanding. At least until he confronted Jesus, the incarnate love of God, who stood calmly before the face of evil.

Jesus was not distracted by the evil but sees it for what it is…He even dialogues with it. Notice how Jesus stays laser-focused on healing the man possessed instead of playing evil’s deadly game. The demons can’t take it. They flee from the man and away from Jesus into that herd of swine.

What drove these demons out of the man…what made life unbearable for the evil Jesus faced…was the power of Jesus’ love that made these demons want to take up residence somewhere else. Jesus was doing the things that evil hates!

So, what I said before in May I say again today. Jesus is teaching us that if you want to cast out demons, do the things that evil hates.

Evil hates justice and thrives on division. Seek reconciliation. 

Evil loves it when we are silent about injustice and marginalize the poor. Speak up and work on behalf of the oppressed and outcast. 

Evil drives us to be selfish and care only for ourselves. Cast out evil with compassion.

Evil wants us to be alone and cut off. Drive evil crazy with your prayer, your trust in God, and your life in Christian community.

Evil flourishes when we hate in God’s name. If you really want to cast out demons, love.

Evil feeds on our resentment and our list of wrongs. Cast out evil. Forgive.

Evil wants us to focus on scarcity. Fight evil. Be generous.

Evil grows when we get caught up in anxiety. Cast out a demon. Let go of needing to control every outcome.

Evil needs violence—in every form, physical and emotional—so fight evil and live peaceably.

Evil says we need to arm ourselves to the teeth in the face of fear— so let’s fight evil and look it in the eye.

More than one person has called me naïve and silly for saying this. But time and again, I have seen evil head for the hills every time we dare to do the things that evil hates, just as Jesus shows us, in his unflinching encounter with a legion of demons and on his journey to the cross. Jesus had God’s power and God’s authority which allowed him to confront evil on God’s terms. By simply living and doing what he was called to do; by teaching, healing, and being a companion to the outcast he did all the things that evil hates…he drove evil crazy! They wanted to run away! When Jesus was crucified, it looked as if evil won. But in fact evil was defeated. Forever.

We saw it in every candle lit, every rainbow flag flown, every act of love, every grieving person hugged and cared for, ever frightened person embraced. Once again, one man chose to do unspeakable evil. And once again, when the chips were down, thousands upon thousands chose to do the good.

I hate to keep repeating myself. But sin and evil has this way of replaying their greatest hits over and over again. I want to take the arm off the record, to hit the pause and reset buttons. To send all the evil in all the world off in a rocket-ship, far, far away.

The Good News is that God has already beaten us to it! Jesus has already defeated evil and put death to flight on the cross and in his resurrection. And when we do as Jesus told the man he healed to return to where we live and “declare how much God is doing for us,” we are demonstrating that no matter how much hate, how much violence, how much cynicism and fear is out there, we have, through our baptisms, the Eucharist. and the power of the Holy Spirit in this community, the power cast out evil in wonderful, surprisingly practical ways of compassion, holiness and calm.

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Here is a link to the bulletin for the Second Sunday after Pentecost  at St. John's Episcopal Church, Clearwater

Here is a link to the Scripture readings for Trinity Sunday

Here is a link to a video of the sermon.

Here is a link to a video of the liturgy.

 

On thoughts, prayers, and transformation

Updated. May 26, 2022

As a parish priest, I am in the business of “thoughts and prayers.” People will call on me to pray in public meetings, pulpits, or in gatherings large or small, and even occasionally offer some deep thoughts in one of those settings.

At times like this, we hear that phrase get tossed around a lot. Especially after a mass shooting, as at the grocery store in Buffalo or, as I write this, today at an elementary school in Texas. We hear that phrase tossed about after some disaster or mass casualty incident, whether caused by nature or a person dressed in body armor and carrying a gun.

And we’ve heard many people rage in frustration that all our leaders seem to be able to offer are “thoughts and prayers” but no real solutions. I have heard many people rightly dismiss that phrase as nothing more than an empty, distracting platitude. Once, after another mass shooting, a popular New York daily newspaper shouted in a three-inch front-page headline “Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Working!”

