Sermon Prep
Dan Metzger, pastor at St Marks United Methodist Church in Findlay, goes behind the scenes of weekly sermon prep, addressing cultural and spiritual issues, and what happens the other 6 days of the week.
Sermon Prep
Episode 10 - Fear Not!
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Pastor Dan and Director of Outreach Kellie Bibler talk about the things that make us afraid and what scripture has to say about trusting in God.
Hey everybody, welcome to another Sermon Prep Podcast. This is Dan Metzgrim, the pastor at St. Mark's United Methodist Church here in Finley. And today with me is a very special guest, our director of outreach, Kelly Bibler. Hi, Kelly.
SPEAKER_01Hi, Pastor Dan.
SPEAKER_02You said, hey, all this looks very familiar because this is all your podcasting.
SPEAKER_01This is my podcasting example that you've been letting us use.
SPEAKER_02So thank you very much for that.
SPEAKER_01You're very welcome.
SPEAKER_02Share a little bit about before we kind of get into today's topic. I'll let you kind of say a little bit about what's some of the stuff that you do as our director of outreach. You've been doing this for a little over a year. Yeah, a year and a half. Almost a year and a half now. So what's some of the stuff like that you're working on right now? You help us kind of get out into our community and everything.
SPEAKER_01Exactly. So I'm helping to connect the members of our church to the needs in our community and just help us be the hands and feet of Jesus. You know, it's not enough to just talk about it on Sunday mornings. We have to figure out how we can help make the world a better place because that's what God wants us to do and share his message with everybody that we can. So we're pretty lucky here at St. Mark's. We have a great congregation that likes to be involved and likes to give back. So I just figure out ways that are out there that we can connect our members to them and um just help us be involved in in our community, and we want to leave our community a better place.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so a couple of things that we're doing. We've got this big moving the needle campaign that we're doing where we're trying to hit a bunch of these different markers and make uh Finley and Hancock County a measurably better place to live over the next 10 years. Um right now, some of the fun things that we're doing. Let's see, what do we got coming up? We've got Super Service Saturday.
SPEAKER_01Super Service Saturday, yes, our second annual on May 16th. May 16th, yes. So we'll we're gonna have about 10 different projects um both in our church for our members and then outside in the community as well. So we're gonna send our members out and and give them um certain areas that they can help with that needle in our community. So we're gonna be putting food in little free pantries and um helping some members and helping here at our church and making cards for shut-ins and little gifts for our preschool here. So there's lots of opportunities. I need to. That's that's gonna be really fun. That's a fun idea.
SPEAKER_02So we've got that coming up, and then just a little teaser. Let's give it a teaser for people in podcast land uh that this fall we are looking to partner with some people in our community on a really exciting kind of campaign.
SPEAKER_01Yes, so if you like awkward, you're gonna love this campaign that's coming out. We want to make it awkward.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's gonna be called Make It Awkward, and the idea is around having those awkward conversations with people uh around mental health. Um, that was one of the things when we did this uh uh survey a while back of where we felt like God was leading us, um, areas of uh physical and mental health. And so um, you know, conversations around really hard things with mental health and uh suicide awareness and things like that. Um, and we're gonna find some ways to partner with our community to make it awkward and have those awkward conversations with each other. So looking forward to that. I think that's gonna be awesome.
SPEAKER_01It'll it'll be great. We hope it's a it's a movement that that starts and never ends.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. All right, so we are in this series uh at church called I Quit, where we're talking about quitting uh some different things that we as Christians need to quit doing um because it damages our witness, or it's just not doesn't lead us into the kind of abundant life God wants for us. And so this week we are talking about um not being afraid, quitting being afraid. And um so I guess so. One of the things that I'm gonna talk about, and um I'm not gonna talk about all of it right now because I'm gonna save some of it for Sunday.
SPEAKER_01But what are otherwise we won't listen?
SPEAKER_02Well, and and I know that everyone listens so intently. Um what are some of like the your biggest fears? And like I as a child, I had some like some major like paralyzing fears when I was a kid. Uh dogs. I was terrified of dogs when I was growing up. I had a friend who got bit by a dog in the face and like had like and like I wasn't even there, but I heard about it, traumatized me, and like, nope, like so, like I could not do dogs. I was I was just so afraid all the time of dogs. And uh, and I had some other things too, but what what about for you? What what in your life, whether as a kid or or even today, what are some things that have been like I'm afraid of these things?
