Sermon: "Faith or Fear"
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

[This sermon by Bishop vonRosenberg was delivered using the following notes.]

You know, it has not been too long ago that we celebrated Halloween. And the scripture readings during this part of the church year remind me a bit of that holiday. The fact is that the images in these readings are frightening; they are scary. Their intention, in fact, is to make use of a very basic human motivation … and that motivation is fear.

Now, I must admit that biblical authors and preachers do not hold themselves above the use of fear as a motivational tool. They join the long line of parents, teachers, politicians and most authority figures through the ages who have identified fear as quite an effective inducement to cause others to act - or not to act. Therefore, I do not deny that biblical examples of the use of fear are quite numerous. In particular, the subject of eschatology - the study of the end of time - calls up fearful images within us. We are afraid of that which we do not understand. And the end of time certainly falls into that category!

The book of Daniel presents us with many images involving eschatology. The reading today considers that subject - the end of time. We read these directions to the author: "You, Daniel, keep the words secret and the book sealed, until the time of the end."

That, my friends, is a pretty fearful image. According to the reading, there exists a plan about the end of the world, and that plan is written in a book. However, the book has been sealed up so that nobody else can know about it. Having access to that book puts somebody in an especially powerful stance, to say the least. Further, such a situation presents everyone else with a circumstance of fear. It is precisely that kind of scenario that drives the popularity of religious cults and their charismatic, messiah figures.

Then, the Gospel reading offers us that strange symbol that is to precede the end: the desolating sacrilege or, in another translation, "the abomination of desolation." Books have been written about that symbol - what it is, what it represents - and no conclusion has received general acceptance. The symbol draws power from its mystery and from its subsequent capability to cause fear.

From that mysterious symbol all through the Gospel reading, the sense and feeling involve fear. The clues for fear come at us quickly. "Flee to the mountains … don't enter the house … woe to those who are pregnant … there will be suffering … no one would be saved."

It is certain that the realm of eschatology calls forth the response of fear. And how many preachers have used the biblical passages about the end of time to evoke fear in their listeners? Indeed, fear is a basic and effective motivation for human beings.

Fear feeds on the mystery surrounding the question, "What will happen to us, eventually - in the long run - after death?" Ideas like the existence of a locked-away book explaining all this mystery add to the appetite of fear. And then, signs of the end - which some people seem to know about and others do not - these signs release fear's feeding frenzy.

As we conclude one church year and prepare for the next one, our lessons concentrate on themes of eschatology. Therefore, we do well to get our minds straight as we anticipate the next couple of weeks.

Good church people can become far too focused on fear. It's almost as though they want to enjoy the fright of Halloween all year long. They look for - and find - signs of the end in every newspaper and in daily events as well. But, my friends, to engage in such behavior is to miss the point of Jesus. Preoccupation with the end of time leads to a life lived in response to fear. Such is not Christ's call to us.

Rather, another motive for Christians dominates the biblical witness. And that motivation is faith. I suggest to you today that our own crises of faith take place precisely at the points of our greatest fears. It has been said before that the opposite of faith is not unbelief, but fear. And I believe our experiences bear out the truth of that observation.

When Jesus calmed the fierce storm at sea, he said to his disciples, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" (Mk 4:40). Jesus tells us that above all else, fear opposes faith … and faith, in turn, opposes fear.

Basically, ours is the faith of Baptism. And today we are blessed to celebrate that faith with a baptism, to confirm that faith in a confirmation, and to renew that faith - all of us - as we renew our Baptismal Covenant. So, this service today is all about our baptismal faith.

What will happen to us eventually - after death - does present us with a potential subject for great fear. Thus, it is precisely at this point that we must call on faith to confront our fear.

Because we are called to exercise faith and not fear, I want to question our fearful perceptions, even about eschatology. I want to challenge those preachers who use fear as a vehicle to transmit the Gospel. Indeed, I believe that the vehicle of fear transports us in exactly the wrong direction.

As Christian people, we pray with confidence - in the Lord's Prayer - "Thy kingdom come." We proclaim with the early Christians, "Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!" And we sing, "Finish, then, thy new creation." We pray, proclaim, and sing in anticipation of the end of time, rather than in fear of it. And we do so in faith, for we believe in the One who will be in charge then. We call that One "Savior."

Thus, as we consider the end of time, our primary expectation centers on the One in whom we trust, not on the signs that cause confusion and fear. Fear attacks faith and attempts to undermine it. Fear focuses on apparent signs of unknown mysteries. Fear follows false Christ's and false prophets who try to lead astray the faithful. However, the One in whom we trust calls us to faith - both now and forever. Our faith points us toward Jesus, who holds in his faithful hands our eternity.

"Finish then thy new creation; pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see thy great salvation perfectly restored in thee:
Changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise." (#657).

Copyright © 2006 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee