Nameless Fears

Dear friends,

There is a small and battered paperback hiding among the others on my bookcase. The spine is broken, and there are pages waiting to fall out at the first opportunity. I picked it up second hand in Blackwell’s as a student, and it has somehow survived the various cullings and clear outs that have happened down the years. I ought really to throw it out, as the foreword was written by the now disgraced Peter Ball, at the time (1984)  Bishop of Lewes. But he doesn’t say much, and it is a rather half hearted endorsement. The book is a small collection called “Questions for Christians” by a retired cleric called John Guise. You are given a weekly theme, with bible verses, and ten questions relating to the theme. The book encourages self awareness, and spiritual growth. It is very much of its age, but nevertheless provides a reliable tonic, such that it earns its small centimetre of shelf space. For now.

The Revd Guise this week reminded me that “perfect love casts out fear.” (1John 4:18-19). Sometimes when I am weary my imagination hops over the garden fence and before I know it the house has fallen down, the internet has stolen all my money, my phone has cloned my identity, and I have an undiagnosed critical illness. These fears crowd in on me to become one nameless black blob, usually at 4am. The Revd Guise gently questions each concern “calling it out”, to use the current jargon. For example: “Have you discovered yet that when you truly love someone, you trust them? You find that you don’t need try to control, because you can leave it to them. You don’t have to fight to get things your way, because you are happy to have things their way.” He uses the analogy of the love between husband and wife to remind us that our love of God will, as it grows, allow us to trust Him. Even in the tricky spots.

Of course there is a tension between fear and love: fear drives us, love leads us. Fear can be an essential part of a healthy warning system. But it needs to be checked in us if we are to lead the lives that God intended. The challenge for us is to perfect the love that lives in us (by the power of the Holy Spirit) in order that the fears that stalk our hearts can be “named and tamed.”

Worship Services for Sunday 9th February

9.30am Morning Prayer at St John’s Stoke Row with Mr Peter Ferguson

11am Holy Communion at St Peter and Paul, Checkendon with Canon Kevin Davies

Midweek zoom service: Wednesday Evensong at 5.00pm  410 935 129

The power of praise

In dealing with our fears, praise works wonders. Whether that is encouragement from a colleague or a spouse “Great job! Go on, you can do it!” or praise that we offer from our hearts to our Father in heaven when we gather together in worship. Praise lifts us out of it, as we are for once not looking inwards at our own concerns. Even in grief, or loss, praise can break through the iron clad ceiling. Of course, different cultures have their own “default setting” for praise; Europe has a very strong choral and orchestral tradition; Africa is heavily rhythmic, and so on, but however it comes to us music and words speak to our souls of hope and possibility, a place in the light away from the dark hopelessness of our fears.

About the same time that John Guise published his little book, across the pond the Vineyard Christian Fellowship was making waves on the worship scene, with professionally produced worship songs, where you could not only “hear the words” (the perpetual complaint of those anchored to Hymns A&M) but also used contemporary instrumentation. As a drummer, it confirmed for me what I had been reading in Psalm 150 all my life. This track dates to 1984; the album marked a definitive new direction for Christian worship, where intimacy with God was sought, and encouraged, and “church” was the place to go for the experience. The movement begun by the Vineyard churches had a major impact on church worship here in the UK. (You can find the first part of the song above as number 92 in our own hymn book, for example.) The point being that everyone should be able to know and feel the love of God in their life, casting out all fear.

May the glory of Jesus fill his church, and lighten your way.

Canon Kevin.