The popular mind has a point. It’s not just annoying. The misuse of “thoughts and prayers” does real harm to both thought and prayer... not to mention lots of ordinary people in times of real pain and real need.

For one thing, when confronted with traumatic news, especially when it is repeated over and over again, from every possible angle on the news, and when it intrudes on us from every which way, the last thing we want to do is think about it! Which is why, in moments like this, when we say “you are in my thoughts,” we are sometimes not telling the whole truth.

Because the truth is that we want to keep the trauma as far away from us as possible in any way we can. So, in order not to feel overwhelmed by all the news, we put the shooter, all his victims, and how they died or were injured in mental and emotional box, as far from our thoughts as possible. It’s easier when we are far away from the event, or when it has not touched us or someone we care about. On some level, we all know trauma when we see it; and so, if we can, we reach over and change the channel, if not the “off” switch.

Don’t feel guilty about that. From our safe distance, we can turn it off. The actual victims and their loved ones would dearly love to but cannot!

As for prayers, the truth is that most of us say it, but few of us do it. Which is not to say that we shouldn’t, it just that it does neither us, nor the victims, nor their loved ones, nor, for that matter, prayer, any earthly (or heavenly) good to reduce prayer to “good wishes” or the well-meaning platitude.

Certainly, we want to wish the victims and their loved ones well. Right now, my heart is breaking for the parents of the children murdered today! We certainly want God to embrace, comfort, and strengthen the injured and bereaved. We grieve the dead and want them to be cared for with dignity; and, as people of faith, we want them to be embraced by God.

H/T Bishop Doug Sparks, Northern Indiana

At the same time, if our “thoughts and prayers” do not inform what brings meaning, hope, and purpose to our living it is not doing us –or anyone—any spiritual good.

And if our “thoughts and prayers” are not urging us to act not only more mercifully, but more firmly towards the end of violence, the curtailment of easy public access to weapons of mass-murder, then our “thoughts and prayers” will do us no earthly good.

Our “thoughts and prayers” requires discipline and work if they are to do any earthly or spiritual good. They must be formed in the context of a community that takes faith seriously, and which—even on a secular level—takes seriously the hard work of ethics, accountability, and relationship.

Without that kind of community, then our “thoughts and prayers” can become the occasion for evil. Even the Buffalo and Texas gunmen had, as far as we can tell, their own thoughts and prayers… but they were apparently tuned for evil. Their thoughts and prayers turned on paranoid fantasies and were fed on angry diatribes.

A few years back, after the mass shooting by a self-styled sniper at a concert in Las Vegas, Nevada, an Anglican bishop, now retired and living in Wales, named Anthony Clavier, noted

“People are trying to diagnose what was wrong with the Las Vegas killer. His brother says he had no religious or political opinions. His life centered on beating the odds at the casino and amassing money, property and weapons. There seems to have been no altruistic impulse motivating his life. In Christian terms he was open to evil, and had no built-in responses to counter its malevolence.

“This horrific event should remind us all that the discipline of daily prayer for the world, the church, the poor, the suffering, our friends and families, and lastly ourselves, in that order, is vital if we are to be protected from evil in all its seductive and self-serving reality.”

If we do not want to feel helpless in the face of that kind of evil; if we do not want to return that kind of evil when it falls upon us; then we need to turn our thoughts and prayers into more than a distancing mechanism. Thoughts and prayers are more than a comfy cocoon. Our thoughts and our prayers must rise above kindly meant platitudes.

In undertaking the discipline of prayer, we will find ourselves motivated to action.

Our prayer must cause us to stand up to evil, to no longer accept platitudes, and confront our natural, human (and fallen) impulse to return evil for evil. We must name and confront those who would exploit our fears for profit and turn our hapless “thoughts and prayers” into a market for more and bigger firearms—the sales of which always spike after a mass shooting such as Buffalo or Uvalde, Texas.

We must resist the temptation to turn “thoughts and prayers” into an excuse to isolate ourselves from the world and from those who are different from us or who frighten us. Instead of giving in to our fears, our thoughts and prayers should open us to the power of God to confront and name evil, care for the victims of evil, and call upon our society to turn from platitudes to meaningful action.

