Sermons

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The Fear of the Dark
October 21, 2001
Third in a series on "Facing Our Fears"
Pastor Dan Baumgartner

Isaiah 49:1-6

We continue this morning looking at some of the things which bring fear into our lives. Each time we have come to the scriptures in the last two years, I walk over and light this candle. A number of you have asked me recently why I do it. I light it as a visual way of reminding us that we are to be people of God’s Word…that we want to come as listeners, with open hearts for how God would use the scripture to speak to us.

Last Sunday night, for the second consecutive week, I woke up about 2:30 in the morning. After tossing and turning for several hours, I finally got out of bed at 4:45 am. (This is very, very unlike me.) Trying to dress in the dark so that I didn’t wake Anne up, I bumped into every doorway and dresser in the bedroom. I stumbled noisily down the stairs, got our dog Lucy and fumbled my way outside. It was eerie out…very foggy, so you could barely see down the street, and dark. Very dark. Dark enough that it was difficult to see exactly where you were stepping, and I tripped plenty of times over branches or uneven places in the street. There weren’t a lot of people up at that hour…

…in fact, there was no one up. When it’s that quiet and that dark, your mind can begin to run wild. You think you notice sudden movements in the dark places under trees, you find yourself looking behind you to see if you’re being followed, you start to remember stories you’ve read of lonesome walkers being mugged…or worse. The dark can be a scary kind of place. Can’t see, can’t anticipate, can’t feel safe.

This week, I thought a lot about darkness. I looked at every Bible passage I could find. Darkness is mentioned many times…usually as an analogy, because of course it’s not just physical darkness that makes us afraid…it is what it represents. For example:

a) There’s the darkness of evil in the world. We’ve thought a lot about that in the last month. And each time we read the paper about wars, ethnic cleansings, child abuse, domestic violence…murders. Each time we or someone we know is touched by these things, it makes us realize all over again that there is the darkness of evil in the world. And we cling to the gospel of John, that says the darkness cannot overpower the light of God.

b) There is spiritual darkness as well. You may wake up in the middle of the night with just a strange feeling. A feeling of darkness. You turn the lights on, you grab a Bible, you remember Psalm 119 “Your word is a lamp, a light for my path.” Several different times in my life, I have been with a group of people in prayer…and even as we have begun to pray, even as my eyes have closed, I’ve had a sense of an oppressive, weighty, dark presence in the room. We’ve stopped, asked God to remove it, prayed the promise of Psalm 18 that God turns darkness into light.

c) There is a darkness of mind that comes from turning away from God. Knowing Romans 1 describes it as a darkness that comes from knowing God, but not honoring him…from essentially ignoring the Truth.

d) Finally, there is a darkness of heart which comes where there are dark secrets, shameful things we have done or have experienced which we have locked away in the dark because they are painful. They need to be exposed to the light, the first step of healing. Ephesians 5 says, “Everything exposed by the light becomes visible.”

Whether the situation is physical, spiritual or psychological…the common thread to darkness, of course…is the absence of light. And the common antidote is to be exposed to the light of God. I John tells us…“God IS light…and in Him there is no darkness at all.”And the way of the kingdom of God…is to pursue God’s light, to look for God in each situation, to make room for Him, to help others see Him.

All of these places of fear and darkness need light to undo their hold on us. And though these are all legitimate fears…everything I have listed has to do with US. But our scriptures from Isaiah, from Matthew and from John don’t stop with us. They all lead us to others. They all lead us to a mission in Christ Jesus: to point to Him as the light of the world… so that darkness might be dispelled.

In the Old Testament book of Isaiah there are four separate passages which have been identified as “servant songs.” Isaiah 42, 49, 50 and 52/53. Each of these chapters by the prophet Isaiah talks about a “servant” figure that God will call forth for a special purpose. Now, in other places in the Bible, God has used known figures, like Moses or Abraham or even the whole people Israel, to be his “servants” for particular purposes. But here in Isaiah, we are told of a different servant to come. These are also called messianic passages, because they talk about the appearance of the messiah, the Savior.

In the Christian faith, we have identified this “servant to come,” as fulfilled in Jesus Christ. When we read this passage from Isaiah, we see the preparation for the servant, whom God knew before he ever appeared and readied him for his mission. But in the last verse, verse 6 we really see that mission clearly outlined in God’s commissioning of the servant: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

As a light to the NATIONS. The WHOLE WORLD. It’s quite a mission. Sometimes, in fact, this Isaiah passage is called the “great commission of the Old Testament.” It echoes the Great Commission of the New Testament that Frank read earlier, Jesus’ instructions to his followers: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

I’m so glad Frank/Lynne put this world map in the bulletin…because we need to be reminded that the call is to our immediate world right around us…AND to the whole world. The world that is dark…where evil threatens, selfish-individualism, ethnic racism, wars, people are trapped in their own darkness and addictions…human evil and supernatural evil forces work together…is a dark world indeed. A world that needs the light. God provides that. “I am the light of the world,” Jesus said. What an absurd claim! I AM…the light of the whole world! One itinerate preacher, one Jewish carpenter living near the Mediterranean Sea…that would make such a claim. What was he thinking? “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

And those of us who choose to follow, those who are part of the church of Jesus Christ have …a mission. Not to BE the light…but to carry it, to point to it…so that people might not be swallowed up in the dark.

