Fear and Fear

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

On Saturday, 4 March 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office as President of the United States. Shortly after taking the oath of office, Roosevelt delivered his first inauguration speech, one that has come to be iconic of America rhetoric. He said:

This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory.

Roosevelt took office in the midst of one of the great crises of American history. The country was in the throes of the Great Depression. Unemployment reached 25% in the US, and even higher in other countries. Our country experienced an estimated 60% decline in crop and commodity prices. The midsection of the continent was ravaged by the droughts and calamities that we call the Dust Bowl, destroying farms and devastating families dependent on the land for their livelihoods. Seemingly in the blink of an eye, people lost their life savings, their homes, their futures, their very hope for the future.

Into this, FDR spoke of the truth that would free this country from fear – that paralyzing terror that keeps a person, or a nation, from moving forward and doing what is necessary.

Now, let me draw your attention to the most recognizable part of that speech: “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” FDR may have been on to something when he pointed to this as the problem which cripples nations and societies. Fear is not always bad, but to be paralyzed by irrational terror, stuck in an unreasoning stupor, is neither helpful for society nor the mark of a Christian.

Things are bad in the world. St. Paul warns that “the days are evil” in which we live, and we must watch for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with eager anticipation. This world is not rosy and joyful, and it never will be. Sin, death, and the devil make sure of that. Physicists teach that the universe is trapped in entropy, sliding irretrievably toward chaos. We do well to be honest with ourselves and with others about this. Roosevelt acknowledged this when he said:

In such a spirit on my part and on yours we face our common difficulties. They concern, thank God, only material things. Values have shrunken to fantastic levels; taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen; government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income; the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade; the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie on every side; farmers find no markets for their produce; the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone. More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.

The “dark realities of the moment” are that sin and death reign in the darkness of this world, and that you are powerless to stop them or to change them on your own. The world is “going to hell in a handbasket”, as the saying goes.

There is no good to be gained from denying this reality. Death confronts you on a daily basis. Sickness, disease, and disorder create havoc in your lives. The loss of life, of livelihoods, of family and friends, stares you down and threatens to paralyze you with fear.

Lest you stiffen up and think that our world today is so much better off than that in which FDR spoke, let me remind you that only a few years ago, we were in the grip of what some were wont to call the Second Great Depression. We are only just beginning to feel the rebounding effects of the markets. Housing is now moving in a positive direction, and people are talking again about hope for the future.

But society is still in bad shape. Look around you. The disdain for human life is rampant. The nation that prides itself on the fundamental rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” deprives her citizens of these rights by the thousands, under the banner of reproductive freedom, every single day. Children who are born are left on doorsteps, fobbed off on daycares and public schools, or simply allowed to wander the streets, looking for someone to care for them, because their mothers and fathers – who cannot be troubled to marry – abdicate their God-given offices.

On the other end of the spectrum, the elderly and infirm are scooted off into the shadows, taking up space in care facilities, out of sight and out of mind. Some kind souls do their civic duty by brightening the days of these from bygone generations, but so often they are left out of the lives of their families and their communities. When such a person becomes inconvenient or overly costly to maintain, then discussion starts about rationing care, maximizing use of resources, and quality of life – as though length of days equates with value of life.

Marriage is held is deep disregard among our people. Divorce is rife in American society, made cheap and easy by the no-fault option in our courts. Marriage is no longer the life-long union of one man and one woman, but a contractual arrangement based on some nice feelings, that may be reconfigured at will, or dissolved at any time. That is assuming, of course, that one feels the need to enter into such contract at all. Why buy the cow when the milk is free?

Debt has become a way of life for scores of Americans. We live as though it were the most natural thing in the world to buy stuff we do not need and cannot afford. What is it to the average person to spend more than he makes? There is always more plastic, more credit, more leverage to be shifted. And it is not restrained to the household level. Our government conducts its business as though it would never have to satisfy its obligations to anyone, as though it does not matter that our national trust is owned by other sovereign states who hold the title to our debts. The fear of foreclosure and the shame of borrowing that past ages knew are gone.

Perhaps one of the greatest symptoms of the disorder of creation is the disregard for all things sacred and holy. The Church once occupied a privileged position in Western society – although one could argue that was not necessarily a good thing. Not so anymore. The individual is now the most privileged entity in the world. Everything exists to serve me, to cater to my needs, my wants, my desires, my whims. What I want trumps what you need. If I am offended or insulted by what you say or do or believe, then you must stop it. How dare you think that something I have done is wrong!