SPEAKER_00When I was a kid, I remember being afraid that there were monsters in my closet. Like, I think a lot of kids like have that fear. But as an adult, one fear that I have always had is fear of fire.
SPEAKER_02Really?
SPEAKER_00Yes, like I and pretty much I'm not afraid of a lot.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So fear of fire, like campfires or like my house is gonna catch fire?
SPEAKER_00House fires, building fires, like I do like to make a good s'more and sit around the campfire, but just like that fear that something is going to burn down. And like, did I leave something running? Is my electrical system up to date? Like all those things that could cause a fire.
SPEAKER_02Have you had a house fire? No. So let's dive deep. Let's dive deep into this, Kelly. Where does this come from? Where does this come from? Well, we'll let we'll let you explore that with your own professional. But um uh we I think we all have fears that we all deal with. And uh it and so some of the things that we're gonna talk about um on Sunday, um, just as a little bit of uh stealing my own thunder, is um we're gonna talk about four of where I think are some of the most common areas of fear. One is fear of loss. I think we're we're afraid of uh losing um losing loved ones, losing uh losing jobs, losing uh income, losing whatever it whatever it might be. Um we we can get afraid around fear of loss of of some of these kinds of things. Um another one, and uh, and this is a big one, uh honestly, for like I and by the way, I struggle with all of these things. These are all things that um that are fears of mine and pop up sometimes more than others. Fear of failure is a big one for me.
SPEAKER_01We don't want to disappoint.
SPEAKER_02I don't want to disappoint anyone. I don't want to sometimes there's things that I don't even start because there's like there's no way I can do that thing, like who am I, and all of that kind of stuff. Um, that's definitely uh can be a huge uh fear, is that we don't want to fall short. Uh fear of rejection. Oh fear that you right that somebody's gonna be like, you're not enough, or I like um man, that's a that's a hard one for pastors. I don't know that any pastor I know of who's ever gone to a new church hasn't had people that have left. Like, and it feels very personal. Oh, I'm sure. And um, and it's not just pastors, obviously. I think we're all afraid of of rejection. Um, yeah, you know, whether it's a relationship or whatever it might be. Yeah. And then I think also just fears of the unknown. What's the future gonna look like? What's gonna happen? What what all the what-ifs out there that are just really, really scary. So I think that those are like some of the big ones that all the stuff that we can't control. Right. Yeah. Are there any of those that like you find yourself every now and then struggling with more than others?
SPEAKER_01I mean, definitely uh fear, fear of rejection.
SPEAKER_00I mean, I think after a while you get to an age where you're just seasoned, I guess is a good way to put it. Um, and things don't bother you as much. But certainly along my life, like I was I've been fired and I've lost my parents. And you know, I think when it happens, it's it's the worst thing in the world that's ever happened. Certainly losing your loved ones for sure. But like I got fired and I cried all the way home, and you know what? I woke up the next day and I was fine. And my life, my life went on, but it certainly doesn't make it any less of a fear for anyone that has it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And I I think, yeah, all of these things, all like I said, all of these things for me, they pop up sometimes a little bit more than others. Yeah. There's definitely been times where it's been like um the fear of the unknown, the, you know, where's the next paycheck gonna come from? Or or there's been the fear of uh yeah, the fear of rejection, you know. I whether I'm yeah, every Sunday I get really vulnerable. I mean, it's every Sunday I stand up in front of a group of people and I'm like, hope they like what I have to say this week, or maybe I need a new job, you know. It's like it's all these different kinds of things. Um, and then I think we sometimes, and actually this is a little bit next week, we're gonna be talking about comparison. And um, and you know, so sometimes it's not even failure, it's just failure in comparison to someone else. Right. And, you know, why are they doing well and I'm not, and all of those, uh, all of those things that can that can kind of creep in. Like we can be just so, so afraid of of things. Um, so there's kind of this common teaching uh that I find pastors and and people talking about a lot that say, you know, faith versus fear. Like, do you have faith or do you have fear? And and I don't necessarily fully agree with with that because I think I think both are faith. Like it's just what are you putting your faith in? Am I putting my faith in God or am I putting faith in the what-ifs? Like I have more faith that all the what-ifs are gonna happen than I do, than I do that God's gonna come through. Uh, tends to be um where I see a lot of um a lot of the struggle for for people and in and in my own life. And I think and and tell me how this plays out in your life, but I think for me, uh I can sometimes have faith in the little things because it's um if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. Right. Right. But it it's it's faith in the big things, um, and not being afraid of those things that I think can be a real challenge, trusting God to handle the big things, um, to not be afraid for my kids, to not be afraid of losing a loved one, to not be afraid in the middle of of all of these things. Um those are the places I tend to be. I have a lot of my fears.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah. I mean, as a parent, there's a whole level of fear that comes with being a parrot.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And especially as your kids get older, like I said, this uh raising children is not for the weak, but adult children, it's a whole different ball game. And it's a whole level of fear that you, I mean, just will they will they be okay? Will they find a job? Will they, you know, like I I worry, I think worry is fear. I worry nonstop about my kid.
