Don’t be afraid, but look for the chance to do things differently, better

Mary Copping, 21 June 2020

Romans 6: 1b–11; Matthew 10: 24–39

The one paragraph that struck me from our gospel reading was, ‘Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father … So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.’

A song came to mind from this. You may know it, and if you do, please join in.

Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by your name;
you are mine.

When you walk through the waters, I’ll be with you.
You will never sink beneath the waves.

Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by your name;
you are mine.

When the fear of loneliness is looming,
then remember I am at your side.

Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by your name;
you are mine.

You are mine, O my child; I am your Father,
and I love you with a perfect love.

Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by your name;
you are mine.

(Gerard Markland, b. 1953, based on Isaiah 43: 1–4, © 1978 Kevin Mayhew Ltd)

So, it’s easy – trust God and don’t be afraid; perfect love casts out fear. But it isn’t that easy, is it? Every one of us is fearful of something, especially in these Covid days.

The disciples though were fearful as Jesus told them what was going to happen to him. And even the great St Paul was fearful sometimes – in his letter to the Corinthians he told the people that when he came to them he experienced weakness, fear and much trembling. That’s a relief, isn’t it? And he wasn’t ashamed to own up to it. And Jesus, fearful in the garden of Gethsemane, when he was sweating drops of blood and said to his heavenly Father, ‘Let this cup be taken away from me, but not my will but yours’ (Matthew 26: 39).


Weakness, fear and much trembling – even the great St Paul was fearful sometimes.


At this easing of lockdown, many are fearful of what lies ahead. Those furloughed – will their jobs be there when they get back? Parents frightened to send children to school in case they bring the virus back home. People worried about meeting up with elderly relatives in case they give them the virus.

So, where is God in our fears? From the song: ‘When you walk through the waters, I’ll be with you. You will never sink beneath the waves.’ Sometimes we do feel overwhelmed by all that’s happening, yet we have a God who sent his Son to die for us to show his love, and sent his Holy Spirit to be our comforter and helper.

In our reading from Romans Paul states that, ‘Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life’. How do we walk in that newness of life with the fears in and around us?

First, the knowledge that God is with us. God says, ‘You are mine, O my child; I am your Father, and I love you with a perfect love’ – God’s love for each one of us, somehow carrying us through, giving us the comfort and strength we need.

Secondly, we are coming into new ways of doing things. Strange ways of going into the shops with masks on, and many limitations; concerns that nothing can ever be the same. ‘The new normal’, as they say; but things can be better if we learn from this.

I was watching Clare Balding, the broadcaster, being drawn in the programme Portrait Artist of the Week. She was asked what would be sad to lose as we come out of lockdown. She said it has been great to see families going for walks, and others going for walks, and she said it would be such a shame to lose that as people get busy again. I wonder what you think would be good for you to take into this new life that you have discovered in lockdown, that you wouldn’t want to lose.

Someone said about fear: ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’. What things could we do, as things are eased, that we may be a bit fearful about but can do anyway? Go further on that walk? Go into a shop? (Of course taking care to distance and wear a mask – always, in all these things, taking the proper care for ourselves and others.)

Someone has suggested that we write a letter to ourselves about all the good things we have done in the lockdown that we wouldn’t normally do. We’ve [most of us] had time to think, time to rest, time to draw closer to family and friends through phone calls, Zoom, etc., time to look at the beauty of God’s creation, time to reassess what this life is about – what is necessary and what is just clutter, what is valuable to us and what’s close to our hearts. Then, putting this letter to one side, and reading it in a few months, and seeing what we have still managed to hold on to, but also what we have lost again.

Yes, there is fear in coming out of this lockdown and not knowing what lies ahead. For many, of course, there is also grief and mourning over those we’ve lost, and this will continue. But there is also the chance of new life, the abundant life that Jesus brings; a chance to do things differently, better.

What one thing can we take out of this – for ourselves, for our family, for our church, for the world and for God’s creation? Having spent time looking much more closely at the beauty of God’s creation makes us much keener to preserve it. Spending more time talking to family and friends makes us much more appreciative of them and wanting to keep those relationships with them. Seeing the wonderful work of the NHS makes us appreciate them and wanting to support them more in whatever way we can.

We walk forward in fear, but also in hope that the God of love is with us and that we can, each one of us in small or large ways, do something different to help our family, our friends, our planet.

We don’t know what will happen in the future – we never did know but sometimes perhaps thought that we had it all mapped out, all planned out. Now we know that we that we don’t know, and so we must trust God to be here with us and to lead us on.

From the song: ‘Do not be afraid for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine’.

For me, as I go forward into the new future with God, I hope I’ll continue the walks and exercise. As I’ve seen the beauty of God’s world in so much wonder and detail, I look for even more ways of helping to preserve this. And the realisation I have, that many of us will have, that we miss the church building, and we miss each other, the church congregation – I look forward to the time when we’re all able to be with each other again

So, what things will you take from this?

View the sermon here
(10: 21)