By Shelley Pantoliano

         There is a saying that goes: “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” I have to say that I don’t completely agree with this! There are many things we might be afraid of, but when faced with a specific fear, it’s easier said than done to try to convince ourselves that if we just weren’t afraid, the situation that is causing the fear would vanish.

         We all have fears, fears that change as we go through life, from childhood fears like the fear of the dark or going to kindergarten, or even the fear of imaginary monsters under the bed, to fears like loss of independence or failing health in our later years.

What fears are you struggling with right now? Do you feel alone as you are struggling with your fears?

         I want to share with you my most ironic fear: the fear of speaking in front of an audience. When I was in school and had a class that required an oral report, I would rather have taken a zero than get up in front of my classmates and give a presentation. And yet, I ended up becoming a Pastor.

         I entered the Lay Ministry Program through the United Church of Christ in the late 90’s. However, it took me a year to actually begin the program once I sensed a call to ministry. Can you guess why? Yup – I was afraid. What scared me the most was the preaching requirement.

         The pastor at my church was a wonderful mentor to me as I made my way through the program. At one point, she asked me to fill in for her for 2 Sundays when she would be on on vacation. I would be required to preach! 

         When I arrived at church that first Sunday, I found on the pulpit an angel ornament with a tag on it with the words from Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” My mother had left it there for me. I was comforted by her thoughtful gesture, and I made it through the service without throwing up or passing out!

         When I got home from church, sitting on my porch was a still-warm pan of apple crisp that my Aunt Jean had made. She worked nights at a nursing home and couldn’t be there to support me in person. She came home from a long night of work, baked the apple crisp, and left it for me with a note.

         You see, we are never alone on this journey through life. As people of faith, we believe that God is with us throughout our lives, in the good times and the fearful times, but there are times when we are struggling, and it seems as if God is silent. We pray and we pray, and God is silent…or so we think.

         In the Gospel of Mark, we can find the story of Jesus and his disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee in a boat when a ferocious storm comes upon them suddenly. The disciples, overcome with panic and fear, forgot two important things as the boat was battered about by the waves: first, that Jesus was with them; and second, that they had each other.

         How many times during struggles in life do we call to God for relief from our fears and it feels as if God hasn’t heard us? Think about a time when you were struggling, and then, someone unexpectedly reached out to you. Maybe they sent you a car, or brought you a plate of cookies, or invited you over for a cup of coffee and conversation. And it wasn’t until later that you suddenly realized that God DID hear you, and it was through that person that God acted.

         My community of faith, Westminster Presbyterian Church, is what is known as a Matthew 25 church, which means we reach out to the community by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick and imprisoned as Jesus commanded. It is at the very heart of this congregation to be the hands, voice, and feet of Jesus in this world.

         But one of the greatest blessings of this congregation is how we take care each another. We build one another up, step up in times of trouble, and celebrate times of joy. We reach out to each other through meal trains, cards, phone calls, and many other ways. We celebrate baptisms, graduations, weddings, anniversaries.

         We are a diverse group from many different backgrounds and life experiences, just as Jesus’ disciples were also a diverse group. Matthew was a tax collector; Luke was a doctor; Peter, James, and John were fishermen; Simon the Zealot was a political activist. Yet they learned from Jesus about the importance of loving each other through the lens of God’s unconditional love. They shared what is called an Agape love – a love not based on romantic feelings, but based on a kind of love that is selfless, unconditional, and sacrificial.

         Our faith community comes together each week to worship God and to experience with thankfulness what it’s like to be part of a vibrant faith community that loves one another with that same unconditional Agape love.

         When you are facing difficult times, who has stepped up for you? Who has been by your side through those times of fear and uncertainty? Who walks with you through your life journey, so you don’t feel alone? Take a moment to give thanks for the people God sends your way who travel with you, and be ready to offer a comforting presence for them when they are having their own struggles. 
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         Remember, my friends: we are all in the boat together, whether the waters are calm or the waters are rough. We are never alone because we have God and we have each other.

By Paul Dungey

At Westminster Presbyterian Church, the people of the church elect Elders and Deacons, who with the minister of word and sacrament, “exercise spiritual discernment” and “have responsibilities for the life of a congregation to serve the church in its many ministries.”
 
As an Elder, I had the opportunity to lead our Sunday worship service at Westminster recently. In the preceding days, I found myself lying in bed, wide awake, in the wee hours of the morning discerning the subject matter for the message I would give. I pondered the Psalm 19 reading and considered the many ways in which God reveals His glory to us.
 
The Psalmist writes: “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.”
 
My mother nurtured in my siblings and I an appreciation for the beauty of flowers. Mom used her gifts and talents to create watercolor paintings of floral arrangements. Beyond seeing the beauty of a flower, one can see God’s divine plan revealed in its design. 
 
In an article titled Flowers & the Fibonacci Sequence, Cat Haglund explains that “each plant packs as many petals, leaves, and seeds into the available space” enabling the plant to “maximize their exposure to the sun.” Consider how this marvelous design pairs so efficiently with the plant’s capability to convert sunlight into nutrients for growth via the process of photosynthesis. Surely, God’s divine plan is evident in His handiwork!
 
Consider your life experiences and the ways that you have heard God’s voice or felt God’s presence. The Psalmist encourages us to look carefully for the ways that God reveals His glory to us in this reading from Psalm 46. God says: “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.” The Psalmist also gives us this assurance: “The Lord Almighty is with us!
 
People, for generations, had been anticipating the coming of the Messiah with great expectations. In Jesus’s time, his cousin John, the Baptizer, went before him proclaiming what had been prophesized in the Old Testament reading from Isaiah 40. “A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
 
Jesus, God’s son, was sent by God to go out amongst the people to proclaim God’s glory and divine purpose. The people heard Jesus as he spoke about how each person should love God with all one’s heart, soul and mind. Jesus taught that we should love not only our neighbors, but we should also love our enemies. 
 
By his side, the disciples and the people would see Jesus lay his hands on people to heal their infirmities, drive out demons, and restore life. When people came to Jesus for healing, or to speak with him about God’s divine purposes, Jesus looked into their hearts and helped them to find true faith and trust in him as the Messiah, and in God, the one who sent him.
 
God’s divine plan, through the work of His son Jesus, is to save us from the penalty of death for our sinfulness. John 3: 16-17 explains it this way: “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.”
 
O God, bless us and help us to understand your divine purpose. Help us to use our eyes to see and our ears to hear. May your glory be revealed in our hearts so we may be healed.

Paul Dungey is a life-long member and Ruling Elder of Westminster, chairs the Worship Committee, sings in the choir, and is actively involved in service and mission, including prison ministry, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Meals on Wheels, scouting, and mission trips in other states and countries.