Fear rules, so let’s be peace makers

I’ve been watching, and I’ve come to the conclusion that fear-focused leaders aren’t the most dangerous, but they can certainly change the temperature of a room, and therefore, over time, the culture. So let’s just give you an example from our own church…. which I say hastily lives in almost every congregation. The fear that someone (unknown and unnamed) is going to break and steal something. First of all, to put my brass band friends at ease, it is not likely going to be a cornet, horn or bass. If anything, it will be the sound system, cash, or a cash equivalent, or the whole safe. As someone who watched the reports roll in for 7 years, I can tell you that most thieves bypass the band room for the office.

So yesterday as we arrived for church the exterior door was being locked… when I inquired, I was told so that no one comes in and steals. Sure glad I wasn’t another minute late.

It isn’t for me about locking the doors. That’s a symptom. The problem is when we start seeing this thing God has given us as something needing to be protected. Now I’m no fool and I don’t think we should just put leave the offering plate at the front until Tuesday, that would be ridiculous, but I am always interested in how tightly we hang on to “our things”.

I suppose all of us have some fear that causes us to act in self preservation, that’s not unusual. But at times I wonder just how much we trust God to supply and how much we view these “things” as our own. It isn’t our own. It belongs to TSA (legally) and to God (theologically). But churches sometimes act more like bank vaults or old western forts (close the gates, double the guard) than they do mission stations where the needy are welcomed, or hospitals where the sick are taken in to be cared for. Signs are everywhere. Don’t trespass, don’t enter, not open, keep locked. Don’t agree, well just take a look around. Seen this sign – “park here and your car will be towed away”?

The other thing fear does, and we are seeing this all across the culture, is make other people “the enemy”. We don’t like people who seem unlike us. We don’t like people who don’t meet our expectations. (Had you kid make noise in the service? Get the evil eye?)

It’s not just at church – not this one. It’s in every part of our society. Don’t like public policy? Take to social media to name-call and spew some un-like-Jesus language. Have an opportunity to take advantage of someone else? Do you keep in your back pocket, your enemies’ list?

The sermon on the mount, recorded in Matthew 5,6,7, records many good characteristics of the way Jesus’ followers should be, will be, I would add as we submit the work of the Holy Spirit. And one of them is being a peacemaker. In fact, Jesus commends these people and says, they will inherit the earth. because yes, there’s a time coming when the mighty will not win because they are more powerful. No, it will be the meek who are rewarded.