June 22, 2024 – Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

How many of you have seen the movie The Karate Kid? It’s about a teenager who feels alone and unprotected in the hostile environment of his school and community. He is scared – unable to defend himself against the bullies of his neighborhood. He is afraid.

Young Daniel meets an old man, Mr. Miyagi, who has a black belt in karate. Mr. Miyagi agrees that he will teach Daniel what he knows so that he can protect himself.

On the first day of lessons, the old man asked Daniel to wax and polish several old cars that he owned… wax on, wax off. All day long, Daniel worked to follow the instructions – wax on – wax off.

On the second day of lessons, Mr. Miyagi asked the boy to paint his fence… paint up, paint down. Again, it took all day.

On the third day, the old man asked him to sand the wooden floor of his verandah – in a circular fashion. And again, it took all day.

At the end of the third day, Daniel was very angry. He had done all this work for Mr. Miyagi, and Daniel said that he hadn’t been taught anything. Mr. Miyagi asked Daniel to stand in front of him and do the motion for wax-on & wax-off and – as he did this – the master tried to hit him, but the blows were deflected by the boy’s arm motions.

Daniel’s work for Mr. Miyagi – his obedience to Mr. Miyagi’s instruction – has made him ready for his first lesson in how to face danger. It has prepared Daniel for the lessons, and – undoubtedly – for the dangers that will follow.

In the course of our lives, there are many things that arise that cause fear within us. There are giants who are hostile to us and to all that we hold dear. There are storms that threaten to overwhelm everybody.

But for each of us, there are also fears that are different – things that vary from person to person. And the intensity of our fears varies from person to person as well.

How many of you are afraid to drive in highway traffic, or to speak in public, or the thought of getting diagnosed with cancer? Some people fear being alone, others worry about being unemployed, still others about facing an abusive partner. Some fight against the giants of addiction or face corporate cruelty.

There are many dangers in the world, and we are right to fear those dangers. Fear is a natural God-given reaction to things that threaten us. But fear – while it is totally natural – can lead to paralysis if we listen to it too much. Fear can prevent us from dealing with what threatens us, and it can – in the end – allow the thing we fear to destroy us. Not just our bodies, but our hearts, our minds, and even our very souls.

That’s what was happening at the time when the Philistines waged war on Israel during the reign of King Saul. The Philistines came with a champion – Goliath of Gath – and he was huge! Over nine feet tall, well-armed, and well-armored, he challenged the Israelites to send someone to fight him, and whoever won the battle would win the war. Each day, for forty days, he put forth this challenge, and each day the Israelites ran from him.

All were afraid. None would go forth in battle except for David. We hear that David had a hard time convincing Saul to allow him to do it. Saul thought that the boy was too small and inexperienced, but David convinced Saul that he could prevail and – with God’s help – defeat Goliath. We know that David won. Not with the weapons of war with which Saul equipped him, but with the instrument he used as a shepherd – a sling – and with the name of God.

When we obey God’s commands and trust in God’s name, we can overcome our enemies. We can overcome our natural fear and do what must be done. The trick is to gain a perspective of the danger we’re in. And to understand that God is able to help us – and that we will be helped because God has power over the wind and the waves, to still the storm and calm the troubled waters, even in the face of overwhelming odds.

In Alcoholics Anonymous, and in all the dependency groups based on the recovery model, there is a slogan: “Let Go – and Let God.” I think that’s a marvelously liberating thing to do – to trust God to make things come out right instead of worrying about how we are going to make it happen. To decide to act to do God’s will instead of worrying about how to do what we want to do, instead of trying to fix everything on our own.

I think that what most of us really fear the most is being out of control, of meeting things that are greater than we are and not being able to do anything about them. That was certainly the situation in Israel at the time of David and Goliath. It was also certainly the case in the boat in the middle of the storm in the Sea of Galilee. The disciples felt powerless – they felt overwhelmed and unable to help themselves, unable to overcome the danger around them.

Friends, we fear what we do not know. We fear what we cannot control. But when you really think about it – that’s weird – for the truth of life is that we cannot control what happens from one minute to the next.

David knew where his strength came from. He knew who was in charge. He knew who could help him. Jesus knew who was really in charge and that faith could get them through.

When you grow afraid, when you doubt that you’ll be able to take another step, when you feel like you will surely die, remember God is fully able to help you. Just as God was present with David to slay Goliath despite the overwhelming odds. Just as God was there calming the storm that threatened to overcome the small boat in which the disciples looked to cross the Sea of Galilee. God is present with each of us to overcome that which would overcome us. Remember this, and practice what God seeks to teach us through Jesus Christ.

Wax on, wax off. Paint up, paint down. Sand the floor.
Pray. Read. Meditate on the word. Because these things help to center us in the heart of our living God, providing for us an anchor which keeps us steadfast and sure.

“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; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Is 43:1-3).