7^th February 2012

Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley Sunday 29 January 2012

Lessons -- Psalm 111; Mark 1:21-28

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Psalm 111:10)

We are afraid of many things: other people, awkward situations, conflict, loneliness, illness, death. Why then should we also 'fear the Lord' -- especially when Jesus often tells his disciples to 'be not afraid'? Is the Psalmist encouraging the ugly tactic of crusading evangelists who like to 'put the fear of God in them'?

What the Psalmist says needs to be unpacked to avoid misunderstanding and so bring about what he calls 'a good understanding'.

There is a complete absence of angst, terror, timidity or cowardice in the Psalm. The mood is buoyant. The emphasis is on praise and gratitude for what God has done for his people by freeing them from slavery in Egypt, giving them their vocation on Mt Sinai, sustaining them in the wilderness and bringing them to their own land. It is a 'pleasure' for him to study the 'works of the Lord' (v2) and to live in the light of God's covenantal love.

God's work in creation and redemption is described as being 'full of honour and majesty' (v3). The Lord is 'gracious and merciful' (v4) -- 'eternally righteous, faithful and just' (vv 3,7). God can be counted on to redeem, uphold and challenge the Hebrews in their vocation. And in response it is a delight for them to praise God with their 'whole heart and mind' (v1), to be 'mindful of God's covenant' (v5) and to get a 'good understanding' of it through study (v2) and righteous action (vv 8,10).

The Psalm begins and ends in praise: Hallelujah! (v1). Praise be to Yahweh
(Jah) the God who, unlike gods that pander to human desires, is the eternally righteous and gracious Lord of heaven and earth -- the One who is to be worshipped and glorified.

What then are we to make of the statement that wisdom begins with the 'fear of the Lord'?

Clearly it has nothing to do with fears and dreads that often cripple our lives and prevent us living fully in the world. What the Psalmist says about 'fear' is rightly understood (v10b) as the proper response to God's 'holy and awesome name' (v9c).

To live in 'fear of the Lord' is to be thrilled to be in the presence of the God who is unlike us and does not give us what we want. God is 'awesome'. The people whose lives are touched by God are overwhelmed by an almost indescribable sense of 'holy awe'.

The awe and majesty of God is not diminished in the Gospels. In fact, many are utterly amazed by what they see as God's holiness, righteousness and mercy in Jesus. They are similarly gob-smacked! In Mark 1:21ff the people are in awe of Jesus for healing a man with a mental illness on the Sabbath (v27).

There certainly is an element of crippling 'fear' in their response. They are unsettled when the man (or the evil spirit thought to cause illness) screams out to be left alone by this 'Holy One of God'. But it is 'fear'
that comes from being awestruck in the presence of God -- the God who shows opposition to evil by defeating the dread powers that afflict and dehumanise people.

To 'fear the Lord' in this sense is to start on the path of wisdom! But it is not an easy road to travel. The first obstacle is that most of us no longer believe in the splendour of God's creative and redeeming work in the world. Our generation has little or no time for God.

It is widely thought that the universe is the product of pure chance, not the creation of a loving God. We tend not to think of our lives in the context of God's purpose for us and the whole of human history. We have become comfortable with our foibles: not seeing the need for repentance and putting trust in myriad programs of self-improvement. We do not see the need for redemption, thinking of Jesus simply as a teacher of spiritual and moral values.

Before Christmas the celebrated atheist, commentator and author, Christopher Hitchens died. Often described as a contrarian, he was, at different times, a fearless critic of capitalism and communism, the Left and Right of politics, Mother Theresa and Jerry Falwell, and abortionists.
In 2007 he wrote God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.

Despite his scathing attacks on religion, Hitchen's greatest (unintended) legacy to the Church was his contempt for Christians who water down their faith. He respected those (like his brother Peter) who are prepared to give a robust account of orthodox belief, more than those who run from the questions posed by atheism.

The title of his book -- God is Not Great . . . -- is a sign that the image of God that is prominent in many churches today is far removed from the 'holy and awesome God' of biblical faith. It also reminds us that, for a long time, many Christians have not taken much 'pleasure' in studying Scripture's fine testimony to God's creative and redemptive purposes for humanity.

Hitchens is basically right. The God worshipped in many churches today is 'not Great'. The Psalmist's thrill and enjoyment in worship, prayer and theology -- and his commitment to righteous living -- are rare. Jesus'
power in tackling the forces of evil and his redemptive death and resurrection are neglected. His radical words and deeds as the 'Holy One of God' are reduced to kindness that is commonly thought to be the essence of true religion and our genuine humanity. Many of us simply don't believe that 'fearing the Lord' of righteousness and grace is 'the beginning of wisdom'. Our god is too small!

Indeed many people, including atheists like Hitchens, think that if humans stopped 'fearing God' then we would be free from fear. That is not so! We still have many fears. Today, Christians are less concerned with 'fearing God' than fearing public opinion that is critical of them for taking God too seriously. We reckon that it is better to tone down our faith in the awesome grace of God and to let people make their own choices about what to believe and how to behave. That is much better than to risk becoming objects of scorn for praising the majesty of God and calling our fellow citizens to join us in repenting of beliefs and practices that are at odds with God's good purposes!

Persistent attacks on those who take 'pleasure' in worship, study and righteous action can make the bravest heart quake. Today, shrill criticisms of those who take 'delight' in the orthodox faith and practice that springs from experience of the awe and majesty of God are designed to silence them. Strident critics of the Gospel, including people like Christopher Hitchens, try to 'put the fear of God' in any individual, church or reform movement that is foolish enough to expose those critics'
arrogant disregard of the righteousness and mercy of God. It is ironic that those who laugh at people like the Psalmist who take pleasure in 'fearing God' specialise in putting the dread 'fear of God' in them!

This is happening now, and has been happening for many years, in our Commonwealth and State Parliaments where Human Rights legislation is being used to support ideas of rights, equality and freedom that are based, not on the righteousness and mercy of God as attested in Scripture and affirmed by the Church, but on the rights of individuals and groups to self-determination and social acceptance.

The situation is serious. Unwise decisions taken now will have a detrimental effect on marriage and family life, freedom of faith and practice, the rights of the unborn and the frail elderly, and the like.

We should be alert to the way in which 'fear' is being manipulated to discredit the beliefs and practices of those who take 'pleasure' in 'fearing the Lord'. And that gives us no 'pleasure'! God is not to be mocked! Only those who do so need to 'fear' God's righteous judgment on their deeds.

But, no matter how dire the situation may be, we are called to live in praise of God who, as Creator and Redeemer of all, is 'holy and awesome'.
We are free to take 'delight' in the knowledge that, in Jesus Christ, the 'Holy One of God, ' the Lord casts out fear and sets free those who are afflicted by suffering or sin. For we have been given a great freedom to join in the Hallelujah that begins and ends the Psalmist's hymn to the majesty of God.

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Rev Dr Max Champion is minister in the St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Dr Champion is Chair of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the UCA.