SPEAKER_02Sure.
SPEAKER_00Nonstop.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. My poor parents, you know, they're trying to raise kids and get them out of there. I moved back in across the road, so they can't get they can't get away from it.
SPEAKER_00That's why their biggest fear.
SPEAKER_02It probably is, yeah. But yeah, no, and um so what I what I kind of want to wrap all of this up with, because I think that this is the big thing. And um there's so many times in scripture, it's one of the most common, one of the most common commands that God gives is don't be afraid. And um I don't think he would give us that command if it wasn't for the fact that we were afraid all the time.
SPEAKER_00I mean, he has to give it over and over and over again because we forget that God's in control.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so it needs to be repeated all the time um to remind us to to trust God to handle things. And I think what I find is true is that a lot of the times he follows up that command of don't be afraid with for I am with you. Don't be afraid because I'm here. And um that's it, we tend to we just forget. We we forget that God is with us, we forget that um that we we don't have to do this life on our own, that we do have someone on our side, and not just someone on our side, but the one who made the stars and the universe and created us and is in control of everything and has the power to do everything, like that's the one that's with us, right? So um I just find it um I find it interesting. So there's uh uh we were kind of talking about this a little bit before. There's this I don't know, meme that goes around or this thing that goes around saying that there's 365 don't be afraid in the Bible, uh, one for every day, which isn't necessarily true. Uh there's there there's not quite that many. Uh there's still a lot, though. There's around, depending on your translations, there's about 145 different times in scripture where uh God talks about being afraid and tells us not to be afraid or don't be anxious or um be anxious for nothing or whatever, whatever it might be. And a lot of them, yeah, end up with don't be afraid, because I'm with you. So I was just gonna look at just a couple of these and uh I'm gonna hand you some of these too. I printed I printed all of them off. And so feel free to leak through and just uh if you want, you can just share some of your favorite ones. I think one of them that's um right off uh out of the book of Joshua. Joshua's this really interesting one where he's coming through um uh after Moses has has died, and and Joshua's now going to be the one who, after 40 years, is finally gonna lead God's people into the promised land. And God uh says to Joshua, uh, have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous, do not be afraid. And then he follows it up with, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. And you know, that's that fear of the unknown. He has all of those fears. Fear of the unknown, fear of loss. He's probably gonna lose some people in the battles, uh, fear of failure. God's leading me to this thing, I'm not gonna be able to do this, fear of rejection, the people rejected Moses for 40 years, and now he gets to be the guy in control. That'd be a terrifying nobody wants to be the guy that follows the guy, right? Oh no, Joshua's the guy that follows the guy, yeah, you know, big time.
