Good morning:
“Too scared to move” is more than just a figure of speech. It’s a reality. A sudden crash somewhere in the house in the middle of the night may be so startling that even though you know you should crawl out of bed and investigate, you don’t really want to. Fear of making a mistake in the choice of a college or career may paralyze a young person, so that they do nothing. In extreme cases, some people never leave their home for years, fearful of the unknown outside the front door.
“Too scared to move” describes the disciples Easter evening. Cowering behind a locked door, they were terrified by thoughts of what might happen next. But then the risen, living Lord appeared to replace fear with joy and courage. Afterwards, the men too scared to move couldn’t wait to go into all the world with the good news of forgiveness and salvation for all sinners.
We can relate. How often have we hesitated to invite a friend to church or kept quiet instead of taking a stand on the truth of Scripture in a conversation with a group of coworkers? It’s easy to excuse inaction by reasoning that we’ll do it later at a better time, or that it wouldn’t accomplish anything anyway, or that it’s something for others to do, not me.
But Peter writes: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). God gives us the message to share: the saving news of Christ crucified for the sins of all and raised again in victory over sin and death. What’s more, as we read, hear, and meditate on the Word, the Spirit overcomes fear in our hearts and gives us the courage we lack.
Too scared to move? “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God” (Eph. 6:10). In that strength, may we begin today with the prayer, “Lord, lead on and show me how I may be Your witness to all those around me.”
Yours in Christ,
Pastor
Services tomorrow are at the usual 8:00 and 10:45 a.m.
Sunday school is at 9:30 and Bible class at 9:45 a.m.
The quarterly voters meeting gets underway after second service. Among other agenda items, the budget for the next fiscal year will be set.