Is this the sermon that you just did not want to hear? “I’m not a missionary, I’m not an evangelist.” The problem is…that aside from telling us what the gospel IS: the good news of God’s love and forgiveness in Christ…the most pervading message of the scripture is that the gospel is for the WHOLE WORLD…not just a few. The Apostle Paul’s great calling and revelation was that this good news was intended for all. The Apostle Peter was shown specifically by God in a dream…the gospel was for all people. A Council (Acts 15) of the first century church met to debate the question, and their conclusion was clear: the good news was not just for one people, not just for the Jews, not just for one region…but for the whole world. And YOU…and I…as we are part of church of Jesus Christ…get to be involved in this mission…of spreading the news of the kingdom of God. It’s part of who we are…because it’s part of who God is. Tim Dearborn says it like this: “It is insufficient to proclaim that the church of God has a mission in the world. Rather, the God of mission has a church in the world.” God is already involved, it’s who He is, He IS a reaching out, missionary God. And therefore, if we’re with Christ…it is part of who we are.

Is this the exact thing you don’t want to hear this morning? Wouldn’t it be a lot easier to focus on my own spirituality? Yes. But the God of mission calls His church to the world. Not out of guilt…but because we have experienced something we cannot be quiet about. Life (and death) need not be lived in darkness. And whether the darkness manifests itself in physical hunger or imprisonment, spiritual captivity, dark minds or wounded spirits… We are called to be a part of that freeing, proclaiming, joyous mission.

Perhaps your first reaction to a call to mission is: “I don’t think it’s my gift.” You know, gifts are important. But it’s not just a question of giftedness. I could count on two hands the number of people I’ve met who thought they were absolutely gifted for mission work, or evangelism. I spent a summer working with the pastor of a small church down in the Rainier Valley, in an area of such ethnic diversity it was staggering. Pastor Joe, having grown up in the rural Midwest…was probably the least “gifted” person I could think of to deal with a church part senior Scandinavians and part young Laotian immigrant families. Absolutely the wrong package…AND absolutely effective. Why? He loved Christ…and he was tenacious. Tenacity isn’t usually listed in spiritual gifts. But it’s ideal for living life with a God of mission.

Maybe the second feeling you have is one of inadequacy. Do you feel inadequate? GOOD! As far as I can tell, it’s the first prerequisite to doing kingdom work. Everyone from Moses to Jonah to Peter…scared to death! Puts us in this strange position of having to depend on God.

The third reaction many of us have is: I can’t even IMAGINE myself involved in carrying God’s good news of love. Good! I know a whole family of folks, the Klebers…who couldn’t have imagined it either. Settled in Magnolia, two kids, etc…now we get e-mails from them from Portugal where they are working with Habitat for Humanity. Never would have DREAMED that everything would come together, that they would start learning a new language, that they would move a young child with them, that they would move across the world. Couldn’t have imagined, and God brought it about.

Maybe your fourth thought is “Oh, no…do I have to go somewhere?” Not at all. God is doing such amazing things in the world…the whole world is coming here to our doorstep. Ask Cal Uomoto or Kelly Pearson about the refugees arriving who need sponsors, who need hosts right here in Seattle. Check with people who need tutors, or English classes.

One other thought you may have: “Lord, I’m going to be involved in your mission of good news…but I have some personal issues to take care of first, I need to get more stable, more grounded first.” Forget it. It will never happen. You’ll never feel like you are ready. Oh, don’t get me wrong, Pursue healing, deepen your own relationship with Christ…absolutely. But you’ll never feel like you’re ready. Perhaps God will use your stepping out in mission to transform you, or to work on those issues. You’re on a journey with Christ…being part of God’s mission is part of that journey…not a detour.

It’s a dark world, with many people trapped in darkness. It needs light, the light of Christ. It needs it right now. It doesn’t have to be a torch, doesn’t have to be a bonfire. Just a little bit of light will dispel darkness, totally change an entire situation. Darkness is a powerful thing…but it is NOT nearly as powerful as the Light.

So here’s the two-word strategy I want to leave you with: Do something. Something that will help the light of Christ to shine in the darkness. Something. One thing. Take a step. Take a deep breath, have a faith conversation with your neighbor. Start praying and corresponding with one of the people on this map. Volunteer to tutor a child…who knows? A relationship may build, you may get to know a family. Support a group that does medical work, go on a trip yourself, help build a Habitat house. Do something.

Are you afraid of the dark? It’s a dark world. But the God we follow tells us this: The dark is nothing compared to His light. When Jesus called his disciples, he said “Come, follow me.” And off he went, the God of mission, into the dark world…and every once in awhile he’d turn around to make sure his disciples were close enough…to be in His light. May it be so with us. Amen.