Our thoughts and prayers must lead us to act for peace and justice.

Our thoughts and prayers must move us to demand an end to violence and an end to the propagation of the tools of popular violence for profit.

Our thoughts and prayers must end the hypocrisy of making firearms easy to buy and a prize worth keeping, while at the same time making quality community mental health care hard to obtain and shameful to use.

The critics are right about one thing: If our “thoughts and prayers” do not lead us out of fear and into action, compassion, and community, then they are nothing more than empty words. 

We do not follow a God of empty words. Jesus is not a savior of platitudes. The Holy Spirit comforts us, yes, and also empowers and directs us. It is once again time for Christians to join with people of good faith everywhere and instead of hiding behind our faith, to allow our faith to empower, strengthen and guide us. If the power of God really overcomes the power of evil, then we must not let our fears… of the ‘other,’ of what people might ‘think,’ or the other practical ways our fear makes us helpless…overpower us.

Instead, we affirm that as baptized people, we follow a God of power, and walk in the way of Jesus in the Spirit’s power, driven by our Creator to the power of love. It is once again time for thoughts and prayers to become the basis for practical care, meaningful action, and demonstrated hope for a world that is broken, hurting, and desperate.

Faith overcomes fear

A Sermon for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper  14-C

It’s strange, I know, but I collect fortunes. You know, the little paper sayings that come inside of cookies at Chinese restaurants. Every now and then one will come along and I will stick it in my wallet or pin it to my bulletin board.

Sometimes I will come across one that I've kept and wonder what possessed me to keep it in the first place. Surely it was not how to learn how to say “cat” in Chinese, or whatever. No, the little morel of wisdom must have spoken to me somehow.

One I found didn’t sound very Chinese, but it did sound a lot like Jesus. It says: "Your faith will overcome your fear." 

Today's Gospel lesson is also a collection. Not of fortunes, but of sayings of Jesus.

First, Jesus reminds us not to be afraid. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (12:32).  

Next, we he tells us to make treasure for ourselves in heaven where no thief can steal or moth destroy.

Then Jesus spins a scenario about the blessedness of servants who are dressed and whose lamps are lit so they can jump up the moment their master returns. How pleased is the master for their readiness? He is so pleased that he serves the servants dinner instead of the other way round!

Finally, Jesus tells us to be as watchful and as ready as a homeowner keeping an eye out for burglars.

So… add all these saying up and what do you get? Assurance of God’s blessings, encouragement to trust in God’s faithfulness, and the command to be alert for God.

This is most helpful, not to mention good news, for us distractible, afraid, and anxious people!

But you know how it goes. The more we are told to be patient, the more we fidget. The more we are told to relax, the more we pace. And whenever the sign on the wall says “wet paint”, the more we want to touch it.

And, I don’t know about you, but my readiness always backfires. Like when I carry an umbrella in my car, just in case it rains. So that when I am in the office and it starts to rain, I will get wet running to my car to get the umbrella!

I know I’m not alone when my faith works backwards. My fears often come first. And I don’t mean the fear of the Lord (the deep awe and reverence for God) that the Bible tells us repeatedly is the beginning of wisdom. I mean the anxiety that tries to keep at bay the chaos in our personal little cosmos. I mean the distorted faith forms a protective shield around our lives. I mean the sneaking feeling that takes that fleeting moment of peace and makes me worried that I’ve overlooked something.

Today’s passage from Luke reminds that Jesus tells us not to be afraid... but that doesn’t mean that we are to be inactive.

Don’t be afraid, and also be dressed for action! Don’t be anxious but keep your lamps lit. Trust in God and be prepared for the return of the master. Keep our valuables in a space that won’t wear out. Faith and grace, Jesus says, is an unfailing treasure that no thief can steal, and no moth can consume (12:33).

We are all wrong about fear. We think it is our protective shield. We might think it keeps us on our toes. But fear is, in fact, the thief. When we dwell on our fears, they become our treasures-- but it is counterfeit currency! Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (12:35). Faith is the genuine treasure we are to be accumulating, but we get it backwards when our fears fill our hearts and faith can’t get in.

