Year C Proper 28 WED 2025 Fear Not

Year C, Proper 28 WEDNESDAY, 18 & 19 November 2025

Chancellors Village and St George’s Episcopal, Fredericksburg, VA

“Fear Not”

Collect

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.

Luke 21:5-19

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, "As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down."

They asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?" And he said, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, `I am he!' and, `The time is near!' Do not go after them.

"When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

"But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls."

In our Gospel reading, Jesus warns us. He warns of many things, wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, and plagues. Not to mention portents and signs in the heavens.

It  was clear, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Some people see that as a negative, but I find great comfort when a leader is forthright and honest about where things stand. Jesus let us know, “Life will be hard.” It is hard to keep doing the right and good when nobody else is. In our reading from 2 Thessalonians St Paul urges us, “Do not be weary in doing what is right.”

Jesus was clear with us that in following him, in choosing his way of living life and loving God and one another that it sets us against the way of the world. Looking out for number one, taking care of ourselves first and foremost.

But he did not stop there. There are times when we think that the world must be coming to an end, but he says to that, “Nope.” He tells us to hold on, to wait and have faith even when things seem so bad. “Do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.”

Fear not, repeated again and again in Scripture is our reminder here. Supposedly in the Hebrew and Christian writings we call scripture, there are 365 occurrences of the admonition to Fear Not. An admonition for each and every day of the year. Pretty appropriate. I know when I am having a rough time watching the news, whether local, national, or global, I need to be reminded that God is God and I am not, and that all will be well, in the long run anyway.

We do not have the perspective that God has. We do not see the forces of good that are at work in ways we cannot see or perceive. 

Lastly, Jesus gets down to the personal. Sometimes we will have things happen, not out there, but to us. It could get personal. I was talking about this passage with our teens and they really hit on this one. One kid said that Jesus contradicts himself. The teen said, “Jesus said we might be killed, and then said not a hair on our heads would perish. Which is it?”

Which is it indeed! Our bodies may be the price we pay as we live out lives of faith and share and spread the Good News of God in Christ, BUT we are to be afraid. This body is not the end. Hold onto this. We are spiritual beings having a physical experience, not the other way around. Our home is in God and with God. This body is a shell that holds our true selves. And Jesus, in his being transparent and honest with us reminds us that we will go on, even though this form may be asked of us.

Life is what it is, friends. No matter who says it. Jesus warns us. And playwright Tennessee Williams put it this way: “The world is violent and mercurial— it will have its way with you. We are saved only by love - love for each other and the love that we pour into the art we feel compelled to share: being a parent; being a writer; being a painter; being a friend. We live in a perpetually burning building, and what we must save from it, all the time, is love.”

Keep on keeping on. While you have breath, you have hope. And when you no longer are breathing, you have your home in God. We are called to maintain and share God’s love which we have received abundantly, come what may. And Jesus modeled that for us, and walks with us especially in the dark and hard days. Jesus closes with this, and I will, too. “By your endurance you will gain your souls.” Amen