I am writing a reflection ( a short sermon I guess) for Sunday's harvest service using the BMS sermon outline as a guide, and getting cross with it! Focussing on the land of Indonesia, still recovering from the tsunami three years ago - and now recent earthquakes - it talks about the beginning of psalm 46, God as our refuge and strength and then says this "the great mystery of God's power and protection is that it often remains hidden and unseen until a moment of crisis when it is powerfully there to protect us" and talks about some recent animated adventure in which a female superhero rescuses a family at the last minute from certain death.
This makes me cross because it isn't how I understand either God or faith. God is not a superhero who swoops in to rescue me from trouble just as it is about to overwhelm me, rather, God is there in the midst of the trouble, strengthening me to face it - an ever present help in trouble, not out of it.
God is an ever present help... therefore we will not fear...
To me this means, because we believe that God is strong and ever present in our struggles to help us, we doggedly choose not to be overwhelmed by fear. This is not the same as 'whoopee do, God's here, I'm not scared.' No? I am readily terrified by people and situations! Even when I believe God is with me. But because I believe God is there, I can face them, that's the difference faith makes.
A couple of years ago when reading part of Isaiah and the bit that says the Lord's servant will not be discouraged (sorry, I cannot recall chapter and verse and I'm not about to look it up to try to look clever) I recall realising that, for me, this didn't mean 'the LORD's servant won't feel discouraged' but rather 'the LORD's servant doggedly determines not to let things get on top of him/her to the extent that she/he is too discouraged to go on.'
Do I believe in miracles? Yes, I do. Do I believe in a superhero genie-in-a-bottle/lamp God? No, I don't.
Because we believe God is strong and safe, always with us in the struggles of life, we choose not to be afraid, no matter if we lose everything in which we find security... "Desist!" shouts God, "I'm in charge" - this is the God who is with us.
There now, rant over, back to Sunday's reflection....
Comments
I agree with you! I used much of the BMS stuff except the sermon as it was an all age service. I began with traditional harvest stuff under title of the Fruitful world and then changed to the Fragile earth with the video - I used the box idea with kids and had one of my deacons in one box. I emphasised that God is our inner strength when the world crashes and breaks around us. God helps us stand when all we want to do is give up because its too painful and crushing and overwhelming.
In the words of the Blessed Homer (of Springfield): "I'm not usually a religious man, but if you're there... save me, Superman!"
The bit in the box did work pretty well here too, but I share your feelings about deus ex machina.
A place of refuge in the storm... though on occasion the words "Peace, be still!" can transform the outer turmoil and the storm within. And, as you say, courage is not the absence of fear.
Of course if we lived in the middle of a ring of fire and lost homes and relatives in earthquakes, all this would have heightened significance and may look different again. Context? The BMS theological reflection on the different perspective of the Indonesian church leader struggled quite rightly with our different sensibilities and experience.
Not really the same point, but I once asked for a Dibley+1 reaction to an OT passage about God's vengeance and wrath on his enemies. One person shared my view that this wasn't the image of God they had generally encountered in the NT and it really shocked them. Another said "I think you'd be glad to have this God on your side in a tight spot". From my 21st century pacifist armchair the wars I cosily oppose are on the other side of the globe, so I don't get all this bronze age wrath and violence. But I haven't lived through a world war. Even my CO in-laws see this stuff differently from me.
Woffle over. Thanks for getting my brain working again.