Associate Rector’s Blog
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 ESV
Dear Friends,
Let me interrupt this blog to ask a favor. It occurred to me that the title of my bi-weekly blog is confusing. Why? Because it says from the Associate Rector, when I am one of two Associate Rector’s at St. Dunstan’s (Welcome, Fr. Naty!). Would you please put on your creative thinking caps and help me come up with a catchy title for my bi-weekly blog? Email me your suggestions, and I will announce the winner next time. Thanks. Now, back to the blog.
Thomas Jonathan Jackson was a godly man and one of the finest military leaders our country has ever known. He earned the name “Stonewall” at the First Battle of Manassas (also known as First Bull Run) after refusing to withdraw his troops in the face of total carnage. At first brush, some might consider his reckless bravery to be foolhardy, but it was his unquenchable faith in God that kept him focused on the task at hand, whatever that might be. He once said, "My religious belief teaches me that I am as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time of my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to always be ready, no matter when it may overtake me. That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave."
Let’s face it, we live in a dangerous world (although arguably no more dangerous than Stonewall Jackson’s for its time). The evening news is filled with stories of war, crime, violence, horrific accidents, and shocking natural disasters. It seems one cannot even fly across Europe in what was once considered a safe and friendly sky. And isn’t summer camp supposed to be a safe and fun place for our children? So, what are we to do? Hide in our homes and hope for the best? Move to a safer place, wherever that might be? Or do we continue living our lives, secure in the knowledge that God is more powerful than any of the forces that work against us? I don’t know about you, but I choose the latter. As the Apostle Paul reminded Timothy, “…God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV).
Most of you of a certain age remember well where you were on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news of the attack on the World Trade Center. For most Americans, our world was shaken. For the first time in our history as a nation, an enemy had attacked the United States mainland. Suddenly, we didn’t feel so safe and secure anymore. That was almost twenty-four years ago, and most of those fears have faded. Indeed, we have a whole generation that was not even born yet. But are we any more or less secure than we were on September 1, 2001? Despite new safety measures and changes in our defense methods, including the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, we are still vulnerable. Yet, we need not live in fear.
The current conflict between Israel and Hamas brings to mind a similar situation my wife and I faced several years ago. Then, as now, we were preparing to lead a pilgrimage to Israel, but the Iraqi Missile Crisis was looming large on the evening news. Because of media reports, people were fearful of venturing to the Holy Land, and many of our potential travelers were cancelling. Not wanting to cancel our tour, I wrote to Reuven, our guide, and asked for advice. I will never forget the words he wrote back to me; “Steve, tell people who are worried about coming to Israel now that it is always now in Israel.” Over the years and many visits to the Holy Land, I’ve come to understand what he meant—that life does not stop because of what “might be” and that we need not give in to our fears. If the news media really wanted you to know what is going on today in Israel, they would show the millions of people there going about their daily lives—cautious, but not living in fear. Anytime there is a report of an airline disaster, millions of people the world over continue to board airplanes, confident that they will reach their destinations safe and sound. And despite the recent unthinkable tragedy in the Texas Hill Country flood, survivors will comfort and console one another in their grief, rebuild, and move on with their lives. Children will continue to experience the joys of summer camp. It is still now.
Stonewall Jackson put his trust in God, who alone knew the number of his days. Understanding that no place was truly safer than another, he allowed his unwavering faith to lead his troops into battle without the fear of death and to inspire countless others to rally behind him. His trust was in the same God who created all that is and Who is present with us today, infinitely more powerful than anything that can come against us, including 1000-year floods. Joshua challenged the Children of Israel as they prepared to enter the Promised Land, “Choose this day whom you will serve…As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). The choice is still ours. As for me, I choose the Lord.
Prayer: In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me! Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man. For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you. Psalm 71:1-6
Fr. Steve +