SPEAKER_00But when the guy was good, and now you've got to step into those shit.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Of course, they hated Moses the whole time they were with him and complained about him all the time. But now that Moses is gone, it's like, oh no, now we have to follow this guy over here. Right. Um, all of a sudden Moses is, you know, the great leader. And uh I I just I I love that um the reason, the reason God says to Joshua, don't be afraid. He doesn't give him all of the here's what's going to happen and here's why it's all gonna be okay. You're gonna go, you know, I'm I'm gonna part the waters of the Jordan. He doesn't tell them any of this, he doesn't tell them I'm gonna knock down the walls of Jericho, I'm gonna do these things. He doesn't give them any of the details. He just says, I'm gonna be with you. That's it. And um, that's why you don't have to be afraid. It's because I'm with you. So I just that's one of my favorite do not be afraid of scripture, is that one. So any that you're coming across that that you particularly like. I know I just threw all of these at you. But no, it's fine. I didn't I didn't warn you at all. It's fine. It's fine.
SPEAKER_00I mean, honestly, like sort of the simple ones. Um from Jeremiah 1.8, do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you, just declares the Lord. Like simple. Like, yeah, don't be afraid. I've got you. And then um, I mean, this one from um Mark 5, 36, overhearing what they said, Jesus told them, Don't don't be afraid, just believe.
SPEAKER_02Don't be afraid.
SPEAKER_00I just think about how many times Jesus had to say that to his disciples and and to all the people over and over and over again, and how many times he's telling us that, but are we open to hearing it and are we listening to it?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. One of the most one of the most common ones that we it's a little bit of a variation of it, but from Psalm 23, where David writes, even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil or I won't be afraid. For you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. It's one of the ones that we say all the time, that we that we remember all of the time. Um uh this uh this Psalm of David, this idea of the good shepherd, who's it's that same imagery of the one who walks with us through the darkest valleys, through the valley of the shadow of death, um, in the presence of our enemies, all of those things, God is God is with us.
SPEAKER_00I think it's it's hard. Um I think it gets easier as you get older to have the faith, and here's why. I think when you're younger, the things haven't happened to you yet, and you're still trying to control everything that's happening to you. The older you get, the more things happen to you. It's just life, right? Yeah. Um, whatever those things are, and you come out on the other side and you realize like God had you the whole time. So it just makes it easier to let go and and let God as we get older. But I think the key is trying to figure out how to do that earlier in your life so you don't worry so much about everything.
SPEAKER_02Well, you you named another another fear in the midst of it that actually helps us with our fear, and that is um we fear the loss of control.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02You know, we're when we try to control everything, we try to control the situation, and we're afraid that the situation isn't going to happen the way that we want to. We have this fear that we know we have our we're holding on to everything so tight, and we have this fear of what will happen if I'm not in control. Right. Right? Which is faith. You know, this idea of faith is letting God do letting God have this thing. And um, yeah, it it's a it's a it it is a huge fear of yeah, that losing control of you know these things that haven't happened to us yet, um, and saying, what if I'm not in charge of those things? What if what if God's in charge of those things? And I just step back and actually live into the prayer that I pray every Sunday, thy kingdom come, thy will be done. Yes, instead of my will be done, right? Right. That's because that's what that means when we pray that saying yours, not mine.
SPEAKER_00Right. So I remember I had a a job one time that I was really struggling in, and I remember standing Was it this job? It was okay not yet. Not yet. Um I remember standing in the shower and crying, and this had been like a lot of stress had been piling up. I remember standing in the shower crying and just saying, God, I can't do this anymore. Like, I need I need a sign from you, I need something. And I went to work that day and I got fired. And you know what? It God had me. Like that was God telling me, and it it was fine. I packed up my desk, I left, and I went on about my life and my path. I wouldn't, I don't regret anything I've done. Maybe probably wouldn't be here otherwise. I might not be here otherwise, but I think it's like we're we're scared of that, but also we gotta let God be in control because yeah, I mean, God's got the plan. Yeah, we just have the plug.
SPEAKER_02We took a little bit of it, huh? We just have the plug, but God has so this week where that's what we're gonna be talking about. Hope that you will join us. Um, if there's anything you need to remember between now and then, it's it's gonna be this that don't be afraid. Why? Because he is with you. And uh, if he's with you, if God's for you, who can be against you? So uh hold on to that this week. And thank you so much for joining us. Can't wait to see you. And uh thanks for being a part of another Sermon Prep Podcast.