Happy New Year! We're now 83 hours into 2024, a year that kicked off with an angst-riddled bang and only portends to become scarier as the year unfolds. Its a presidential election year in our Republic, and a time where I've come to realize the number in the United States who are stricken with the obsessive fear of the Boogeyman. In fact, borrowing from David Bowie, there's an entire roll call of scary monsters and super creeps, real or imagined, out there in the shadows that will give most some degree of pause.
A child of the 60's and 70's, I was one who grew up under the shadow of a mushroom cloud. Our pop culture, music, and films fed off of this fear. More recently, the specter of COVID-19 stoked fear afresh in many and professional fearmongers capitalized on this. But since the Fall in the Garden, fear has been with us and will remain with us until our Redeemer makes all things new. Even so, our God calls us to rise above fear.
On Maundy Thursday, the eve of His passion, Christ gave us the command, and reason why we shouldn't live in fear. In hours, the Son of God would be given over into the hands of corrupt men and the might of Imperial Rome. In this moment Christ spoke to His Disciples:
"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." Jn 16:33 (NASB)We've read the book and know how the story ends, which is why we must never allow fear or worry to consume us.
No comments:
Post a Comment