This past week, we have witnessed and endured another spate of random violence. Thirty people were killed in just a few days in Mississippi,Texas, and Ohio. The violence this time was directed mainly at people of color by angry, and very fear-filled, white men with guns. In all the arguments about the second amendment this, and rights that, and amidst all the pontificating by politicians and pundits this past week, I have never once heard this question asked: “what the heck are we so afraid of?" 
What is so scary that we feel the need to arm ourselves to the teeth? Why are we so afraid? These (white) guys dressed in camos, body armor, and carrying weapons (even though they serve in no police or military force) think they look tough, but in fact they scared out of their wits. What is frightening them so much?

Well, there is the usual litany… immigrants, crime, strangers, economic uncertainty and race. And there is the added level that “they” (whoever “they” are) are coming to take our jobs, our homes, our security, our privilege and place in society. The truth is that when we dwell on our fears, when we focus what we think we are losing, it causes us to lead with our rage and that brings out the worst in us.

Today's Psalm talks about the scariest, most advanced technology of war yet known in that day: the horse-drawn chariot. I am sure that the Kings of the day longed for the mobility and seemingly unstoppable power that these offered. Yet, even the Psalmist knew, that the power they promised was a response to fear. Psalm 33: 16-18 says:

There is no king that can be saved by a mighty army; *
a strong man is not delivered by his great strength.

The horse is a vain hope for deliverance; *
for all its strength it cannot save.

Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear him, *
on those who wait upon his love,

Verse 18 reminds us that the antidote to the fearful accumulation of combat technology is to true\st in the Lord, who watches over those who only fear God and wait upon God's love.

Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel that if we put our value in the wrong places, then we will know nothing but fear. So our fear is telling us something. Our need to carry around big guns and talk tough is telling us something. Our need to lock doors and distrust our neighbors who look or speak or dress differently that us is telling us something. It is telling us that our fear is running us and is out of control.

We are like Jesus’ householders whose homes are threatened. The thief is fear that has come to steal our faith. And we do know when the thief is coming. The thief is at the door right now. The thief is fear and anxiety. Leaders and celebrities who build themselves up by stirring up fear aid and abet those thieves. How can we keep our house of faith from being broken into by fear?

Jesus promises to turn the tables on fear and to empower our faith.

I heard of a Hindu physician who would talk about how to cope with the stress of modern life, “Live in the past and you will be depressed. Live in the future and you will be anxious. Live in the present with gratitude and you will be at peace.”

As we learn to pray and to turn even the most mundane, everyday chore into a prayer—not only a gift from God but a gift to God—then we find our orientation changing from fear and towards faith. From scarcity into abundance. From worry about the future to resting in a blessed present.

The rhythm of sacramental living—of Eucharistic community, daily prayer, and studying and meditating on God’s word together and alone—immerses us in God’s time, in God’s always unfolding present. Doing God’s work with God’s people, at home, at work, in worship, and among the poor, sick, and lonely, immerses in the community of God’s faithful and reminds us what’s important.

I'm not the only one who collects fortunes. The Rev. Dr. Alyce McKenzie, a United Methodist pastor and seminary professor does too. She talks about two fortunes and decided to keep. They said, “An unexpected event will bring you wealth;” and the other read, “If you put up with small annoyances you will gain great results.”

She wrote, "move over fear and anxiety, because here are some promises of Jesus that are more reliable than fortune cookie fortunes. These are promises that leave no room for fear: Strive for God’s kingdom and these things (food, drink, clothing) will be given to you as well.” (Luke 12:31) and “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)"

This is not the first time that we've lived in a time of fear and anxiety. And it won't be the last. Some people try to meet their fear with fear. They think that if they get bigger guns, wear armor, talk tough that they will somehow intimidate fear and it will stay away. Jesus knew that meeting fear with fear only creates more fear... this is, in fact, how terror works. Meeting fear with fear creates even more evil. 

Jesus invites us--calls us-- to meet fear with clarity, patience, love, steadiness, and, above all, faith!

Genesis 15:1-6, Psalm 33:12-22 , Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16, Luke 12:32-40

See also:

February 1, 2015: Do the Thing That Evil Hates.

June 20, 2016: Looking Evil in the Eye.