"Can The Soul Die?"

Can you tell me an instance in your life when you were really afraid? 

Can you articulate and share where the root of your fear lay?

June 14 2015:   2 Corinthians 6: 1-13       Psalm 9     Mark 4: 35-41

One of the greatest fears we humans face is, the sting of death and what this mysterious phenomena might bring to us.   

Three gentlemen were asked:  what words would you like to hear as family and friends stand overlooking you in your casket.  The first man said it would be nice to hear that he was a good father, provider and gave my family encouragement to life to the fullest. The next man said he would like to be remembered as a good person, faithful to family and a church, with a passion for mission.  The third gentlemen said “what I would like to hear they say is: He moved!!”

In the course of our lives, there are many things that arise that cause us fear.   We might coin them to be the storms of life and they can threaten to overwhelm us at times.   

For each of us the storms of life are different, the things we fear - vary from person to person, as does the intensity of our fear.  I know people who are afraid to drive in city traffic, afraid of the dark, or get on a plane.  There are those who dread speaking in public, and still others who are terrified by the thought that they might get a terminal or debilitating disease.   Some people fear being left alone - others worry and fret about becoming unemployed, or having to face an abusive spouse, still others must fight against the giants of addiction or face the governmental indifference or corporate cruelty.  Listen to in song to these words found in Isaiah 43:1-2  

"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you.  I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you."    Blessed be our God, day by day.   Amen.

There are many dangers out in the world - and we do right to fear them.  Fear was meant to be a positive natural reaction - a God given gift to make us alert to those things that threaten our lives, so we can make better, more positive choices.   It was not given to imprison us but was meant to put us on alert, but fear on its own can turn negative and inward.  It can become an obsession if you indulged in it regularly and can literally lead you to paralysis.    Fear can actually become the enemy and prevent us from dealing with what threatens us; and it can – in the end - permit the very thing we fear to destroy us.   Not just our bodies, and our minds which will pass away in any case - but can imprison and destroy the soul. 
My theological perspective tells me that those who dwell in negative fear as a means of 

maintaining part of their identity, do a number on themselves and their soul.    
Can the soul really die?  What does scripture say about that.  Matthew 10: 28 tells us not to be afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul, rather, we need to be alert to the fact that there is one who can destroy both soul and body, this is healthy fear. 

I think what most of us really fear is meeting forces that are greater than we are.   I also believe that this is a distorted view of faith.  If we truly believe this, we literally edge God out of the picture, leaving us alone and dumbfounded, unable to do anything about these negative forces.

That was the situation that overwhelmed the disciples in the reading from Mark this 
 morning.   The disciples, when they faced the wind and the waves felt powerless - they felt unable to help themselves - unable to overcome the danger around them.

We fear what we do not know.  We fear what we cannot control.  Strange as it may sound to some of us, a major truth in life is this - we really do not have any control over what will happen from one minute to the next.   Therefore we must surrender in faith the storms of our lives over to the One who can.  There is an old saying and I think it comes to us via the 12 step programs.   “Let go and Let God”  In other words we need to heed the words of Jesus here and surrender our fear not fight it.   Jesus teaches us, come all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest.  We need to surrender anything that is confusing us, controlling us, or holds us hostage, because fear keeps us imprisoned. 

Now I ask you folks, think about this for a moment, you only have two choices here, surrender it in FAITH, Let it Go and LET God, or continue to ride the storm out with FEAR at the helm.   
I find that to be a liberating truth - a truth that is worth of embracing - because that truth leads me back to the source of my life, God: and because of his love - the source of my hope - the source of my strength.  Here and only here will I find the courage I need to carry on. 

We must always remember, noting is impossible with God at the helm.  There is no power that can overcome you while God is on your side, not even death itself Jesus shows us.   Yay through I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.    Listen to these words:  “Forever”