The Word of the Lord is no longer a privileged voice in public discourse. To speak as though there is absolute truth is to be guilty of hate speech, to be a bigot, a xenophobe, a homophobe, or whatever other derogatory label one might apply. Time off for participation in religious functions is no longer a right, but a cherished privilege becoming more and more rare. Even our right to freedom of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment is becoming watered down into the “freedom to worship”, but not the right to live according to our religion.

So, from the looks of things, there is plenty to fear from the devil, the world, and your own sinful nature, which would like simply to go along with the schemes of the evil one. You do not want to end up like that poor Sudanese woman, sentenced to death for offending Islam.

But what does our Lord say? “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Do not fear the world. The world is tending toward chaos, and will be swept up in its own swirling round the drain. Do not fear the devil. He roars about like a roaring lion, but that cat has been declawed. Do not fear death. Death is defeated and the grave is split open by the Prince of Life who died and who now reigns immortal.

Repent of your fear and trembling in the face of the world's difficulties. Repent of your waffling in the face of persecution, or even just everyday uncertainty. Repent of your fear of those who cannot harm you eternally, while you fail to fear the Holy One of Israel who does have the power and the right to bind you over into hell for eternal death.

If you are looking for something to fear, then fear the Lord God Almighty, the King of the Universe, the Creator of All Things. In His hands are the depths of the sea; the heights of the mountains are His also. He fills all things, governs all things, judges all creatures, condemns all evil-doers. He has the power to wipe out your existence merely with the breath of His nostril. When He turns His face, nations crumble and peoples dissolve. He alone judges with the strength of the divine Law, and His judgments are sure and irrevocable. He is greatly to be feared.

But take heart! The fearsome Judge of the Universe has died. He has died your death to sin. He has died the sacrificial death that the Law required, so that you need not face eternal death. For the Law is no longer binding upon those who have died. And you have been crucified with Christ, in order that you may life His everlasting life. The defining characteristic of your life is no longer fear of judgment, but the cross of Christ, which stands as the eternal symbol of the judgment already passed upon you – not guilty, for Christ's sake. Do not fear for your soul, because you are held securely in the hand of the One who can save you from death and hell.

Do not fear the one who can kill the body. You have already faced death, and come back from the experience. You faced the death of the soul in the waters of Holy Baptism, and your gracious Lord raised you back from those depths, to live with Him in His kingdom. The death you face in the body is but a sleep. To die in the flesh is indeed a great tragedy – the human person is ripped apart as the soul is taken from the body. But you know that your body will rest in its grave while your soul reposes in the bosom of Abraham, in the safe keeping of the God of heaven. If death, however tragic and unnatural, brings the fulfillment of your prayer to be delivered from evil, then it is neither to be feared nor cheered, but accepted in faith.

If the Lord grants you long life and enduring health until your body simply wears out, then thanks to be to God. If the Lord grants you to be a martyr for the faith, giving yourself as a living confession of the truth of the Gospel, then thanks be to God. If the Lord permits you to be afflicted with a life plagued by suffering in mind or body, then thanks be to God. In all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purposes. Give thanks to God that your salvation does not depend on the state or condition of your body, but on the forgiveness of sins accomplished for you by Christ.

Fear, love, and trust in God above all things. That sort of fear is good. You should fear the punishment that comes because of sin, and therefore endeavor not to sin willfully. This is commanded by the Law of God. You should have a healthy fear of the God of the Universe.

But you should not have the “nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” You should not fear the consequences to your body when you proclaim the Gospel in your speech and conduct. You should not fear to love your neighbor, to serve him with the gifts God has given to you, to show compassion and mercy to those in need. Do not be paralyzed by fear, so that you fail to trust in Christ.

Fear of the things of this world is replaced by faith in Christ. The wages of sin is death, but that wage has been paid out already. Your sins are forgiven in the blood of Christ. Your death is dead, and your life is secure. You have nothing to fear, because your name is enrolled in the Book of Life. You have nothing to fear, because there is nothing left with which to accuse you. You have nothing to fear, because the God who created the heavens and the earth holds your life and preserves you from all evil.

Death comes to all in this world, unless our Lord should return first. You may cower in fear, as the pagans do, or you may face death with the certainty that you know what will happen when you close your eyes. Chief Tecumseh once said, “When your time comes to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home.”

Face death without fear. Face life without fear. Face each day with the certainty that the Lord directs your days and your deeds in His peace. He who neither slumbers nor sleeps is at your right hand, guiding your hand and protecting you from the evil foe and from everlasting death. Hold the cross before your wide-open eyes, that it may remain before your closing eyes. Hold fast to Christ, who alone saves you from sin, death, and fear. Fear not!

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.